ZOOM H5 vs H6 - Classical Musician Perspective 

Thanks for the great video! As a drummer looking for a new practice and band rehearsal recorder, I learned that the number of inputs is the real key to the decision between these two. Thanks again for the help!

I've been deliberating on this purchase for a while now; this is a great break down. Thank you!

Great video! Thank you! I listened to it with 2 YT windows side by side to play one after another. I think in the mid and low range recordings H6 sounds richer.

Thank you for your job! I'm so glad I've found this channel! Keep going!

Very well done! Very helpful information wrapped in a great presentation.

Nice review! So well done. Thanks.

Beautiful playing Sir! Difference in sound is so minute, I couldn't tell. Thank you for this comparison.

Yes, there is a difference in the built-in stereo mic quality. The smaller mics on the H5 lack some of the warmer midrange that is present on the H6 mics. I generally only use the built-ins for quick demos to jot down musical ideas, and use external mics for more serious capture. So the difference isn't an issue for me.

Nice review and beautiful playing! Well done.

Thanks for your video, I really enjoyed it!

I definitely like the sound of the audio coming from the Zoom H6 , sounds warmer! And great violin playing as well! I enjoyed your video/presentation thank you!

Thanks so for this. I need to record operatic voice performances and decided for the H6 which had a narrower swing on the tone and warmer timbre on your violin. It delivered warmth in mid to low ranges and roundness in the higher registers. It also offers the opportunity to set separate mics for voice and multiple instruments.

okay, I love this guy :D love his style and btw great video, very helpful :)

thank you for the info I'm a classical guitarist and I'm looking forward to buy one of these! Already subscribed to your channel! Thank you!

Thank you! This was very helpfull!

Your vid is excellent in every respect. A great thanks.

As Adam Nash wrote, i heard that the h5 sounds a little thinner than the h6 but its so slight that i dont think it really matters. So a significant difference for me would be the weight and size and protections which make the H5 a more agreable device to hold and bring everywhere.

Thank you for this tutorial!

Firstly thank you for your post, it was very useful! I am a both a cellist (and violist, less so) and an electric guitarist who plays both in an ensemble setting. What I've noted about the H6 is that it has 6 channels that can be used simultaneously, where the H5 is four channels. That means, that more mics can be used with the H6 to get a fuller enesemble recording- not necessarily better. What is nice about both is that you can also use them for song writing and demo construction by overdubbing- I think four discrete channels of recording on the H5, maybe five on the H6 (at least four, but I believe five for the H6). The new H8, from what I've read, does not allow overdubbing. In other words, once a recording file is created, the player cannot go back and add overdubs. Why they left this feature off is unclear, and has been a major point of criticism of the H8 in comment boards. Please, anybody, if I am wrong, feel free to correct this, but this is what I've read on the Sweetwater comments regarding the H8.

Very good video. Thanks.

Really really helpful sir , thanks ...

Thanks for the Bartok - informative video

I wear a pair of in-ear hearing aids, connected via Bluetooth. I was unable to discern any difference in recording quality, and did not expect to. However, I was delighted to hear the quality of the samples. Thank you.

super Vergleich, danke!!

Nice test. The Zoom H5 has more resonances in the treble area ( = to loud treble), so the middle register disappears. And it propobly getting worse in loud envarimennts. H5 require more post processing (compared to H6) to sound decent.

Amazing video brother

You can buy the capsules separately. The sound difference comes just from the microphones. At least here in Germany Thomann sells a bundle where you get the H5 and both of the tested capsules and it's still cheaper than the H6. So making the choice because of the included microphone capsules doesn't make too much sense in my opinion. You should rather consider size, weight and how many external XLR microphones you need to use at once. But even there, you can replace the XY-microphones with another two XLR-ports, so that you can plug 4 mics into the H5. But those extra two ports will not support phantom power. If you use multiple external microphones, especially if you use phantom power, it will definitely drain the batteries quicker, but you can easily extend the battery life of both devices with an external power bank connected to the USB port.

