H6 Microphone Capsule Shootout and In-Depth Review

In-Depth comparison and review of all of the Zoom H6 interchangeable microphones in controlled testing environments.
Test#1 2:22
Test #2 4:27
Test #3 7:19
Test #4 7:53
Test#5 9:37
Test #6 10:17
Test#7 12:20
Conclusion & Notes 13:18
Shotgun Mic
Stereo Shotgun Mic
Mid-Side Mic
XY Stereo Mic

[@jerrykovis5417]

realize this is 5 yrs old, but just wanted to say thanks for putting this together. it's definitely the best test review of the modules and the unit itself.

[@ASMRSOUNDQUEEN]

Honestly the best review I have ever seen 🙏🏻 Keep up with the good work

[@pranarisingmusic]

That SSH-6 is pure beast mode!

[@moemenshahawy]

The effort that went into doing this... i just can't tell you how much we appreciate it, and i guess i'm speaking for everyone here

[@hectatusbreakfastus6106]

Hands down the most thorough mic review I've ever seen on KZbin. You did everything I was hoping you'd do and more.

[@weichung0319]

I found this review because I'm looking to buy a second mic for my Zoom H5. This is the only review people need. No bullshit, just testing and results. Awesome review!

[@bruggle.official]

I watched this video after 6 years. This is a really useful test. Thank you so much.

[@MalCooper]

Thankyou very much for testing thoroughly, all the capsules. Best review I've seen on Zoom H series.

[@andrewkigen]

I love how the SSH-6 sounds with the side mic set to -6. I like how the voice sounds upfront but a bit of the side adds the ambience making the recording sound more natural.

[@jakoblilje]

most sophisticated review ive ever seen

[@free_the_noise]

The best comparison by far! Thanks a lot for the hard work!

[@Fryktories-Web-TV]

We watched the presentation with the tests you did on the series of zoom microphones. As a TV internet channel, you have helped us to create an image of quality and functionality. Your presentation is highly professional. Thank you.

[@TerryPagel]

Wow! Totally amazing! No extra frills - just great info. Well done. Great way to test all the kids in all types of common situations and with variable gains. I love it. I wanted the ssh-6. Now I am convinced to buy it. Thanks for taking the time to film this and put it together.

[@PhilVerryChannel]

Still value this test over all others of H6 on Youtub3 I have watched.

[@rahimladha7094]

This is my favourite review of all time haha (Zoom should have hired you for this one)

[@on-sunny-day]

Great job! Every one between discerning artists has waited to see the way you've done for the microphone test on this video. You must have put a lot of effort making it. Thank you for your contribution to the world.

[@pep7890]

I'm researching the H6 with the shot gun mics and this video is exactly what I was looking for. I was gonna go for the cheaper SGH6, but now I'm gonna have to get the SSH6 for sure. Thank you so much.

[@PeteWoronowski]

This is by far the most brilliant and thorough sound test of these mics I have seen seen/heard yet. As an owner of both the H5 and H6 with every mic except the SSH-6 stereo I can see I need to add this one to my kit. Will watch this over and over as well as save to watch later and make a lot of notes I can't Thank you enough. Subscribed to your channel, cheers, Pete

[@___xyz___]

I bought the H6 for music, but the SSH-6 sounds so good it makes me want to make movies.

[@mrjekyll6]

When "In-Depth" means "In-Depth". Thank you very much for this video. Well, well done.

[@bayburtluzihni8103]

this is the real review man! this is the real one. Big Respect 🙏🙏

[@SquareEarth1]

Wow, a lot of work went into this. I really appreciate it and just bought the ssh-6. Cant wait to play with it!!

[@karenfinkelstein3594]

This is the best review around. You covered every circumstance. The editing and scenes also were spot-on!

[@BillHarder]

The best review video I ever seen in my life, congrats!!! Keep it up.

[@MarcTelesha]

Your dialog really sounds like it was recorded to hot and muted by over compression. All that said your video pushed me into buying the H6 with the SSH-6 and THANK YOU really pleased with my purchase. The mid side has been a very pleasant surprise. I normally have a large diaphragm condenser but scared someone would break it. This mid side is awesome for atmosphere.

[@argbargmcticktock]

Thanks for making this. This is truly exemplar. One of the best damn technical breakdowns I've seen on these modules, and exactly the kind of comparison I needed to make a decision on what load out to use. In other words, holy shit that SSH-6 is some kind of wizardry.

