While you’re waiting for the replacement copy of the Shure, would you consider including a connection method using Rode Reporter app as described in this video? I feel like the sound quality is degraded by wrong bluetooth protocols used by DJI and Shure when the iOS system connects them as regular heatsets used for phone calls as opposed to professional sound recording. There’s definitely something there to look into. ua-cam.com/video/YrVZ-0EjRtg/v-deo.htmlsi=ZE0r_ak4BQUbTQNf
Just used the Blink 500 B2+ at a college to record a competitive presentation. It worked great from 40 feet away and with the speakers walking around. For $129 it was a nice backup system.
One thing might be worth mentioning in terms of feature and only DJI has this feature is the ability to connect via bluetooth to a phone and action camera without any adapters and wires, this is one feature that's super important for me as I can use the MIC2 across multi devices wirelessly. Great video!
I sincerely hope you never stop making videos, even if it's not camera gear because your open minded no BS approach to subjects is refreshing. As for these wireless mics one thing that drives me away from many new products is that they don't have replaceable batteries. I can't consider any of these devices a serious piece of pro gear when it likely will need to be thrown in the trash in 3 years. I will continue using my zoom F2 and syncing audio in post because it's simple and takes AA batteries so I'll likely be using it for years to come.
There's a cable notch behind the clip on the DJI mics. Loop the mic cable behind the clip and into the notch and it's basically the same. You can't pull it out. At least not without great effort or force, but it's definitely not just popping out from an accidental tug.
Professional grade mikes that are equipped with a locking ring might not even properly fit into the DJI plug without having removed the locking ring first.
Last week I used a DJI Mic 2 receiver with my Google Pixel to record some factory tours and interviews. I put a transmitter in my pocket and in the pockets of the people that I was interviewing and I ran Rode Lav Go mics from the pockets to the top of their shirts. We walked around the factories for hours and at no point did the lav mics get yanked out. I disabled the transmitter buttons and setup auto-record just to be safe. Accidentally dropping my phone and knocking the DJI Mic 2 receiver out was more of a concern. This happened once. Luckily the USB port didn't break and the receiver was fine. Perhaps it's safer to run a USB cable to the phone while it's in an aluminium holder instead of putting a DJI Mic 2 receiver into the phone USB-C port directly.
Ive reviewed one of the saramonic usbc mics and it was pretty good for the price. In your first test here the Saramonic sounded really close to the rode which shocking. Great review
Brother thanks for this. I got the DJI-2 but I was thinking about getting a second system for less-critical applications. You saved me a lot of time and aggravation.
To be fair, it could be that the Shure audio is even better than the others, but just not EQed properly yet. Much like filming in RAW or Log for video, the Shure may assume you will do processing in post. For example, it sounded like all the Shure needed was some EQ to boost high frequencies and it would have sounded equivalent to the other. It would be interesting to EQ and compress the output of all the mics hard to see which audio withstands it the best. It could be that the Shure audio is way more moldable than the others. Could be that it is not though lol. And also the other negatives you mention about the Shure makes it a no-buy for me anyway. Thank you!
saramonic blink 500 b2 allows dual Bluetooth connection which can be an option for any disconnect you may have with your main connection. Connect one Bluetooth connection to your primary streaming device and the other Bluetooth connection to a phone you have on you. This way you will most likely not miss one moment of your recording time.
This added a ton of value to me. I will be buying a Saramonic momentarily ^_^ Side note: They have a model with onboard recording which is awesome but the price of the one reviewed is soo attractive. Decisions decisions!
I’ve been using the Ulanzi U-mic for a while now and I like them much better than my Rode Wireless Go2s. They’re also the cheapest with internal recording. I’m quite happy.
What I like for Saramonic is the transmitter that you can put in the phone. I use my phone and a DJI gimbal and it has an awesome sound on top of that. Thanks for the review.
