It's not as overkill as you think. I have a 700 sq. ft apartment in Toronto and have gone through multiple smaller humidifiers. The last one I had was the Levoit warm and cool mist humidifier (I think LV550HH) which is rated for around 750sq ft. At best I could get my apartment up to 35% and I had to refill it multiple times a day. It struggled more on colder days when I turned the heat up which dried out the air even more. It also left a fine white dust on everything which was annoying to clean. I got the 6000s recently and it's been so much easier. Maintains 50% without any problems and I only have to fill it around once a day. I think a full tank lasts me nearly 30 hours. It's not cheap but after using it you probably won't regret the purchase
So I had a V1 and it was spot on to my Google Nest humidity reading. I got a V2 and like the other guy, it was 6-10% higher than my nest. Same placement as my V1. I sent that V2 back because it developed a leak and ordered another one, so we'll see what that one reads when I get it.
I believe someone else posted in the V2 thread about his sensors were off too, but I believe his were reading to low instead of to high.
I bought a Canopy, without realizing how gamed the marketing is in this sector. It was essentially a paper filter tower dipped in a reservior of water with a computer fan drawing air through the filter. It worked, but the construction was dead simple for being over $200. And required a new filter every few weeks. And of course, it had a noticeable cooling effect.
Then, I bought a Levoit with warm mist option. It had a design flaw where it was very easy to water log the boiler, which caused flooding.
I then tried a Dreo and so far so good. It also has a heat option.
YES! We just bought a Levoit with both warm and cool air options.
So we run a dehumidifier in the summer, and a humidifier in the winter. Plus a couple of air purifiers. So glad we switched to solar panels.
Dealing with a couple dozen in-case humidifiers vs. one room humidifier is bonkers.
OP, I'd go one something like Wirecutter and pick a highly-rated model with the features you want.
Be aware that there are two types—evaporative and ultrasonic. Both have their ups and downs. Ultrasonic is silent and doesn't require replacing filters, but they release whatever is in the water into the air. That means mineral dust and any bacteria growing in the water. If you go this route, make sure to use only distilled water and thoroughly clean the unit regularly. Evaporative humidifiers on the other hand don't release anything into the air, but you need to replace the filters regularly and they produce some fan noise (not great if you're recording). And even though they don't release stuff into the air, they absolutely still will grow bacteria inside, so you still need to clean them regularly.
Personally I use a Levoit ultrasonic unit running with distilled water. It's great and very low maintenance, I just clean it once a week which is much less effort than dealing with a bunch of in-case humidifiers like I used to. And because the humidity in the room is pretty much 45-50% all year round, my guitars almost never need adjustment. Once they're set up, they play great for years with no tweaking required.
Top Humidifiers on Reddit
1
LEVOIT
Superior 6000S Smart Evaporative Humidifier
75% positive of 83 users
Smart, large capacity; cleaning and whole-home coverage polarized.
SwiftMelon