[@AudioBoi1]

SGH-6 sounds like the highs have been cuted off. SSH-6 is totally a winner. All the conclusions are totally fair Great video, guys. Thank you very much for the work you've made!

[@AudioBoi1]

​@@therealbrybryo yo, man. I bought the fucking SGH-6 after all of the researches in the internet. I decided to buy it in a last moment. Because I need shotgun directionality for my purposes. And you know what? SGH-6 sucks so badly, I can't tell enough! I returned it to the shop. It sounds so badly! it has so much noise! When you move 30 cm from the mic - it feels like you are 1m from the mic. OMG, I was so shocked by the shitty quality of this microphone. After that I decided to open my money stash and bough used Sennheiser ME66/K6. And man, it sounds so good - it's just magic. But SGH-6 is SO BAD. I'd recommend nobody to buy this mic.

[@AudioBoi1]

@@therealbrybryo and yeah, SHH-6 is not a shotgun at all. It's not directional. It's like MSH-6 but in the form of tube

[@therealbrybryo]

@@AudioBoi1 it's crazy that the SGH was so terrible! Maybe in this video they applied a noise remover? That's interesting about the SSH. I purchased it and will comment back with my thoughts. I currently use the LR mics on the h6, but theres a ton of noise with it usually. I shoot with a gh5 and rode pro+, kinda thinking about getting that gh5 sound attachment too

[@AudioBoi1]

@@therealbrybryo I really love stock LR and MS for the Zoom H6. But other attachments are real bad. It's better to just buy a good 3-d party shotgun mic. NTG 4+ or Sennheiser MKE 600, for example, are real good for their price.

[@therealbrybryo]

@@AudioBoi1 I feel that. I plan to get a full boom setup with senhiezer 416 p48 in a couple months. I kinda want something to tide us over in the meantime besides the rode pro+ we got

[@dianascarletthenry]

I got the zoom h6 and ssh-6 last year after watching this video, it helped me a lot, thanks for the dedication. Regards from Chile.

[@JGlassy]

Great job. As a longtime H6 owner, this definitely inspires me to get the newer SSH-6 shotgun to add to my collection.

[@JehuMcSpooran]

Great review. Your results match what I have found with the H6 and the XYH-6 mic. Due to it being a dynamic mic you really have to drive it pretty hard with the gain setting. I prefer the XYH-5 condenser mic. You don't have to drive it so hard and it seems to sounds better and handle a higher SPL too.

[@PhilVerryChannel]

Such wonderful dedication to the craft of testing and such important and useful yet boring work. Brava! I like to see dedication of a craft, a real skill.

[@nathanedwards1040]

Thank you for taking the time to create such a rigorous review. This is exactly what I needed.

[@agdup]

This is the first time I feel moved to compliment anyone on a KZbin video - but thank you for a really brilliant analysis - by miles better than any others I've watched in the last month. I am trying to find a very directional mic to record a few different people around a table in a noisy environment - and your review is better than some of the professional companies selling their own products. Thank you for having audio meters.... er.... isnt' that like a super obvious thing to have..... but very few people do it. Hey - and the video style was also very cool. I don't want/need the additional side /ambient feature - just want to focus on 3 or 4 people from the table top near each of them with 4 sep mics - WITHOUT using lavaliers. Anton du Plessis

[@danielmladenov4497]

Wow what a Video, Amazing Intro and I love how informative it was and how you just put the info into text so people could just pause and read it. Thank you very much!!!

[@Dark_Viking]

This is definitely the BEST Zoom capsules comparison ever! Thanks for your efforts!

[@tharealjoey]

Wow even the XYH capsule it comes with is amazing… just bought this! Excited to start filming with it !!!

[@eeyoreknightofthedismal]

Best test video ever! Not a second wasted! Pleasure to watch and to listen. Thank you guys!

[@djtoman391]

That radius test using the chiming keys was genius and very illustrative. Nicely done.

[@owlmuso]

Thank you. A lot of effort went into this shoot out, and it really helps making decisions about these mics. Thanks and meep up the good work!

[@hunterfrederick2731]

This was super solid. Thank you so much! A great review with so much sample sounds. Really helpful for people who are trying to find the right sound profile. 🙏

[@davidlogsdon7767]

The best comparison of these mics, anywhere on the internet. Great job.