One thing about the test. I think the test should have been made with the equipment as it is delivered. The Rode comes with a Lav included. TWO of them actually. No extra cost. And I think few will argue that the rode - WITH the lav it’s delivered with - sounds the best, hands down, that’s not even a challenge. Anything about the sound beyond that is subjective. Personally I see the Rode WITHOUT lav at place two, behind the DJI. The cheap one is at 3 for me, and Shure last. But that’s subjective. The fact that the lav is included with the rode and makes it sound even better, is not. Yeah, the other ones don’t come with one, but testing it without the included lav is like saying: ‘rode, you delivering your mics with two lavs at no extra charge is your bad. Shouldn’t have done that, I won’t factor that in’. The lavs are mentioned in the end, but not the sound with them :-(
A few things about the Shure 1) Regarding the range. There is an RF signal boost feature that you can select to extend the range. It's in both the receiver and the phone app. And they definitely talk about it in the manual, which you obviously didn't read. Most Shure wireless products have this RF booster built in because Shure pioneered this type of technology years ago. The reason this is an optional feature is because by turning it on, it drains the battery more, so they let you choose. 2) Regarding the audio quality. It's the worst sounding microphone with no processing. The thing is, you can apply processing like compression, EQ and a HP filter from both the phone app AND the receiver. ALSO, found in the manual. I've also heard plenty of You Tube reviews of this microphone that sounded better than yours by a long shot because the reviewers took the time to learn the product before putting out their reviews. They mentioned all these tone-shaping capabilities, they tweaked them, then they got the microphone to sound better. You didn't do that in this review. You just held it up to your chest and talked about how bad it sounded. 3) Regarding the price. If all it did was have the exact same things as the other mics in this review, it would be a rip off. But... - The fact that you can use one or two of the microphones by themselves and not even use the receiver if you use it with your phone. - The fact that the phone app can do both audio recording and video recording with these really nice mics as an audio source - The fact that you can use the receiver as an audio interface with your computer - The fact that there's a safe recording mode where it creates two channels that you can make very different volumes in case you have a part of your passage that clips, you have a safe redundancy at a lower volume. Maybe those features aren't worth $500 to you. And that's fine. To many, it won't be worth $500 because they aren't the target market for it. But your failure to even mention them is pretty lazy. This definitely comes across as a video that was put together in an afternoon and doesn't come across like a reviewer who spent weeks learning the differences between all these microphones. You usually do better work...
The PicoMic system has smaller transmitters than the Shure; the receiver is larger though. But the receiver is also the dock for the transmitters, so you still only need one plug to charge, and the entire system still stores down very small. If only it had internal 32-bit-float recording!
Same here, Picomic user. My only gripe is the occasional random clicks. But having two mics mounted on camera hot shoe ready to be grabbed and clipped to a talent in seconds just can’t be beat.
Thanks for doing the leg work on this! Great comparison with a wild outcome! Shame on Shure for using their name to bump up the price and slacking on the whole package.
Awesome review. This definitely helped. Something I was considering that I think was missing was noise filtering. If it’s possible to test that in the future, that would leave nothing on the table in regards to what the Mics are capable of (or not capable of) . Either way thank you for this review!
I finally bought the Shure set, not because of this review (obviously), but because of Curtis Judd’s assessment of the sound quality and for the ultra long battery life. Also knowing that if I need a lav with internal recording I have Tentacle packs which can do that instead. I like the sound of them, but there are several big caveats that keep this mic set from comparing well with the other units in this comparison. Tops on my list is the firmware update process which feels like something out of the 1990s. Second would be the limitations of Bluetooth pairing. If you connect the transmitters with the receiver and then decide to use them with your phone, then you have to clear the pairings out manually then pair with the phone, then do the whole forget and pair routine again when you want to use the receiver. I suppose that’s the limitations of Bluetooth and now that I understand this I can deal with it, but the Shure set is at a level of complexity that most DJI and Rode wireless users will find ridiculous. Strictly speaking it’s not a consumer or perhaps not even a prosumer product, but with that said, the sound quality is excellent, and having the built in compressor is a huge benefit for quick turnaround recordings. Definitely worth the effort if you work professionally.
