alternatives to zoom h6 (rivals or better) - all in 1 unit functionality

[JohnDenverGirl]

are there any alternatives to a zoom h6 that either rival it or beat it...same functionality of all in 1 recording unit with microphone for vocals and guitar? or is the best you can get for what it does?

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by JohnDenverGirl

are there any alternatives to a zoom h6 that either rival it or beat it...same functionality of all in 1 recording unit with microphone for vocals and guitar? or is the best you can get for what it does?

On both Gearslutz and The Taperssection forums, the Sony PCM-D100 is generally identified as the all-in-one recorder with the best performance. In my comparison with the previous generation PCM-D50, the H6 seemed to deliver about the same quality. I haven't tried the D100 version.

The D100 is about 3 times the price of the H6 and does not offer XLR inputs or phantom power for external mics.

Many people recommend the Tascam DR-100 MKII. I haven't tried one, but note that the max recording time with AA batteries is about half that of the H6.

There are several other recorders from specialty manufacturers like Nagra and Juicedlink but I haven't had much luck getting user reports on those devices.

And finally, if you don't need the six channel capability of the H6, the H5 saves a few dollars, and if you're looking for overdubbing and editing, the H4nPro is a recent Zoom upgrade to the old H4n that is advertised to have the same preamp and mic performance as the H5/H6.

Fran