At 5:19 up to 5:49 is where I somehow seemed to notice the Zoom 6 with a richer sound. Was that dynamically induced with the touch of your playing? Not sure but won't deter me from looking for a well priced, used H5n. Cool demo and nice playing, Now to pull out some violin sounds on my keyboard lol :)

Thanks for the informative videos! Any chance you could share your views on the Zoom H6 vs H8 when it comes classical music? I'm a classically trained pianist myself and I often film and record for my friends. Would love to know how those two compare before investing in my first audio recorder. Many thanks!

Thanks for the video and congratulations for playing from also a violinist!

Listening on my Kali monitors I here no difference with stereo imaging, I also listened to the noise floor between your playing and appears to be the same pre or the circuitry but I'm not sure. this is a really good test and review, thank you!

thanks Maestro ! :)

Cool vid. Thanx! For me there is a difference in sound. The H6 sounds a little more hi fidelity to me. Can hear the room and the stereo space a little better. Even with a viola:)

have you tried the h1n? is it much worse than the h5/h6? i need something really portable to put on top of my camera for run and gun situations taking in ambient sounds.

The H6 had a fuller sound in all registers. However, both have great sound. The connectivity of the H6 is very important for any musician recording instruments and vocals. That is something you may not have thought of.

Just a little add on -> 02:13 this mini jack is powered but need to be turn on in the setting menu . Tx a lot for this comparison 👌

Do you know why there are so few violin jokes? Violinists wouldn’t understand them!

great playing. Violin is such an amazing sounding instrument.

0:00 Right now in Germany, the difference is about 100 Euros new. Buying it used might narrow that down. 1:30 Since the H5 can be powered via USB, any large powerbank can provide many many hours. 4:00 Very nice playing. Envious ( : 6:20 The point of throwing something against the wall is to do damage. The heavier, the better. Apart from that the question whether the device fits inside a pocket might be more interesting. I like the form factor of the H5. Would love to need an H6 or H8 though. 7:00 Not that I recommend it but if you buy the XLR-extension (EXH-6), which is around 70 bucks new, you have 4 XLR inputs and are still 30 bucks cheaper. Interesting option: buying it later, when it becomes relevant. 7:45 I guess one needs to measure the difference. Maybe it shows with extensive editing, no idea. I usually use an AT 2035 to record stuff and it is even less noisy. According to the never wrong internet (hnr hnr hnr), the preamps are supposed to be the same. Chances are that they'll be practically identical with an external mic. My final verdict: Since I'm in Germany and the difference is 100 Euros, I get the Zoom H5 AND decent used AT M50 headphones AND Reaper for about the price of the H6. Battery life doesn't matter if one has a powerbank. And unless one has lots of money for microphones, 6 channels remain a theoretical possibility. The H5 is much more portable. That is actually nice. The choice is purely made by purpose. People recording mostly one or two channels have 100 bucks for extras, people who record 3-6 sources will be better off with the H6. Whether Tascam might be a better choice remains open. I am happy with the H5 for podcasts, voiceover and lone-soldier music. Funny: Zoom H5: 233, Zoom H6: 329, Zoom H8 359!!

Can’t tell the difference, both sounds great what lovely playing

I enjoyed your video! I have a question! And I am going to use it for my recital. I am playing the piano with a classic vocal for the first section, And I am doing it with a classic vocal and clarinetist. It is a small hall where up to 100 people have seats. Which setting would you do that for a decent quality And how far would you place it? Thanks!!

I personally prefer the quality of the h5, can't tell exactly what it is. Interesting video!

I am using a Zoom H1n for recording nature sounds for the educational videos I make on natural history. I was contemplating getting the H6n but insofar as I can tell, if I attach a Rode shotgun mic to the H1n, the recording capacity is also equal to that of the H6n and the difference in preamp noise is irrelevant because the condenser mics don't need to use the preamps.

I don't know if it is just me but I feel that H6 is a bit more stereo while the H5 is more mono and has less width. However, recording quality sounds too similar to be compared.

Maybe not anymore, but when I bought my H6, it also included an additional capsule, for M/S recording. That and the extra 2 inputs made it definitely worth it for me. Still going strong after 5 years!