Very helpful review. In this video I thought the Saramonic and Rode were the CLEAR winners in terms of sound quality. They both had a much fuller sound. The DJI and Shure both sounded very thin to me (not much in the low frequency range, mostly highs). Maybe this is just personal preference, however for me, I value mics that capture the bass in my voice and so that's what I was listening for in this video. I'm shocked at how good the Saramonics sounded ESPECIALLY at that price point!! Does the Saramonic has audio outlets for lav mics? (that wasn't mentioned in this reivew).
Great video! I almost wished you included the Neewer cm28, which has internal recording. I'm really torn on the best budget set to get around$100, and your opinion would be appreciated.
I loved the sound quality of saramonic, however I can never comfortably recommend that brand after 2 back to back failures. First unit died right after warranty period expired, I contacted them and had to pay for repair and was advised to just purchase a replacement. I bought a second unit that died in 3 months, I now have zero confidence in that brand, and it’s a shame because it was an enjoyable product to use while it worked.
Honestly speaking, if you don't require internal recording or lac mic conection, I've found that the Hollyland Lark M2 are the most usefull. The footprint is just very small and their magnets are just great. Quality is not the best, but I sacrifice a bit of that for the smaller mic. Disclaimer, I have used the Lark Max and the DJI as well and are just too bulky for my taste.
@@PeterAlanJohnson The M2 actually have 2 channel recording, if you set them up in stereo, they record on each side the sound that each mic brings. I don't think they will add internal recording, it will make them bigger and defeats the purpose
@@MicheletDiez according to the M2 manual (Page 18)-it does not allow stereo with either of the phone receivers, (only when connecting using an analog cable to the camera receiver)
Are any of these mics good for use on a speaker that will be used outside? Looking for for a wireless mic (hands free, clip) that will be used to address a crowd of mayb 30-50 ppl
Thank you so much for making this video. I wanted a portable mic to put infront of my acooustic amp while I recorded in my phone. I have a mic plugged into my amp for loudness and effects but my video content recording from my phone sounds a little ashed with my phone pointing at me from across the room. Now I can breath easy that I don't have to spend over $300 on quality external mics like the DJI but instead I just bought the Saramonic 500 B2's on Amazon and I'm excited to rerecorx some of my content to see how it sounds.
Actually, 95% of the times I use the internal recording to take advantage of the 32bit float It is clearly a better audio file than the one that goes straight into the camera 🎥
I think that instamic should really be in this comparison. For me, it's an obvious choice as it is waterproof! No option for lav mic though (unless the new version does it via usb c??)
Hello! Thanks for this great video, I'm subscribing! Would it be possible to know which microphone is used to talk in front of the camera in your office/studio? 🙏
Caveat with the saramonic blink 500 is it may not work. Brand new mic didn’t work on my Sony cam and just barely worked on my phone. I returned it immediately because I didn’t want to waste my money. Quite disappointing too because I actually liked the sound
A couple quick notes. Mic systems for the US market cannot have both internal recording and transmission capabilities. One of the high end production audio companies has a patent. And about the Shure sound, it’s a fairly bright/ punchy sound which can help provide a cleaner result if clothing gets in the way but handheld in open air it might sound a bit harsh. Regardless I would most of the time prefer to have the brighter sound in post especially for spoken word recordings.
I am aware of this patent but both Rode and DJI are selling in the USA now. I'm not sure how they got around this. The Shure Mic does not sound the brightest to me, it flaw out sounds the worst. It almost sounds like a a lower bitrate or something with less highs and lows than the other 3.
@@FStoppers Have you posted the audio files? It’s always hard to judge sound details coming off UA-cam, especially today because I’m on the road and in noisy environments. As for the patent, I’m not sure what’s up with that at the present moment, but do the DJI and Rode mics allow you to transmit and internally record simultaneously or do you have to choose one mode or the other? I just remember Deity late last year talking about the need for a different SKU for the US because they could not include internal recording in their latest body packs.
