Last month I reviewed the new TRACK E
pocket audio recorder from Tentacle Sync.
In that video I expressed how excited I was about
finally having the power of 32-bit float audio
in a tiny lav recorder.
However, in an almost comical turn of events,
literally moments after my video went live,
Zoom announced their own version of a 32-bit pocket recorder
with their new F2.
And so, as you might expect, I was flooded with requests
to compare the two. Well, here we are:
The Zoom F2 versus the Tentacle Sync TRACK E.
Let's get undone!
[offbeat music]
? Gerald Undone ?
? He's crazy ?
What's happening, everybody?! I'm Gerald Undone
and the noise floor is my dance floor.
Okay, first up, as usual, some disclosure.
For the TRACK Es, I'm using the same ones
I tested for my previous video.
These are production versions
and were supplied by Tentacle Sync.
And for the Zoom F2, I'm using a pre-production model
that was loaned to me by Zoom.
And I'm told this is mostly final,
and should be a good indication of the production version.
Neither company has sponsored this or any other video
on my channel as of this date,
and they don't have any say in this video's production
or get to preview it before it's posted.
This video does a have a sponsor though, and that's Storyblocks.
And in fact, let me get the most obvious audio comparison
out of the way first, while I tell you about today's sponsor.
So for this test, I'm going to be using each recorder
with its included mic and doing nothing
to the audio except loudness normalization.
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Alright, so, I'll leave the final judgment of the sound
differences up to you, but if you want my take,
I found the Zoom F2 mic to be much boxier and nasally,
and I vastly preferred the sound from the TRACK E mic.
However, the TRACK E mic does have more self-noise.
The noise floor came in about 4dB higher with the TRACK E mic,
regardless of which recorder I used it on.
And in fact, when you do use the same mic
on both recorders, the differences mostly subside.
Here, let me put another TRACK E mic on the Zoom F2 and show you.
So, at this point, the only difference I hear is
that the TRACK E has a bit more of a high-end boost.
I feel like the Zoom is probably a touch more transparent here
and has a slightly smoother sound, but if you're
wearing this under clothing, that boost might be handy
on the TRACK E if you don't want to do any EQ work in post.
But if you're comfortable with an equalizer, I wouldn't really
worry much about the differences at this point.
And the noise level when using the same mic was less
than half a dB difference between the two recorders.
Now, the Tentacle Sync does cost quite a bit more
than the Zoom F2, but once you take a closer look
at the different versions and features
and included accessories, it gets more complicated.
The TRACK E is $350 and comes with everything you need.
A microSD card, wind protection, a decent sounding mic,
Bluetooth, USB cable, app support, timecode,
and so on. It's the complete package.
The Zoom F2 has two versions, a Bluetooth version for $200
and a non-Bluetooth version for $150.
But each version also has an accessory kit option
for $27 that includes the windbuster and an SD card.
Obviously if you want as direct a comparison as possible,
you'd need to look at the Bluetooth version of the F2
with the accessory kit, and you'd arguably
also need to factor in the price of a better mic,
batteries, extra timecode hardware
just to match the TRACK E kit, which completely eliminates
any price advantage the Zoom F2 has,
if not making it more expensive than the TRACK E.
But let's look at each one of those factors
so you can decide if you need all that and possibly
find a way to save some money.
So first off, regarding the Bluetooth,
I'm gonna suggest that this should only be considered
for controlling the device with your phone,
because if you really wanted timecode,
you'd be much better off getting the TRACK E.
It integrates seamlessly with the other Tentacle Sync devices
and they're known for making excellent timecode hardware,
where the Zoom F2 requires the purchase of a third-party
synchronization device to get timecode working.
So, I'd only get the Bluetooth version for app interfacing,
but unfortunately, when it comes to app control,
as of right now, it's limited to iOS only
and there's currently no support for Android.
So, right out of the gate, I'm not seeing too much value
in the extra cost for the Bluetooth version.
Because even if you get the non-Bluetooth version,
you can still control and setup your device
using the free software Zoom provides
for your computer called the F2 Editor.