[@DrunkenRabbit]

Thanks for the lengthy time invested in your test. For sure I can feel confident on my choices based on your results.

[@saltysoda93]

fantastic format of audio comparisons, my dude-!

[@KieranLeCam]

Thanks for the video and all the hard work being so rigorous with the sound!

[@azstratus1]

Man awesome tests on these! I don't know how much more detail you can get with this!

[@CedrianX]

Don’t know why but hearing those strings gave me chills everytime the low end came in 😌

[@DamienDemolder]

Thanks a lot for this. You put a lot of effort into it, and that's much appreciated. Just bought the SSH6 on the back of your review.

[@Konstantin_Chernetsov]

Спасибо Вам за работу! Вы сделали лучший тест и демонстрацию! Спустя 5 лет, все еще лучшее видео! Thank you for your work! You have done the best test and demonstration! After 5 years, still the best video!

[@HeathcliffBlair]

Excellent review. I have the SSH6 and can vouch for it. Extremely powerful and versatile mic. It does need some EQ-ing to knock out some unwanted notch tones (especially in vocals) in its upper-mid frequency range, but that's doable enough. Otherwise its a great mic and well worth the time spent refining its sound in post. Cheers.

[@ShadowKrutshov]

Writing this from the future, 29. June 2022; This was an awesome test! Thank you!

[@taitruong3903]

Hey thanks guys for sharing your video reviews on the zoom h6 and its accessories. Love it.

[@Aemyn]

Super helpful video, thanks for spending the time to make this!

[@manchumuq]

This is the most useful test video of the capsule module mics! Awesome video, thanks a lot!!

[@hasdrubalsosamarquez5430]

This video goes above and beyond! 💪🏼 Great work! Very informative 👍🏼

[@RTREuropeada]

Thank you so much for this incredible test! For me one of the most useful videos I have ever watched!

[@matrixate]

Thank goodness for people like you. Through and thinking. Bravo!

[@David2222]

FABULOUS!!!! Can't get an SSH-6 soon enough!! Thanks so much.

[@JoshCothran]

Thank you SO MUCH for making this. I’m learning how to use my H5; this is exactly what I need as I start getting into field recording. Totally gonna get the SSH-6 now that I hear what it can do - just wow.

[@mscopeland]

I really appreciate the detailed review. I'm recording my daughter's college concert tonight and if I don't get a linein I need to use a mic. I'll go with the MSH6. thank you so much

[@sunilgarbuja]

Thank you for this in-depth test. Amazing work!

[@Moto_Medics]

Thanks buddy this helps a lot I’m glad the algorithm brought us together

[@sergiyavorski9977]

Love how HHS6 picks up ambient surrounding sound

[@thenamelessavenger]

Thanks for such a no nonsense comparison. I will be pursuing the SSH6.

[@NicolaLarosa]

Stellar work, thank you so much! Mid/side remains the most powerful and versatile stereo recording technique, and the most misunderstood and neglected by practitioners and manufacturers alike. Rode and MXL have no mid/side microphone (Behringer has no stereo microphone at all!). Audio-Technica and Shure have both higher-end and cheap, video oriented mid/side microphones, but Zoom remains the king of mid/side with its support in these microphones and in the great H2n recorder.

[@cherrygarcia5514]

Zissou music is fresh, thanks for the tests bud, really helped me out

[@iantol8504]

awesome review … gave me a deeper perspective for the different products

[@FullTekAuto]

I like the SSH-6 and the mid side mic but I'll tell you why I prefer the stereo shotgun mic. It has the ability to target a source while also having the option to get the surrounding ambience without all the hassle of decoding and mixing the midside audio everytime

[@TheRealestIdealist]

🎤This was a perfect test! Thank you so much for taking the time out to make this!

[@ashliexo]

Wow one of the few thorough reviews I've seen on this. Starting to save now for this! Though I may opt in for a cheaper model. The shot gun is unbeatable though.

[@andmaci]

I don't know if it is due to mic sensitivity, but it sounds to me that the SSH6 (with the side mic off) picks up a lot more ambience sound than the SGH6, which is exactly what you DON'T want in a shotgun mic. Any thoughts on that?

[@southaustinukes]

5yo comment, I know, I know. If I needed the shotgun signal to be stereo this would matter to me. As-is, the SSH gives me the shotgun signal a little cleaner to my ears, as well as the option to mix in ambient sounds, since that is a separate track. So it is more versatile for me. Can’t/ won’t carry both, so I’m going SSH. But ymmv.