@@waveland I heard someone talking about this patent (I think it was Curtis Judd in his review of the Deity Theos), and his guess was that Deity was allowed to do transmit/record in the Connect system because it was 2.4ghz, and Zaxcom (who owns the patent) only offers professional audio systems that are UHF, so Deity wasn't really competing against Zaxcom since it was in the 2.4ghz band. However, the new Theos system, which is UHF, competes directly with Zaxcom's own units, so simultaneous transmit/record is disabled in the US. In other words, that seems to be why Rode, DJI and others are able to sell record/transmit units in the USA - because they're 2.4ghz.
@2:34 Audio is not crazy and does not fail - wireless signals are crazy and THEY fail. You want a reliable signal go wired, end of story. But yes, if you just go wireless and don’t have a back up boom somewhere off shot, back up recordings are necessary.
Seramonic was the DSLR Film Noob’s (fellow UA-camr) favorite brand for cheep but great audio equipment around the 2010-2020 time. I like DJI, but they are becoming yet another behemoth Chinese company stampeding over everything in their path. Let’s give the Scandinavian company Røde some love. They are an audio only company and they have a wonderful origin story.
As a professional sound engineer I can tell Saramonics sounds as we like to say “muddy” Wireless Pro or Go or whatever that was sounds the most balanced, even though it’s not perfect!, Shure sounds the worst- has a horrible “ringing” in the Mid to top range and entirely sounds unatural! I easily put my money on Rode wireless, no doubt
Enforced mono is a problem with a lot of the newer systems (Hohem, Hollyland Lark M2, the dirt cheap $10 wireless sets on Amazon etc. especially using their USB connections)
Hey man, I bought a Ace pro, with the cold shoe adapter, curious about microphones. Can any of these microphones clip into the cold shoe adapter or is the cold shoe adapter only for shotgun mics? And with the Ace pro maybe you know maybe you don't, can you not just connect a wireless Bluetooth microphone to the camera itself?
This review is all over the place, IMO. The Rode II Pro and the DJI Mics 2 are in a different category than the Saramonic and the Shure. I have used some other Saramonic mics in the past, but found them cheap and were replaced in less than a year. These don't even have an input jack to use with a lapel. Won't use that brand again. The Shure mics are for creative social VLogger that is more money than sense. They are not 2.4ghz, they are Bluetooth. That is why range on them is junk. They are also designed to be used connecting directly to a cellphone via Bluetooth. No input jack for a lapel mic either. I was forwarded the press release on them, and to me, they are a huge swing and a miss in the wireless mic market. Way over priced for what they are. I would tell someone to buy those Saramonics first, if they really wanted to get into content creation. Start small with cheap and build up from there, but don't buy those Shure MoveMics. The Rode and DJI mics are the only two that are close to each other in specifications and features. I also don't know why you didn't feature another brand like Hollyland Lark Max mics. I bought them this past summer, and for the same approx. cost of the Rode or DJI, you can get those that are as featured. I would happily use any of these three brands, and feel solid about my purchase. What convinced me with the Hollyland also have some Noise Cancellation in the transmitters as well. The best wireless mic system here is more of a battle between DJI vs Rode vs Hollyland. Shure is a big boy name, that slapped its name on a cheap product to have a name brand tax on it. Saramonic is a cheap brand and you will get what you pay for. I also saw mention of the Deity Theos in the comments. Those are close to the DJI/Rode/Hollyland, but they are way more of a professional tool, that are handicapped by a Zaxcom patent here in the USA. They run off UHF and have better range and reliabilty. I would of gotten those mics if the patent didn't hamper the UHF record/transmit transmitters that the 2.4 guys (DJI/Hollyland/Rode) are using.
I know Shure makes great mics but this new mic just seems overpriced. I’ll just have to stick with my Lark M2. I do also have the Pico Mic and it’s great the receiver is just a bit larger than all the others.
Because a certain high-end company you know thousands of dollars high end per unit has a patent on recording and transmitting you are not going to see recording capability on anything in the US until that patent runs out and hopefully doesn't end up patent trolled more than it already is. Either their skirting the patent in some form or they're paying licensing fees.
Update: Shure saw the review and they believe there is something wrong with my unit (lucky me) so they are sending me another one.