I think the price difference on the H5 and H6 makes the H5 the better value (if you only need 2 XLR inputs). The $50 you save can be used to buy another capsule or your H5. The H5 in my opinion also has a better battery life, as the same 4 batteries will get you 30 hours of recording (not continues thought), were it will only get you 20 hours on the H6. I think the H5 is the better of the 2, and I would like to thank you for bringing me to that conclusion, really loved the video (it's not just a H5 for voice over, but actually a video that is useful to me)

hehe! Thank you! I subscribe. :) is both machines Zoom H5 & H6 do an automatic mix of all the mics?

I liked you, until the viola joke at the end 😉😅 Great video man!

I like the Zoom H5, crash bars & screen size & the sound of H5 with reverb

I couldn't hear a difference except... for the clips with reverb. I thought the H6 reverb seemed a little bigger. Is that adjustable, or just an on/off switch? In any case, I'd probably leave that for post anyway. Now to compare the H4 Pro...

Hello! Thank you for this video. What do you think of the zoom h2n recorder for recording violin?

Excellent ... you saved my H5...

the sound u created is increbly emotional. H6 sounds slightly fuller

Liked your review and Bartok Playing ! For only 50, i will go for H6 to record my string quartet in separate channels.

The 6 Capsule sounds way better to me because it captures the low end better. The 5 Capsule captures a higher end and is a bit more high Tingy sounding. My vote is for the 6 Capsule For Sure. Nice Video!

This slight difference mainly in the dynamic range is probably due to the microphone itself and not so much the recorder. If the recording settings were the same on both devices only the microphones should afect the outcome.

sir can we connect our 3.5 mm aux speaker to it so that we can hear our recording from speaker ?? and where to connect it? i am asking for zoom h6

twice as many batteries, but only 33% increase in time is not better battery life... great review! thank you!! going h5.

Great video. With a decent set of headphones, I think the difference in sound quality is quite marked between the two, with the H5 sounding much thinner generally and the H6 having much more body and "grit" to the sound. Shame, as I've just bought the H5 before I found your video. Now I'm kinda regretting that choice.

Hey so if I'm going to interview 2 people and I do the questions... what u suggest?

may I know how do you add the reverb?

Dear there is echo sound for singing in zoom h6??

Listening this with studio noise cancelling headphones the difference was very remarkable, quickly realized that the H5 sounds nice and great quality, but everytime it switched to H6 I could not ignore the difference in depth. The H5 sounds pretty compressed when compared with H6, and the H6 showed wider sound depth, if that makes sense.

Thanks what about now in 2022 is there better options?

Agreed, I don't think there's a discernable difference between the two capsule microphones. Does the H5 give the option of rotating between 90° and 120° on the XY mic? That could be useful for recording more spread out ensembles. My H6 also came with the mid-side microphone capsule, not that I use it, but it could come in handy for different situations (a recent check suggests it no longer comes bundled with both mics). As for the screens, I think you get used to what you have and it doesn't make a difference. There is also an input capsule available, which will add two more mic inputs on either the H5 or H6. I think the main difference is that the H6 has some added versatility. Thank you for not testing their durability with being thrown, 😂.

What a great violin play for recoder's test !! I need more Good bottuns. I just subscribe this ch and I'll check all your videos from now. Anyway thanks a lot !!

How does it sound in tuba register though?

H5 apareceu um suave ganho nos medios baixos, mas bem pouco, isso sultilmente impacta a percepção do medio alto, mas pode ser o local onde estava ambos gravadores que influenciou.

i cant tell the difference (through speakers), but in Australia there is about $100 difference, so i got the H5 also i dont need more than 2 inputs , great review thank you.

How did you add reverb to these? Do they include onboard effects like the H4n pro?

The price spread is no longer so little. The H5 has dropped to as little as the low 200’s. Thanks for the video

To my ears, the recordings made by H6's mics (capsule) are clearly much better, the sound is fuller and rounder, the capsule picks up more transients. But it is quite logical, the diaphragms are larger in the H6 capsule than those in the H5. So it is a great pity that the capsule from H6 cannot be fitted to H5... And by the way, the difference in price is bigger in Europe between these two devices: 220 euro (H5) vs 310 euro (H6). Both prices are promotional of course. Thanks for comparing these two recorders sir.

