H2n Handy Recorder

About this product

The H2n is a high quality, easy to use and cost-effective sound recorder that is ideal for recording the sounds of wildlife. It's small and robust design makes it highly portable, which is excellent when taking recordings in the field. The H2n boasts that it is the only portable recording device which includes five built-in microphones and four different recording modes: X/Y, Mid-Side (MS), 2-channel surround and 4-channel surround. Other advanced features include automatic gain control and on-board MS coding, plus effects like compression, limiting and low-cut filtering, the latter of which is useful for removing unwanted sounds such as wind noise.
 
A useful feature for wildlife field recorders is the ability to record in stereo, which allows you to capture a full and immersive sound picture of the whole habitat. Stereo recordings allow you to more easily separate out different sounds that a mono recording tends to mix together. The H2n allows you to experiment with two different kinds of stereo recording. You can use the X/Y configuration to capture the song of an individual bird or other vocalising animal, ideally in conjunction with the use of a parabolic reflector. Alternatively you can use the Mid-side (M/S) arrangement (bidirectional) to record and balance a main subject with some background ambient sound. You can adjust the width of the stereo picture by altering the side mic level and even adjust the stereo image after it has been recorded. If you mix the signals from both the X/Y and the MS microphones you can create a 360° spatial audio experience using the 2-channel or 4-channel modes to get the desired blend.
 
The H2n Line-In is a stereo ⅛" mini phone jack which can provide 2.5V plug-in power to an external condenser microphone and analog-type Mic Gain (including three pre-set recording levels).  The Line-Out is a stereo ⅛" phone jack with dedicated volume control. Headphones can be connected to this jack. There is a speaker in the back panel that allows a quick monophonic review of the recorded signal and a USB port which allows data to be sent to your computer for editing (WaveLab LE software included). There is a 4.5cm (1.8”) backlit LCD display. 

Power is supplied via x2 AA batteries (included). The H2n records directly onto standard SD and SDHC cards of up to 32GB (not included). Recordings can be saved in either WAV or MP3 format.

Specification

Recording media: 16MB-2GB SD cards, 4GB-32GB SDHC cards
MIC arrangements: 90° X/Y stereo, MS stereo with adjustable side mic level
Recording modes: MS, XY, MS+XY (2ch or 4ch), 
Microphone types: Directional (XY. MS mid-mics), Bidirectional (MS side mic)
Maximum sound pressure input: 120 dB spl (directional), 122 DB spl (bi-directional)
Stereo & 4ch uncompressed PCM: 44.1 / 48 / 96kHz, 16 / 24bit WAV (BWF)
Compressed MP3 (recording): 44.1kHz, 48kHz
                                                   56 /64/80/96/112/128/160/192/ 224/256/320kbps
                                                  (Not compatible with MS-RAW recording)
Compressed MP3 (playback): 44.1kHz, 48kHz 
                                                  32/40/48/56/64/80/96/112/128/160/192/224/256/320kbps
Lo cut: 80Hz high-pass filter   
Auto gain: Automatic recording start/stop, continuous standby
Pre rec: 2 seconds of pre-recording
Auto rec: Automatic recording start/stop, continuous standby
Playback Speed: adjustable between 50 – 150%
Display:128 x 64 pixels backlit LCD
Input gain: 0 to +39dB
Input jack: Line/mic stereo mini jack with plug-in power, 2 kΩ impedance at input levels of 0 to –39 dBm
Output jack: Line/headphone stereo mini jack
Built-in Speaker: 400mW, 8Ω, mono
USB: Mini-B type, card reader option
USB 2.0 high speed: Audio interface operation
USB 1.0 full speed: Supports 44.1 / 48kHz sampling rates and 16-bit rate USB bus power operation supported
Power: Two AA batteries (included), AD-17 USB to AC adapter (DC 5V 1A) (not included). Continuous operation of 20 or more hours when recording 44.1kHz/16-bit WAV files using alkaline batteries
Physical features: Tripod mounting socket, strap attachment
Software (included): Steinberg’s Cubase LE and WaveLab LE editing software
Dimensions: 67.6mm (W) × 113.85mm (H) × 42.7mm (D)
Weight: 130g (without batteries)
 

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