Yeah there is something wrong, the price and the audio quality
While you’re waiting for the replacement copy of the Shure, would you consider including a connection method using Rode Reporter app as described in this video? I feel like the sound quality is degraded by wrong bluetooth protocols used by DJI and Shure when the iOS system connects them as regular heatsets used for phone calls as opposed to professional sound recording. There’s definitely something there to look into. ua-cam.com/video/YrVZ-0EjRtg/v-deo.htmlsi=ZE0r_ak4BQUbTQNf
hmm something wrong with the unit they say 🤔…“Shureeeeeeeeee" there was..
Too Late, Damage Done.
Why can’t you use MKE2 mic with DJI? What specifically? I have the MKE2
I'm literally coming to UA-cam to search comparisons for these and this is the first video that pops up in my recommended, man I love UA-cam.
You can trust Lee. He is smart and holds no punches back.
A.I. Bro! It's awesome
I call it the University of UA-cam. I've learned so much from good, ethical presenters like Lee!
Love the constant surveillance 🥰
They're listening... 😂😂
Just used the Blink 500 B2+ at a college to record a competitive presentation. It worked great from 40 feet away and with the speakers walking around. For $129 it was a nice backup system.
One thing might be worth mentioning in terms of feature and only DJI has this feature is the ability to connect via bluetooth to a phone and action camera without any adapters and wires, this is one feature that's super important for me as I can use the MIC2 across multi devices wirelessly. Great video!
Which mic are you using in most of the video? The sound quality is perfection...
I sincerely hope you never stop making videos, even if it's not camera gear because your open minded no BS approach to subjects is refreshing. As for these wireless mics one thing that drives me away from many new products is that they don't have replaceable batteries. I can't consider any of these devices a serious piece of pro gear when it likely will need to be thrown in the trash in 3 years. I will continue using my zoom F2 and syncing audio in post because it's simple and takes AA batteries so I'll likely be using it for years to come.
I have the Saramonic Blink 500 Pro and it is fabulous. I had a Rode Wireless Go and I struggled to get it to work. No such problem with the Saramonic.
You just saved me $500! Thank you sooooooo much for making this post.
I've been using Saramonic non wireless mics for years. Very good quality and also affordable.
Why are Hollyland Lark Max and Hollyland Lark M2 not on your desk for comparison?
Great system but my receiver's battery died only 2 months from purchase, they replaced it but I had to pay shipping to them
There's a cable notch behind the clip on the DJI mics. Loop the mic cable behind the clip and into the notch and it's basically the same. You can't pull it out. At least not without great effort or force, but it's definitely not just popping out from an accidental tug.
Exactly! I looped my lav mic in the slot behind the clip and I struggled to remove it when I wanted to disconnect the cable, it is incredibly secure
Professional grade mikes that are equipped with a locking ring might not even properly fit into the DJI plug without having removed the locking ring first.
Last week I used a DJI Mic 2 receiver with my Google Pixel to record some factory tours and interviews. I put a transmitter in my pocket and in the pockets of the people that I was interviewing and I ran Rode Lav Go mics from the pockets to the top of their shirts. We walked around the factories for hours and at no point did the lav mics get yanked out.
I disabled the transmitter buttons and setup auto-record just to be safe.
Accidentally dropping my phone and knocking the DJI Mic 2 receiver out was more of a concern. This happened once. Luckily the USB port didn't break and the receiver was fine.
Perhaps it's safer to run a USB cable to the phone while it's in an aluminium holder instead of putting a DJI Mic 2 receiver into the phone USB-C port directly.
Ive reviewed one of the saramonic usbc mics and it was pretty good for the price. In your first test here the Saramonic sounded really close to the rode which shocking. Great review
DJI mic2 works quite well because of the popularity we all bring. if you're pushing it say so. otherwise Fulaim X5 baby. I'll push that neewer c28 one
Brother thanks for this. I got the DJI-2 but I was thinking about getting a second system for less-critical applications. You saved me a lot of time and aggravation.
Love these methodical tests, thanks Lee!
