Really liking the H4n. I was pleased that it was so easy to use it for recording right out of the box. The menus and buttons are well thought out and I even found that the thick instruction manual is well done and quite easy to follow. I have a basic understanding, but no prior recording experience where I was operating the equipment; so if you are not a tech - this is good news! The larger screen on the H4n was a consideration and it is easy to see everything on it.
I used it to record live for the first time yesterday and thought it sounded very good when I played it back this am. Read up on a few things today and I anticipate getting even better results next Friday evening due to placement, etc. I also tried out directly plugging in a mic and an Esquire along with headphones to monitor. Remember to lower the recording volume and test it out before using an Esquire (I usually use a telecaster) if you are plugging directly in because when I changed switch positions and could not control the guitar output...I almost blew the ear speaker (overlooked the obvious!
). The 1GB card appears to hold about 2 hours (I did not use the stamina setting). Picked up a 16GB card this am at an office supply for under $35, which should provide more than enough storage. Another plus is a protective box, the wind screen, and the A/C adapter are all included, as some other units do not include these necessities, but make you buy them as accessories. So far, I am very happy with the Zoom H4n and it seems to be well built and solid. I do not anticipate any problems, but if there are any down the road, I'll remember to get back to this thread and post.