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We do a good deal of work on the H2 and H4.
I think the sound quality of both is excellent, although there is no comparison with -for example- a Sound Devices MM1 preamp.
There are a few annoying things to mention though ....
-The H4 mic connectors don't have an XLR lock. Means that the plug falls out over time.
-Using the H4 with a phantom powered mic (466) drains the battery within 15 minutes.
-There is no way you can clip the H2 or H4 to your belt or something.
-The H4n operates at DC5V and the H4 at DC9V, which makes it impossible to (easily) power them via a power belt or something.
-The build quality of the H4 is pretty poor. Although it looks robust, it is nothing more than a plastic toy. One of our H4's has felt out of my hands (on a dirt road) and was broken instantly. The connectors on the side (for headphones and the likes) are soldered directly on a small print plate, which makes that the slightest bend (or off-axis push to the connector) causes a short-circuit on that print. Our connectors were ripped out of the print, and really, it wasn't a nasty fall at all. Upon opening the H4 for repair, springs, bolts and parts jumped out from everywhere. Even if we would have attempted to fix the thing on site, it would have been impossible due to the toy-ish and cheap way of assembling.
I have played with one of the newer H4n and this unit is much more robust than it's predecessor. It still had nasty software bugs and the connector problem wasn't solved. We have one on order and we hope that these issues will be solved by then.
Our conclusion is that the H's are GREAT units, and we use them nearly on a daily basis. But if you want to use these extensively, in a professional environment, they simply aren't good enough. Fantastic for the occasional recording, not up to the standards for pro-work.
Best regards
Fredo
Temple Of Tune
Belgium
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