To be fair, it could be that the Shure audio is even better than the others, but just not EQed properly yet. Much like filming in RAW or Log for video, the Shure may assume you will do processing in post. For example, it sounded like all the Shure needed was some EQ to boost high frequencies and it would have sounded equivalent to the other. It would be interesting to EQ and compress the output of all the mics hard to see which audio withstands it the best. It could be that the Shure audio is way more moldable than the others. Could be that it is not though lol. And also the other negatives you mention about the Shure makes it a no-buy for me anyway. Thank you!
No it's not the eq. Movemic is simply low detailed low quality. No amount of eq can save that.
saramonic blink 500 b2 allows dual Bluetooth connection which can be an option for any disconnect you may have with your main connection. Connect one Bluetooth connection to your primary streaming device and the other Bluetooth connection to a phone you have on you. This way you will most likely not miss one moment of your recording time.
I've been using Saramonic mics for over 6 years and they keep surprising me as to how good they are.
Not gonna lie. I feel the exact same way as you about the cheaper microphone sounding the best 😮
I'm getting that 100%.
This added a ton of value to me. I will be buying a Saramonic momentarily ^_^
Side note: They have a model with onboard recording which is awesome but the price of the one reviewed is soo attractive. Decisions decisions!
Which Saramonic model did you end up buying? Any performance thoughts?
I’ve been using the Ulanzi U-mic for a while now and I like them much better than my Rode Wireless Go2s. They’re also the cheapest with internal recording. I’m quite happy.
Do you have the Ulanzi AM18s?
@@ThomasMendenhall Yes, those are the ones
Recently I bought several. If you don’t care about separate recording, I would recommend Saramonic or Boya. Both are best for the buck.
What I like for Saramonic is the transmitter that you can put in the phone. I use my phone and a DJI gimbal and it has an awesome sound on top of that. Thanks for the review.
One thing about the test. I think the test should have been made with the equipment as it is delivered. The Rode comes with a Lav included. TWO of them actually. No extra cost. And I think few will argue that the rode - WITH the lav it’s delivered with - sounds the best, hands down, that’s not even a challenge. Anything about the sound beyond that is subjective. Personally I see the Rode WITHOUT lav at place two, behind the DJI. The cheap one is at 3 for me, and Shure last. But that’s subjective. The fact that the lav is included with the rode and makes it sound even better, is not. Yeah, the other ones don’t come with one, but testing it without the included lav is like saying: ‘rode, you delivering your mics with two lavs at no extra charge is your bad. Shouldn’t have done that, I won’t factor that in’.
The lavs are mentioned in the end, but not the sound with them :-(
True but in my full wireless pro review I found the lav almost sounds identical ua-cam.com/video/C6OIvGyoods/v-deo.htmlsi=9BrEDPTDJAnrxthk
Bro I loved this video and I ordered the Saramonic Blink 500 B2+, thanks so much for the recommendations!!!
Thank you so much! I had no idea where to start with microphones. You have SAVED me 100's of dollars!
This has to be the most beneficial and informative video I’ve looked up and seen on UA-cam. Thank you kind sir. Blessings to you and your family!
What mic are you using for the video? Sounds great
A few things about the Shure
1) Regarding the range. There is an RF signal boost feature that you can select to extend the range. It's in both the receiver and the phone app. And they definitely talk about it in the manual, which you obviously didn't read. Most Shure wireless products have this RF booster built in because Shure pioneered this type of technology years ago. The reason this is an optional feature is because by turning it on, it drains the battery more, so they let you choose.
2) Regarding the audio quality. It's the worst sounding microphone with no processing. The thing is, you can apply processing like compression, EQ and a HP filter from both the phone app AND the receiver. ALSO, found in the manual. I've also heard plenty of You Tube reviews of this microphone that sounded better than yours by a long shot because the reviewers took the time to learn the product before putting out their reviews. They mentioned all these tone-shaping capabilities, they tweaked them, then they got the microphone to sound better. You didn't do that in this review. You just held it up to your chest and talked about how bad it sounded.
3) Regarding the price. If all it did was have the exact same things as the other mics in this review, it would be a rip off.
But...
- The fact that you can use one or two of the microphones by themselves and not even use the receiver if you use it with your phone.