Is it possible to record music with a UHF wireless pickup?

Cool I like the h6 more

I am classical guitarist. I want to record classical pieces from home. What do you recomend? Zoom recorder or some mic with external sound card?

im confuse on choosing zoom h4n pro or h5 for my asmr video i'll put the device like 30-35cm from me,which one will make my audio crisp and sensitive?

to me, the low frequencies on the H6 sound more warm.

Yes with the h6 you can get basically 5.1 surround sound.

U did ya thing with the violin u made me put in both my AirPods 😆

I can absolutely say that I can't hear a difference except on the lower registry but even then it's so subtle I'm not sure. I heard (ha ha) however that the noise floor of the larger capsule is lower - it seems to be easier to amplify. Awesome joke! One more observation: since both allow for a shadow recording, having 6 tracks might help. Both enable recording of the same 2 inputs in 4 tracks with one pair at lower gain - that allows for saving material that otherwise would be lost because of clipping. H6 will still have 2 other tracks for ambience recording, for instance.

I recently bought the Zoom H5 of which I am satisfied for the quality of sound. But in this comparison between both recorders I can definetly hear a quality difference between both sound capsules. To me the capsule of the H6 has a lot more transparency and definition in it. It sounds richer. The sound of the H6 capsule sounds also a bit more natural. But you really need a good set of headphones for the comparison. The speakers from your laptop won't show you the difference. Maybe one day I'll buy the XYH-6 X/Y capsule for my H5 as it works for both recorders and isn't that expensive at all.

Хороший обзор

Hi. What was the gain level on both recorders?

sorry sir..can you tell me what song you play

Straight to the point with some cheesy jokes. Subscribe!

Note that you can power both of these recorders with a USB power bank for hours of additional recording.

Well to be obvious: the h5 and h6 don't share the same microphones. But the preamps are better in the h6, as far as most naratives go. I have the h6 by myself and use the mostly the shotgunmic for the h6. How about a comparision between the preamps? Noiseflores and so on?

Bartok

h6 offers more substance in the lower register, no?

For me H5 sound more balanced and more pleasant to listen.

I think exist a different between h5 and h6 in the audio interface mode, probably H6 is superior on this functionality.

Turned out h5 is not very good if you use it as an audio interface. I don't have H6 to check for this issue, but for H5 the quality of audio in audio interface mode is noticeably worse than when you record to the device itself.

H6 is the clear stand out...listen on Beyerdynamic DT 1770s through a Chord Mojo or other high quality DAC

There is a difference between H5 and H6 in sound. It lies in the fact that at high and medium frequencies the H6 gives a little more volume. BUT! This is such a small difference.... Besides, today the sound is processed, and you can adjust the sound. Here the question is no longer “how much the quality differs.” Here the question is rather on a different plane - “how different are the timbres of H5 and H6”. Yes, there is a difference. But the difference in sound volume between the timbres is +-10%. I don't think it's worth it. Both recorders have amazing sound, don’t worry about it too much) I listen to it on high-quality isodynamic headphones. And yes, the H5 runs for 15 hours on 2 batteries, and the H6 runs for 20 hours on 4 batteries. This means that having 4 batteries with H5 you can work for 30 hours (15 + 15), and with H6 - only 20. And if you want to increase the battery life, you need to have 8 batteries for H6, and this is not enough. ..) 8 batteries for H5 is 15+15+15+15+60 hours of battery life. And for H6 it is only 40. Therefore, H5 is more energy efficient.

For a group of musicians doing a rehearsals and performances H6 can do the job better, but both quality are same.

How in the world does something that eats four batteries in 20 hours "win" over something that eats four batteries in 30 hours?

escucho que los mic del H5 son mas "calidos" que los del H6.......... pero es subjetivo.....

Nicw joke 😂 and very nice review 👍 fresh h6 owner here 👋🏼

H6 internal mic is noticibly better at picking up the resonant tones of the instrument .

H6 gives a better sound, especially in mid range, more present, that is clear ! A little bit better for low range, and for high range I don't hear difference.