1/4" inputs stuck in Zoom H4n

W

wcameron

New member
Ok, here's a new one. I have a Zoom H4n and had to send it in for repairs today. I'm soooo bummed. It has two combination xlr/1/4" inputs. I've always found the 1/4" inputs to be very snug but today I had two cables get irretrievably stuck. I managed to finally extract one but the tip of the input separated from the input and remained stuck in the zoom's jack. The other 1/4" input would not come out for love or money. I ended up cutting the end off the cord and sending it to Zoom's repair depot with the plug still inserted.

Anyone else heard of such madness?
 
thats pretty crap...my line6 Pods power supply's stuck in it...hope they replace your cables too!
 
Thanks for the sympathy. the cables were not a major brand but were purchased at an audio specialty store so they weren't cheapos. What can possibly catch when a 1/4" input is in the jack?

To add insult to injury I couldn't find the receipt so I'll have to pay the for repair - if it's repairable.
 
wcameron said:
Thanks for the sympathy. the cables were not a major brand but were purchased at an audio specialty store so they weren't cheapos. What can possibly catch when a 1/4" input is in the jack?

To add insult to injury I couldn't find the receipt so I'll have to pay the for repair - if it's repairable.
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If i were you Id speak to Zooms customer service...Ive had electronic items repaired out of warranty or without receipt a few times..

Just tell them you own several items of Zoom gear and have always been a strong advocate of the brand but this has left a rather sour taste in your mouth, with the added insult of paying for two cables and the repair bill for a technical fault you may have to look at other brands in the future..

If you are polite they may empathise...like I say I've had it work before, and so it should, and you have nothing to lose
 
Wow. I'm very impressed with the Canadian distributor of Zoom, Omnimedia Corp. They received my damaged H4n at 11:30 am this morning and within an hour I received the following message via email:

"This is to confirm receipt of you Zoom H4N recorder. Upon preliminary inspection we have decided to repair your unit under warranty. Once repair has been completed it will be returned to you at our expense. "

Now that's impressive customer service - especially since I didn't have a copy of my receipt. I was so impressed I bought a second one today at the same store. I realized that I just need to have a backup just in case.

Another benefit was the fact the store was able to bring up the original receipt for the other Zoom H4n and print me up a copy for my accounting. They even refunded the cable that I had to cut.

All in all it turned out to be a very positive experience. I can't recommend the Zoom product enough.
 
I bought it at Long & McQuade in Calgary. When I went in with the damaged cord to buy a backup unit, they told me that I could have brought it in and they would have just traded it and sent in the damaged unit. Next time I'll try the retailer first. I've been very impressed with their support and that of Omnimedia (Zoom's Cdn Distributor).

I'll try to stick with xlr cables from now on - nothing to get caught - even though this shouldn't have happened any way. The cables were APEX cables and were, I guess, just too cheap to risk on my equipment. Pro cables only now.
 
wcameron said:
I bought it at Long & McQuade in Calgary. When I went in with the damaged cord to buy a backup unit, they told me that I could have brought it in and they would have just traded it and sent in the damaged unit. Next time I'll try the retailer first. I've been very impressed with their support and that of Omnimedia (Zoom's Cdn Distributor).

I'll try to stick with xlr cables from now on - nothing to get caught - even though this shouldn't have happened any way. The cables were APEX cables and were, I guess, just too cheap to risk on my equipment. Pro cables only now.
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That's what I wanted to know- remind me not to stick an Apex cable into my H4n. But- that said, there's no way the unit should have done what it did. You need to be able to use 1/4" cables to access the line and instrument inputs. I can tell you, I've plugged Monster, Mogami, Live Wire, Hosa, and Fender cables into the 1/4" inputs on the H4n, and never experienced a problem. That is flat-out *weird*.-Richie
 
I hear you. My pro-level cables work fine. I'm just a bit tentative at the moment. I usually use the inputs just for mics anyway so I can largely stay away from the 1/4" inputs.
 
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