Zoom H5studio is the next addition in its growing lineup of 32-bit float hand recorders, featuring six tracks, F-Series preamps, and more.
32-bit float recorders are currently all the rage. Zoom was one of the early adopters, gradually converting its lineup of handy/field recorders and mixers to 32-bit float recording.
The popular H1, H4, and H6 have been released in a new HEssential series. The H5 was previously missing, but that has changed today. The H5 is back as the Zoom H5studio. Interestingly, it’s not part of the HEssential series.
Zoom H5studio
H5studio is a new 6-track handy recorder designed for seamless and professional production. It brings the popular H5 into the 32-bit world with new features.
The Zoom H5studio uses a hybrid recording setup, unlike the other H successors. On one side, it has 32-bit float recording technology that prevents clipping but requires post-production. On the other, you can use 16/24-bit formats with dedicated gain knobs without post-processing but requires gain adjustments.
Another significant difference to the HEssentials is the preamps and microphone capsule. The H5studio features F-series preamps, which give your audio unmatched clarity (-127 dBu EIN) with a 132dB dynamic range. Zoom promises to capture everything without noise and distortion.
Then, it also ships with a new 19.4mm microphone capsule (3.0) that captures a wider frequency response, 140 dB max SPL, and an expansive dynamic range. Zoom says it’s the largest mic ever on a handy recorder.
6 Tracks
Zoom H5studio captures up to six tracks (four ISO tracks plus a stereo mix) with sample rates up to 192 kHz. It also features “advanced look-ahead” limiters to create the best recordings, anticipating potential overloads and preventing distortion before they reach your track.
There is also a built-in low-cut filter to suppress low-frequency noise and an option to modify the playback speed from 0.5 to 2.0x. Plus, it has an A-B repeat playback function of the recorded files.
On the connection side, the new Zoom H5studio features two locking XLR/TRS inputs that support +48V phantom power and +4dBu line level. A 3.5mm stereo jack with plug-in power is also onboard.
Further, you have a line output, a headphone socket, and a built-in speaker with a maximum output of 250mW. More, it has RF shielding that keeps interference from smartphones and Wi-Fi routers out of your recordings, anywhere you go.
And, of course, it also works as a 4-in/2-out USB-C audio interface for macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android, supporting 32-bit float and 16/24-bit recording. You can also stream live and simultaneously record a backup to microSD.
The new Zoom H5studio is fully compatible with the latest 3.0 capsule generation.
Zoom WLM-1
Lastly, Zoom also unveiled the WLM1, a new dual-channel wireless system with two transmitters and a receiver. The transmitter’s built-in microphone captures clear, balanced audio at volumes up to 130 dB SPL. The smart thing is that the receiver is a capsule and sits on the H5studio.
So, a kind of Rode Mic for the Zooms. It could be convenient, especially when recording voices and instruments simultaneously. I have always had this scenario at Superbooth, for example.
Zoom H5studio First Impression
The H5studio looks like a very solid mobile recorder. I find it more exciting than the previous HEssentials, as they lacked some functionality from the previous H series. Now one might wonder whether an H6studio, the true successor to the H6, is also in the pipeline. I hope.
Zoom H5studio is available soon for $349,99/389€. The new WLM-1 will be available in the Summer 2025.
More information here: Zoom
Available at my partner
A word of warning. I got a Zoom R4 and 32-float is NOT clipping-proof. It actually clips fairly easy with any loud source. Perhaps they have addressed this issue with this new model?
on the tech side, it’s tough to achieve that a 32-bit float recording is clipping as you have huge headroom. The recorder shows you when the signal is very high (red area), but it does not clip in the sense that you have massively distorted recording. I’m using the H4Essential, and don’t have clipping.
On the R4, I tried to record not-very-loud drums. The display said something like “input level exceeds maximum” and the recording was badly clipped. I tried tambourine with the same result. tried an external mic with a pad on, same thing. The H2n which has a level control is a MUCH better recorder.
Maybe the source of clipping in your case was the microphone capsule itself, not the 32-bit float recording? And 32-bit float is optional, you can keep recording with 16/24-bit.
What I don’t like about the new Zoom H5studio, it needs 4x AA batteries. The old H5 works with only 2x AA batteries, is smaller and lighter. Have they fixed the rubberized coating on the new model? The previous one gets so sticky after some time, you could stick it to a cat!
Not the mic. Lack of level control. Even the built-in mic which is comparable to the capsule in the old H2n is not the issue. The H2n never clips when the level is set correctly. I’ve used the same external mic for loud drums many times (it has a pad)
I haven’t used a 32-bit float recorder myself but saw a video about clipping. If it was not the microphone capsule, you should be able to completely remove any clipping in 32-bit float post-production by adjusting the levels there.
Can’t fix in post production the audio is full-on clipped because the inputs of the R4 are clipped– I’m unable to fix that.
The R4 doesn’t have an option to change the bit-depth.
But this complaint might not apply to this newer product. It is just something very disappointing about 32-float as it was implemented in the R4 and probably other products of this similar generation.
In a test, I recorded drums, then normalized— which did bring the level down— but the signal was still badly clipped, as I expected. But zooming in, I could see that the wave tops weren’t perfectly flat as it would be with digital clipping, they were flat but slanted. Perhaps this is the input or capsule clipping. I’m guessing it is the input. Again, this is the R4.