I like having all my "stuff," especially stuff related to itself and not to other "stuff," together in one place. That's why, when I first bought the Edirol R-09, I got the accompanying carry bag for it. It's perfect for the R-09, with extra pockets for everything you could possibly want to attach to it, sans maybe speakers, all in a handy zip-up bag.
So, when I bought the H4N a few weeks back and learned there was a carry bag for it as well, I jumped on it. It arrived yesterday after being back-ordered. So far, I like it very much, but it does have its bad points which, if I were designing it, would be very different. First, as always, the pros. Description: The case itself is styled like a suitcase. It's about a foot square, made of very heavy plastic, black mat finish, with a rubberized grip fold-down handle on the front and manufacturer's logo proudly displayed just where the handle drops down. The case's closures, two of them, are just either side of the handle, requiring a thumb and forefinger to operate to lift open, and a gentle downward pressure to snap closed. ON the corners of the front, the manufacturer has drilled two holes to facilitate the use of a lock, so that even if the entire case were stolen, it can't be gotten into without forcibly removing the lock, as in with a hacksaw or other appropriate device for cutting the shank and discorporating the lock from the case. On the top of the case as it's laying flat, in the left rear corner is a raised rectangle surrounding an area about the size of a small luggage tag, presumably where you can place a print label with identification information. Let's open it up! After placing the case on a flat surface, or even in your lap, it's easy to flip up the closures by squeezing the end with your thum and forefinger and hinging upward. After both sides' closures have been disengaged in this manner, and the optional aforementioned lock removed, the top of the case swings up. The hinges are tight enough such that when fully raised, the lid will not slip and fall back down. The entire case and lid are lined with foam rubber. The lid's lining is about three-quarters of an inch thick, while the main case body's foam is almost two inches thick. The body lining has cut-outs in it designed especially to hold everything you get in the H4N box except the documentation and CD. The screw-on mic stand mount goes in a depression inside the depression for the recorder itself, which fits in its depression inside its own hard plastic case. The USB cable and power cord go in a slot-shaped depression just in front of the recorder, with the windscreen in its own circular depression to the right, and finally, a slot just big enough to hold an SDHC card in a case just above the windscreen well and to the right of the recorder well. All very nice and cozy. When the lid is closed, nothing moves about. Snap down the closures, pick up the handle, and you're ready to travel. Cons: But wait a minute, I have more gear to carry. Where's my external microphone going to go? What about fresh sets of batteries? Are they relegated to my pockets? The sad answer is, yes. You'll need an extra service bag for these things, or leave something home, like either the charger and/or USB interface cord to give space over to at least things like batteries and memory cards. Where you'd put a microphone, especially something like the Audiotechnica AT822 or AT825, is anybody's guess. And what about if you want to use the H4N on its screw-in mic-stand adapter, but there's no mic stand around on which to mount it? You're stuck having to hold it yourself, that's what-if. In my opinion, the case should have been designed with some kind of pop-up mount just for this purpose. Last thoughts: In my unhumble opinion, while the designers did a good job in constructing something that would shield the H4N from harm while in transit, they were a bit short-sighted in how such a case could be used once at the recording site to support the recording process. Some of the case's interior not occupied by either recorder or accessories could or should be used to hold some longer-life batteery pack, which could be attached to the H4N by a foldaway or rollaway cable. The aforementioned stable mounting bracket for the mic stand adapter should or could have been thought of, and the lid itself could certainly have been designed to hold a few thin things, like SD cards and other wirds--audio, USB--held in place with Velcro or zipper pockets and still have plenty of impact-absorptive properties. If you want something that'll keep your H4N shiny and dent-free, this case is excellent. If you're looking for a carry-all that really does, this one fails to deliver. Will I keep it? Most certainly, because it provides what I bought it for in the first place. While the other features would be nice, lack of having them is not enough to make me return it. I can always use my R-09 bag for these things (ha ha). One thing I accidentally omitted on the original review is that the case itself is designed for stacking. Yes, it's got ridges and molded places that interconnect when two cases are placed atop each other. Wonder why they thought that necessary. To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [email protected]
