Zoom H6essential review - Zoom to the point

With the H series, Zoom can claim to have greatly democratized nomadic recording, targeting musicians, journalists and audiovisual professionals alike. In other words, the release of the Hessential range should be of interest to many, as it makes the H series even more accessible, retaining the essentials and improving or correcting what can be improved.

So, with this new H6essential, we find the great assets that made the H6 such a success, namely a device capable of recording six tracks simultaneously via four physical inputs on XLR/Jack combo and its connector designed to accommodate one of the three available heads: a pair of XY mics supplied as standard, a shotgun mic operating on the mid/side and a double jack/XLR combo connector to increase the number of physical inputs to six. The latter uses a new format, making it impossible to use the heads from the old H6. This is a pity, but understandable, as we shall see.

Compared to the previous version, which remains in the catalog as the H6 Pro Black, Zoom has also carried out a complete redesign of the device. This is true for the entire Hessential series. The same colored plastics and color LCD screen that we appreciated on the R4 for their apparent sturdiness are back. Above all, we’re delighted to no longer have the kind of rubber used by Zoom in the past, which caused a lot of problems as it aged. Finally, let’s be clear: the device is delivered without any further accessories; the latter (USB cable, Dead Cat windshield, AC adapter, and hard case) are included in a separate pack. Some will criticize Zoom for this approach, when it’s also understandable that it’s a way of lowering the overall cost of the device by removing what will be of no use to some: the essentials, we told you.

What’s left?

The organization of the machine is, as always with Zoom, extremely clear, with five buttons for selecting the four side physical inputs or the head, with a sixth button providing access to the mixer. In the center of these buttons is a handy speaker for previewing sound without headphones. Just above the screen, a block of buttons allows you to start or stop playback or recording, and skip to the previous or next track.

The rest of the navigation will take place on the right side of the device via a small notched wheel and an Enter key. It’s worth noting that Zoom has worked on the silent side of the buttons to minimize handling noise when recording, which is a good thing.

Also on the right-hand side, access is gained to the hatch for inserting the micro SD card opposite two XLR Jack combo inputs.

The same physical inputs are found on the left-hand side alongside the volume knob, a headphone jack and line output in mini-jack format, and a connector for an external transformer not supplied. Let’s finish by pointing out that the push-button for turning the device on or off is located just at the bottom of the screen, and that the hatch for inserting the four AAA batteries that power the recorder is located underneath it, alongside a screw thread that will enable it to be attached to a camera or DSLR, or any standard photo format support.

No gain, no pain

No need to dwell on the navigation from the device’s screen, which proves extremely intuitive between the physical controls available on this H6essential and the menu/sub-menu system long used by Zoom. On the other hand, some may be baffled by the absence of the gain wheels found on the old H6, which have simply been replaced by a sticker stating that this is a 32-bit machine. “What does that have to do with anything?” It’s simple: at this audio resolution, we have such a wide dynamic range that it’s impossible to saturate the converters.

This explains the absence of gain controls. However, it’s important to understand that just because you can’t saturate the converters doesn’t mean you can’t saturate the mics and preamps, depending on the level to which you’re subjecting the recorder. Zoom assures us, however, that its XY couple can handle 135 dB SPL, the sound of an airplane taking off. This leaves plenty of room for improvement, even if on the preamplifier side, we’d have liked to have had the quieter F-series, as well as its limiters, which brings us to the more recent H5 Studio which is undoubtedly, albeit 100 euros more expensive, the biggest competitor to this H6essential because it brings so much more to the table…  

In appreciable details, however, we note that the manufacturer offers a navigation system for the visually impaired (hence the use of the speaker, incidentally). Plus, using an optional Bluetooth accessory, you can synchronize the H6essential with another device via Timecode or use Zoom’s iOS/Android app as a remote control. It’s also possible to use it as an audio interface, a feature that further emphasizes the Swiss Army knife aspect of the beast.

Because let’s face it: the H6essential is extremely versatile. It can be used to record sound for a short film, a podcast or a live band: the possibility, in the latter case, of recording certain instruments as well as the whole band via the XY pair is a real plus. Be warned, however: this is not a pocket studio like the R4, as it is not possible to record track by track or punch in or out, and there are no onboard effects. In short, we’re dealing with a recorder, but not a production studio.