[@rajzeef4891]

Thanks for all these tests man..wonderful work

[@cinemincho4623]

That's a lot of effort on making this review!

[@jsm_]

Finally someone made a good review of these capsules. Amazing job man!

[@fmtc87]

Lo que acabas de hacer me da la respuesta que estaba buscando. Gran video, lo que hiciste es mejor que una extensa publicación.

[@nodfactor8808]

getting nostalgic for life aquatic

[@rubengarciajr]

so, the legend says that he is still testing 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

[@bishwanathhansda1371]

😂

[@pitoperez3468]

🤣🤣🤣

[@thecookiemagician78]

Lol 🤣

[@garretmartin8108]

He's still backing up, further and further into the woods

[@ephektz]

What kind of magic voodoo did they shove into the SSH-6? That is seriously impressive.

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

Thinking the same. The mid side addition makes it very versatile.

[@AuditoryStorytelling]

I agree. I'm about to take it to a concert to bootleg with. Can't wait to see how it performs. :P

[@GenerationXT]

@@AuditoryStorytelling So how did the mic perform?

[@Seanonyoutube]

@painless czech worse than the other capsules? The non stereo version sounded like it had even worse self noise in this test.

[@mutoler]

good effort and hard labour! thank you for this well prepared video!

[@southaustinukes]

Excellent, so helpful, thank you! I’ve an H5 with just xy for occasional live events. Been eyeing the shotguns, unsure whether one would be better. Now I know I’ll go SSH. The SGH would have fallen a little flat and disappointing. I think the SSH will do, but only on the tripod for now. I also have a Q2n 1080. Now paired with the H5/ SSH with optional Shures forside mics I’ll be adequately geared for now. No on will hire me to do their sound but we are just hobbyists.

[@Sportsbikeguy]

This is the definition of THOROUGH. Fantastic review.

[@MD12134MD]

Absolutely fantastic. Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you!

[@AuricUnity]

Truly awesome video! A lot of sound data and comparison to work with! Thank you!

[@eiandrew]

Awesome job, thank you!

[@virginiacamper]

Great review! However...I’m going to have nightmares “Testing, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...Testing, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...”

[@diegotz8]

Best review ever, thanks a lot for this, it's been very helpful.

[@ageshero]

Why bad vocal audio on a video about mics :|

[@JDJohnston9906753]

Thank you. Not just me then?

[@justsomeguynamedrobgaming9691]

No, the vocals sound very "crunchy" - I'm guessing that instead of aiming for -9 to -12db and boosting in post that the gain was cranked up right at the preamp and it's overdriving.

[@sickbassix]

Because: The life aquatic of Steve Zizou documentary...

[@DENMONKEY]

Yeah need that immediately on the intro.

[@dairebarefoot6763]

Pretty sure it’s for effect

[@zororosario]

Thanks for this mic comparison test it"s one of the Best I have enjoyed.

[@Wolfgangschmidtnz]

Awesome! Thanks for the well delivered outlook on these mics. I think I might invest in the SSH6

[@emanuelzemla7490]

The best review I've ever seen!

[@gbenjiglass]

This is an amazing review. Really helped make a decision.

[@Kucherenko_Serhii]

Thanks for the cool test. You did a great job!

[@Herfinnur]

This microphone review was narrated on a 90s Labtec desk microphone into a Sound Blaster AWE32 sound card ;)

[@Uftonwood2]

The comparison tests were very useful.

[@OutandAboutwithTrev]

As a Freelance producer of digital content I have to make decisions on the fly and sometimes I think I should have used one other microphones. Well done - Now I'm going to have to put the SSH-6 on wish list! while your review gives me more than a few ideas....Nice work!

[@willpopemusic]

awesome job on this video, I never really used my mid side mic but will definitely bring it out of the case now.

[@paulflame9674]

Awesome one here. My recordings are so amazing thanks to u...... You ROCK!!!!

[@billzidis2656]

Amazing review. I have the SSH and HYH-6. awesome mics

[@artnovikovdotru]

What a thorough review. Thanks!

[@idite-na-hui]

Great tests, thank you

[@iroast7333]

Иди ролики пили заебал

[@MustafaAldhaheri]

Amazing work!!, Thank you so much for the work, time, and information