A test comparing the Zoom H1n to the Olympus LS-P4.

First using the internal mics playing a test file through Genelec 8331s in a fairly quiet room with the gains matched as best as possible. Whilst the white noise and frequency sweep looks louder on the Zoom, I actually tried to balance the two files based off the quiet music. I think using the 3rd bass mic on the LS-P4 skewed the general perceived loudness.

2nd playing the same file but this time using the Roland CS10-EM binaural mics. I think the CS10-EMs are noisier than the noise floor on either device.

Zoom - Noise Test 02 - Roland CS10 - EM.WAV

Zoom - Noise Test 01 - Internal Mics - Level Matched

Olympus - Noise Test 02 - Roland CS10 - EM.WAV

Olympus - Noise Test 01 - Internal Mics - Level Matched

A test comparing two things - The Roland CS10-EM vs Lom Usi, and how they sound through both the Zoom H1n and the Olympus LS-P4.

I've turned the white noise/frequency sweep at the start down by about 9dB before re-normalising it, so there's less of a difference between the loud and quiet parts (and you can better hear the self-noise in the quiet parts).

All recordings are made sequentially with the mics fixed in the same position. The room is reasonably quiet but there is some variation in the outside background noise (some rumbling vehicles passing by). Test files are played through Genelec 8331 but I forgot to check the SPL level. I was hitting around -12dB peak on the Zoom H1n at max gain and the gain on the Olympus set to result in an approx -12dB peak. Mics were about 2.4m away from the audio source. As all recordings received the same white noise pulse, they were normalised according to this. Some very small tweaking was done on the Usi with the LS-P4 to get the music section to have the same perceived volume as the Zoom.

It's not 100% exact, but I think it's fairly close.

The Roland binaural mics are much noisier than the LOM Usi. And overall I think the self-noise of the Olympus is fractionally better than the Zoom.

The quiet music playing after the pink noise/frequency sweep is the beautiful "In the lens" by Solo Andata on 12k records.  I purposefully left it very low.

http://shop.12k.com/products/572087-solo-andata-in-the-lens

Alex Leonard

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