That'll let you do the initial setup, and should be sufficient,
because after that you don't really need an app anyway.
All the app will let you do is see your levels,
which you can't change anyway, because the Zoom F2
only records in 32-bit and has a fixed gain.
So seeing your levels isn't really going to matter.
And you can control your headphone volume
and playback controls right on the device itself.
And this is one area where the Zoom F2 beats the TRACK E.
There's more controls on the Zoom F2,
and they're more intuitive.
As I explained in my previous video, on the TRACK Es,
it's just a single toggle. You hold it down
to turn it on or off, and you press it up
to start and stop recording. It's not complicated,
but it's not quite as intuitive
as having obvious record, play, and stop buttons.
If you want to playback your files on the TRACK E,
you need to use the app. On the Zoom F2,
you can playback using the recorder itself,
but there is one major caveat.
It only plays back the most recent file and you can't
go back and listen to earlier recordings without the app.
I wish they would come up with some button combination
of maybe pressing playback and volume up or down
to cycle through your recordings.
That would be very smart and appreciated.
The Zoom F2 also has a lock switch to prevent
accidental stopping of your recordings.
The TRACK E does not have this, but I'm personally
not too concerned, because it requires
a very intentional effort to stop recording on the TRACK E.
I'm not saying it could never happen, but it seems
unlikely that the recording would be stopped accidentally.
I wasn't able to test the Zoom F2 app,
because again, it doesn't exist for Android,
but I can say that the TRACK E app is fantastic.
It's very responsive and very well designed.
So, to wrap the Bluetooth section, I'd say that if
you're okay with only playing back your last recording,
skip the Bluetooth version of the Zoom F2 and save some money.
The next big difference is in batteries.
The TRACK E uses a built-in lithium battery that lasts
for about 10 hours and is recharged using the USB-C port.
I've been really happy with the battery performance
on the TRACK E, but I know that some of you
prefer replaceable batteries.
Personally, I think the fear of exhausting
a battery due to charge cycles is less of a concern in 2020,
but if you'd feel better using a different system,
the Zoom F2 uses two AAA batteries.
It comes with a pair of alkaline batteries in the box,
but you can use lithium or nickel metal hydride.
However, when using my eneloops in the Zoom F2,
I wasn't getting anywhere near the 10 hours
I get with the TRACK E. But I suppose
this can be resolved by just bringing extra batteries.
But that's also something that should be factored
into the price. You'll either need
a bunch of disposable batteries,
or you'll need to factor in $25 to $30
for a set of rechargeables and a charger.
Both devices can be actively powered over USB-C as well,
but doing this on the Zoom F2 will not charge your batteries
like it does on the TRACK E,
even if you're using rechargeable ones.
I'm also slightly concerned with the battery cover
on the Zoom F2.
It's very thin and plastic and makes
an unsettling sound whenever you open it.
It could just be paranoia, but I'd worry about
this breaking if you swap batteries a lot.
In fact, overall, the build on the Zoom F2
definitely feels a bit cheaper than the TRACK E.
I suppose that is to be expected
considering the price difference.
But it just feels like a cheaper, creakier plastic.
And that goes for the microphone as well--
it just feels a bit cheaper
and has plastic clips and components,
where the TRACK E just feels more solid and premium,
and the mic components are metal.
To its credit though, the Zoom F2 does have
a metal input shroud and belt clip.
And the headphone output also has a locking 3.5mm jack,
where on the TRACK E, only the mic input is locking.
But overall, I'd say the Zoom F2 is built fairly for the money,
especially for the non-Bluetooth version.
Also, talking about that headphone output,
there is something to mention here,
but I want to be careful about how I phrase this.
On the TRACK E, the U.S. models
have the headphone output disabled when you're recording.
You can monitor your sound when in standby,
but when you press record, the headphone output is muted.
This is due to an existing patent in the U.S.A.
held by a competing brand that Tentacle Sync is respecting.
If you live anywhere else in the world,
your model will not have this limitation.
On the Zoom F2, this is not the case.
