Zoom H4n [$269 USD+] vs Korg SOS [$158 USD+]

You can adjust position of each microphone independently between 90° and 120°. Spacious stereo, that captures depth and distance and ignores unwanted noise behind recorder without phase shifting.

A rubberized grip reduces the handling noise.

For it's price it is incredibly versatile.

The H4n features built-in combination XLR/Phone connectors with phantom voltage source capability.

At the bottom you can add two inputs, including condenser mics that need phantom power.

With the AC adapter, you can record for prolonged periods of time without worrying about the battery level.

So you can use it in the dark.

Can set loop points, can split the file, etc.

Choose up to 24-bit/96-kHz linear PCM WAV or select a variety of MP3 formats.

You can use either stereo microphone recording, input recording, or both at the same time. Additionally, using an external source for microphone with inputs you can get 4 different external mono sources.

You can buy a DSLR mount and the input minijack can be found on the side of recorder.

MTR mode allows simultaneous 2-track recording and 4-track playback. Level and panning can be adjusted individually for each track on the built-in mixer, and you can even do a mixdown right on the H4n.

A 2 GB SD card, windscreen, mic clip adapter, AC adapter, USB cable, protective case and Cubase LE recording software are included.

Can get up to 11h of performance out of a set of batteries.

You can set marks in recordings for use later in editing.

The H4n also functions as a USB audio interface, letting you record directly to either a Mac or PC.

So you can start to produce and edit music right away.

The H4n offers a choice of 50 studio-quality DSP effects including compressor, chorus, phaser, delay, and reverb. In addition, models of the most famous guitar amps are included.

Good for singers, musicians that might want to practice with backing tracks slowed down at first.

Korg have attempted to keep things simple for the user, so selecting inputs is something the recorder does automatically, by scanning for a connection. For similar reasons, inserting a headphone jack disconnects the on‑board speaker, and there's an automatic input‑gain facility and a limiter, so you can maximise input levels.

The effects and processors are very usable, and are a definite asset: when you're trying to build an idea quickly, having to mess around with settings just to get something half‑decent can be a huge distraction, so being able to dial up a good cab emulation or a reasonably convincing tremolo preset is great.

What it does is provide a timing grid, and anything recorded is saved relative to the rest of the song's audio tracks, enabling the user to layer idea upon idea (hence the name) ready for mixing in your DAW later. At the same time, a mixed version of all the tracks is saved separately, making it quite possible to complete a mix in the box itself.

For connecting an optional mains power supply

It's even possible to increase playback speed (without affecting pitch) to 150 percent and reduce it to just 25 — although overdubbing is only possible over slowed-down, rather than sped‑up, audio, presumably to avoid deterioration of quality when slowing it back down to normal speed.

Means that many settings and levels can be adjusted using nothing more than a finger move.

There are several A/B looping settings, to help performers get things right before committing each part to the mix