Some of the customer reviews are not very favorable for the Zoom:

"As a live sound engineer I often record the shows I mix. I normally use a multi-track recorder and record a stereo pair from the console and also take a second set of tracks from a stereo pair (XY) of small condenser mics. I bought the H4 hoping to be able to use it to do just this as it is advertised as a 4-track recorder. I thought I would use the H4's internal mics to capture the room and grab a stereo feed from the console using the mic/line inputs. To my dismay the H4 only records two track at a time. It seems to me that Zoom/Samson really missed the boat with this one! It would be great to be able to eliminate two extra mics and a bulky muti-track recorder from my setup. I'm still looking for an H4-like product with internal mics, that can capture four tracks at once.

Zoom H4 - So close, yet so far..."

Plus the max capacity to record is a 2 GB SD card, which would be fine for most shows @ 16/44.1, but you wouldn't be able to record 24/96 for very long. "The same 2GB card will record WAV at 44.1kHz/16 bit for 3 hrs, 22 min, 54 sec; and at 96kHz/24bit, 1 hr, 7 min, 38 sec." I guess you could switch cards at setbreak, but if the set lasts longer than 68 min., you lose music. The Microtrack can use compact flash cards up to 16 GB in size.

Some the reviews for the Microtrack aren't so favorable, either:

"It does include phantom powered mic inputs (as well as a separate input for electret mics), but the phantom power is only 30 volts, rather than the standard 48 volts. My Earthworks QTC40s seem to work OK with this, but Earthworks told me that they would not handle as high levels (i.e., very close miking) as they would with 48 volts. And there is no guarantee that all Earthworks mics (and other brands) will always work with the low voltage."

"It cannot accept a normal recording level. Everything that is plugged in is way too hot for the inputs. I even used a 25db pad and even had a few clipped signals. I have tried the 1/8" and the 1/4" and both have the same problem. Even after the firmware update that was supposed to fix the L/M/H switch issue, the only way I could record was send from 2 sub busses so I could control the levels of the soundboard. I should be able to accept any professional out from a soundboard...especially the tape out."

I think where the Microtrack 24/96 really shines is being simply a low-cost high-resolution recording device that you can connect a separate preamp/AD converter to via its coaxial digital input. Something like this: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_u...e410-main.html (MSRP $400)
But then you're getting up into the price range where you could buy a Tascam HD-P2 ($1000) http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HDP2/ There have to be some good deals out there for a used Microtrack, used preamp/AD converter w/24/96 output, and a used Tascam HD-P2.