I'm able to monitor using the headphone port while recording.
Now I can't possibly speak to the why or to the legality here,
but I did ask Zoom directly if the U.S. version
would be different than the international version,
and if the headphone output would work in the U.S.
while recording, and the response I received was:
"The unit in your possession operates the way
the final one will and there is only one version
for all customers in the world."
They went on to mention that internationally there will be
a white model available, but the white will not
be available in the U.S.
But that the colour does not affect
the internals or functionality.
So, I believe the U.S. version will work
monitoring over the headphone while recording.
I don't know exactly how Zoom is getting away with this,
but this does open the door to attach the F2
to a wireless module and effectively
add 32-bit float recording to a wireless system.
Which you can also do with the TRACK E,
but just not in the U.S. like you can with the Zoom F2.
Very interesting... Now before we wrap up,
and for the sake of being thorough, I do want to tell you
about some other little imperfections that I noticed.
Some of these are nitpicky
and might just be pre-production issues,
but I'd feel neglectful if I didn't mention them.
The TRACK E has a little LED system for audio meters
right on the recorder, but the Zoom F2 does not, but again,
meters aren't that important if you can't set the gain,
so I guess the Zoom doesn't need them.
The Zoom F2 does have a little light to indicate
the battery life that changes from green to yellow to red,
but the problem is the light also perceptually changes colour
depending on your viewing angle, so it can be deceptive at times.
And it also tends to switch back to green occasionally
even after using it for a while, so it might not be
the most reliable indicator of remaining battery.
And despite setting up the time correctly
using the F2 Editor software, all of my recordings
on the Zoom F2 have the time metadata off by several hours.
This can probably be fixed easily with firmware,
but it's quite annoying to not have proper times
listed when sorting files.
Lastly, pretty minor, but the USB transfer speeds
on the Zoom F2 are much slower than on the TRACK E.
You could always get around this by physically
removing the microSD card and using a card reader,
but from a convenience factor.
The TRACK E wins in the offloading files department.
Alright, now let's circle back to the price thing.
After I called the Tentacle Sync TRACK E
the perfect pocket audio recorder in my last video,
the theme of the comments regarding the Zoom F2 was,
“you should compare it to the Zoom F2,
because it seems like the same device but cheaper.”
And in some ways, that's exactly what it is, and that's great.
But it's not exactly the same device, and in fact,
if we factor in the cost of a microSD card, wind protection,
batteries, Bluetooth, all of which are included
on the TRACK E, the price difference is mostly gone,
but you're left with a worse-sounding,
mostly plastic microphone, and if you swap that out too,
now you're likely spending more than the TRACK E.
So what does this tell us? Well, it means
that if you need all of those things
and you want an easier experience,
you're probably better off just getting the TRACK E.
It just works perfectly right out of the box.
I'd also suggest the TRACK E if you want a better
phone app experience, or proper timecode functionality.
But maybe you're a customer who already has a good lav mic,
or batteries, or microSD card, etc.
Then in that case, you can just get
the barebones Zoom F2 non-Bluetooth for just $150
and save $200 compared to the TRACK E. And for that customer,
that's exactly what I'd recommend doing.
I also think that if you're in the U.S. and using iOS,
there's some arguments to be made about the Zoom
being a better fit over the TRACK E for that customer,
But again, that whole thing is a bit complicated.
It's a tough call. I still prefer the TRACK E
and it's probably the best choice
if you're starting from scratch.
But the Zoom F2 presents a compelling alternative,
priced competitively, and offers a better value
for people that already have some of the accessories needed.
Wait a minute, did I just record an entire video
on 32-bit recorders without yelling once?
You've gotta do a shouting test, or how else will people
know the 32-bit is working?
Okay, how about I just shout my outro at you
on the Zoom F2 and then recover the levels in post?
But that's gonna be it for me. I hope you found
this video entertaining or at least helpful.
And if you did, make sure you leave it the old thumbs up
and consider subscribing if you haven't already.
But if you did not find this video helpful or entertaining,
try setting the playback speed to 75%.
Alright... I'm done.