With the dominance of the Zoom H4 in the world of handheld recording, it should come as great news to handheld recording enthusiasts and, especially, handheld recording news watchdogs that Zoom is introducing the successor to the H4. It's the H4n! While the H2 provided a svelter option for handheld recording fence-riders who wanted to handheld record but lacked the conviction to go wrist deep into the world of handheld recording, the H4n provides sophistication with new features and attention paid to improving user experience.

The H4n's improvements start at the built-in X/Y stereo condenser mics. You can rotate the mics to either 90 or 120 degrees, just like a snapped neck. The audio quality hears vast improvements thanks to a digitally controlled mic preamp and the newfound cooperation between internal and external mics, which no longer refuse to operate simultaneously for four-channel recording.

The H4n also features a large LCD screen. Invite your friends over to watch the big game on it in HD! Alright, maybe it's not that big (that's what Zoom CEO Masa Iijima said), and maybe that's not what Masa Iijima said at all. Maybe this is what Masa Iijima said:

“We have learned a great deal from the success of the H2 and H4, and have continually sought to bring the most important improvements to our designs. Our new H4n confirms our commitment to this category while bringing users substantial improvements to their experience."

Zoom also puts on their throwback jerseys to preserve some of the most popular features from the H2 like Broadcast Wave Format compatibile time stamp and track marker functions as well as auto-record and pre-record functions. Unlike a lot of Zoom products of yore, which settled for 16-bit, the H4n doesn't settle for anyone. It records audio at 24-bit / 96 kHz on SD / SDHC media up to 32 GB, and it's compatible with USB 2.0.

Outside of the sonic realm, the H4n is built to spill with a rubberized, shock resistant body to protect its chassis, mics made completely from metal and a mounting joint for tripod and stand use. It also features Hi-Z instrument inputs, speed variability for practice functions, built-in effects and amp modeling settings for guitarists and the most important feature for musicians -- all of the included accessories for when you lack the organizational foresight to remember to also pick up a SD card, adapter, all the right cables, cases and recording software.