The section which attaches to the body of the recorder is solid enough, but the mic capsule enclosure is ball-shaped, and has a point of weakness where it meets the attachment block. The M/S mic attachment, in contrast to the X/Y attachment, feels rather lightweight and flimsy, and does not look like something that will survive a knock.
The block itself contains the contact board which carries the data, and the two spring-loaded clips that secure it to the body of the recorder. The X/Y capsules, which can be set at either 90 or 120 degrees, are mounted on a moulded piece of metal which feels very solid and protects them from side knocks, although they are still vulnerable to front-on impacts. The X/Y and M/S capsules are included as standard, together with a foam wind shield that fits them both, but the other two are optional extras, the shotgun being almost twice the price of the additional input module. Options include X/Y, M/S and shotgun microphone systems, and a dual XLR/TRS combo attachment with a hardware level control and pad switch matching those on the main body of the recorder. The identity of the remaining two inputs depends on the attachment type.
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What's more, each input has its own hardware level-control dial, much like those commonly found on professional location recorders, and a -20dB pad switch. On the main body of the recorder there are four XLR/TRS combi sockets, each of which can be assigned phantom power independently of the others.
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The device records up to six tracks of 24-bit/96kHz Broadcast WAV audio simultaneously, plus an additional two -12dB 'safe' backup tracks that can captured from the attachment mics or inputs.
Zoom liken the attachments to camera lenses, which can be swapped over very quickly to change the capabilities of the hardware. The main body of the H6 accepts four different input attachments, each of which expands its recording capabilities in a different direction. Zoom's H6 is designed to be extremely versatile, and should interest budget film-makers, musicians, bands, interviewers and anyone else trying to capture multiple sound sources on location. With its impressive track count and interchangeable input modules, Zoom's H6 is one of the most flexible handheld recorders available.