An unboxing video - Zoom H6. (*Japanese)

I suggest to check the video below if you do not have much time to check all of them, as Robert is as always good.

In fairness, a condenser microphone like the NT4 will give a pretty decent output, so the H5 should be able to handle it no problem--it really shouldn't stress the pre-amps. A low output dynamic microphone, on the other hand, would be a test that I'd be interested in hearing.

Having 4 XLR inputs with phantom power is nice (mind you, the module that gives you 2 extra XLR's apparently doesn't offer phantom power), but I'd rather have 2 good channels than 4 or 6 so-so channels.

In fairness, if you're using it only for filmmaking you probably using shotguns or lavaliers, so it's not necessarily as big of a deal, but if you're someone like me who would also use it with low output dynamic microphones, the noise floor of the preamps become more of a concern. (Though a CloudLifter or FetHead can alleviate that somewhat.)

Non-locking XLR connectors is a bit of a bummer, seems Zoom still hasn't figured that out.

I've got mine. Seems very good !

Non locking XLR connectors are not such a big deal.

I like Roberts video's since he appeals to the engineer in me, however he gave a pretty good yank on the cable to the H6 to get it to disengage. This actually can be a benefit. Can you imagine somebody trips over your mic cable. Do you want to loose connection or have the camera/recorder rig ripped from your hands? Generally the non-locking sockets are reasonably stable. I don't have an issue with this point. (BTW I use Juicedlink preamp for my sound).

A friend of mine bought the H6 for DSLR video work and ended up returning it. Here's the problem - there is no way to protect yourself from unexpected signal overloads. You can't record a second file at a lower volume level when using the XLR inputs. You can only do this when using the built in mic. And the limiter is absolute crap. Yes, it will limit the recorded level of the signal, but it does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to reduce the distortion from an overloaded signal. Apparently the limiter is downstream of the mic preamp and not upstream where it needs to be.

So, for a one man band, who needs a recorder he can depend on to produce undistorted audio, this is not a good product.

hi guys, I do not have much time to make a video with zoom H6 tests as recommended by Mr Vitaly Kiselev! What I can tell you is that I shot for the first time with my GH2 and H6 last night and I am very happy with my purchase! The H6 is really better than the H4N, no doubt! The battery is much longer even with two microphones phantom power. The buttons are convenient, the unit turns on and off almost immediately. The fact that the XLR would block does not bother me at all. The microphone MS seems excellent to my ears and the function that allows to save an additional file-12db is great. Certainly, the H6 is heavier than the H4N, but for all these reasons I do not care! In short, the H6 is now my new boyfriend in the adventure that I expect, as I now begin until April 2014 filming of a new television documentary ...

@Brian_Siano The "bracketing" or safety track feature is only available when using the "LR" input, that is, the replaceable modular mic/input device. It's absolutely not clear from the specs or docs if this feature works with the shotgun module, but that module is described in the Zoom promo material as "mono." Presumably the safety track (Zoom calls it "backup recording") works with the XLR module, but that would require two similar mics co-located and not requiring phantom power.

So overall this feature looks like a good marketing point but not a good operational one. I have the opinion that the MS module is similarly more useful for marketing than recording.

Fran

I bought an H6 recently, after using the H4n for several years. It's a well thought-out upgrade, virtually everything that was annoying and clumsy about the H4n has been improved in the H6. In particular, the H6 pre-amps are noticeably quieter than the H4n's, the full-color LCD is far more legible, and the real-time level knobs are terrific. The plug-in X-Y mic cartridge is fine, and I appreciate the option of swapping it with an additional 2-XLR input module.

I understand the frustration others have over the H6's limited file-bracketing, but with 24-bit sampling I've never had a problem reserving enough headroom for transients. My only real gripe is the primitive SD card file system, but it's really not much worse than the nuisance of dealing with AVCHD's PRIVATE folder cluster.