Not with the Hi-MD, but the two Sharp MDs I've used (MD-SR50 & MD-SR60) were out about 308ms and 280ms after an hour.

Zoom H2 stereo separation
 

Saturday night I recorded a concert by a local community symphony orchestra. I was seated in the fourth row, and the orchestra was well over 90 degrees in width from there. I recorded half the concert with the front mics and half with the rear mics.

Yesterday, I edited the recording to CD. I have listened to it several ways, including a good pair of headphones and a high end audio system. I am disappointed by the lack of stereo separation. Even with headphones, the stereo separation is minimal.

Other than that, the sound is quite good.

I'm receiving reports that there were (are?) some H2 recorders that only have 3 mics fitted rather than 4, so that the rear channel is recorded mono. Any news of this or just a myth?

Tim Prebble from NZ has a very glowing review of the H2 (with tons of samples) on his awesome blog "The Music of Sound" :
http://substation.co.nz/blog/?p=170

He's an accomplished sound designer for films (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0695670/), so it's interesting to hear his take on it.

Davis, the Sony MZ-NH700 Hi-MD was the device that had the non-linear time change on this occasion. (Normally it's OK.) I presume it was due to mistracking which I've got often on my old Sharp MDs. Or perhaps I pressed Pause by mistake and then released it - it's too long ago now. A H4 would have been faster and a little easier to transfer than my Hi-MD (USB 2.0 through my card reader). I now use the H4 as the main ext. audio device now and the Hi-MD as the 2nd unit. On the big stuff I usually use 2 ext. audio recorders for mixing desk output & for a stereo M/S mic (Sony ECM-939LT) situated near the stage front as well as mics situated on both DV cams (Panasonic NV-GS400s) near the stage: Rode SVM & VM.

I received one of the first units, and I have read quite a bit on the H2.
And that's the first I've heard of it.

Zoom H2 HAS 4 mics
 

I did read (I think maybe on the Zoom H2 and H4 Forum - just Google it) that when the unit was being designed this was one option being considered but it was superceded by the 4 mic design that was then launched and is now out there. Certainly, in 4 channel mode all 4 LCD meter bars move independently!

Got mine a few days ago and I really like it/having lots of fun with it!

Some of the promotional stuff states that but it is out of date and they where launched with 4 mics.

Thanks guys. My H2 arrived today and although rather 'plasticky' looking it sure sounds good. And all for less than the price of a simple, mono Senheisser MKE 300D microphone. I can't get over it. It was only about 3 years ago when the included 512 SD card cost as much as the entire package. Love it. Bye-bye Minidisc.

tom.

I thought that but my old mini disc sounds much better. So hello again MD, bye bye H2.

Nothing wrong with the Minidisc apart from the real-time it takes to feed the (long) wedding speeches into my computer. And it's not really bye-bye as the Minidisc recorder is far slimmer and more groom-pocketable than the H2 ever will be.

tom.