- The fact that the phone app can do both audio recording and video recording with these really nice mics as an audio source
- The fact that you can use the receiver as an audio interface with your computer
- The fact that there's a safe recording mode where it creates two channels that you can make very different volumes in case you have a part of your passage that clips, you have a safe redundancy at a lower volume.
Maybe those features aren't worth $500 to you. And that's fine. To many, it won't be worth $500 because they aren't the target market for it. But your failure to even mention them is pretty lazy.
This definitely comes across as a video that was put together in an afternoon and doesn't come across like a reviewer who spent weeks learning the differences between all these microphones.
You usually do better work...
Please update for the Shure when you receive the replacement.
I've just tested the Lark M2 in depth and I will do a video about all my tests on UA-cam very soon...
The one thing that I would have liked to see in this video. Was how well each performed with ambient sound.
What microphone did you use to record this video pls???? I like it
Thanks for doing this comparison! Side note, you look A LOT like Tom Wilson from the Washington Capitals (my fav team)!
The PicoMic system has smaller transmitters than the Shure; the receiver is larger though. But the receiver is also the dock for the transmitters, so you still only need one plug to charge, and the entire system still stores down very small. If only it had internal 32-bit-float recording!
Im using the PicoMic 2 since December last year
Yes! I have the PicoMic and love it. Sound quality isn’t outstanding, but the low profile makes up for its slight audio shortcomings
Same here, Picomic user. My only gripe is the occasional random clicks. But having two mics mounted on camera hot shoe ready to be grabbed and clipped to a talent in seconds just can’t be beat.
awesme review! I love that even though you got most of them for free, you gave a very honest review of each
Thanks for doing the leg work on this! Great comparison with a wild outcome! Shame on Shure for using their name to bump up the price and slacking on the whole package.
Awesome review. This definitely helped. Something I was considering that I think was missing was noise filtering. If it’s possible to test that in the future, that would leave nothing on the table in regards to what the Mics are capable of (or not capable of) . Either way thank you for this review!
what mic do you use for the video? wow it sounds amazing.
I finally bought the Shure set, not because of this review (obviously), but because of Curtis Judd’s assessment of the sound quality and for the ultra long battery life. Also knowing that if I need a lav with internal recording I have Tentacle packs which can do that instead. I like the sound of them, but there are several big caveats that keep this mic set from comparing well with the other units in this comparison. Tops on my list is the firmware update process which feels like something out of the 1990s. Second would be the limitations of Bluetooth pairing. If you connect the transmitters with the receiver and then decide to use them with your phone, then you have to clear the pairings out manually then pair with the phone, then do the whole forget and pair routine again when you want to use the receiver. I suppose that’s the limitations of Bluetooth and now that I understand this I can deal with it, but the Shure set is at a level of complexity that most DJI and Rode wireless users will find ridiculous. Strictly speaking it’s not a consumer or perhaps not even a prosumer product, but with that said, the sound quality is excellent, and having the built in compressor is a huge benefit for quick turnaround recordings. Definitely worth the effort if you work professionally.
Very helpful review. In this video I thought the Saramonic and Rode were the CLEAR winners in terms of sound quality. They both had a much fuller sound. The DJI and Shure both sounded very thin to me (not much in the low frequency range, mostly highs). Maybe this is just personal preference, however for me, I value mics that capture the bass in my voice and so that's what I was listening for in this video. I'm shocked at how good the Saramonics sounded ESPECIALLY at that price point!! Does the Saramonic has audio outlets for lav mics? (that wasn't mentioned in this reivew).
Great video! I almost wished you included the Neewer cm28, which has internal recording. I'm really torn on the best budget set to get around$100, and your opinion would be appreciated.
I loved the sound quality of saramonic, however I can never comfortably recommend that brand after 2 back to back failures. First unit died right after warranty period expired, I contacted them and had to pay for repair and was advised to just purchase a replacement. I bought a second unit that died in 3 months, I now have zero confidence in that brand, and it’s a shame because it was an enjoyable product to use while it worked.
Honestly speaking, if you don't require internal recording or lac mic conection, I've found that the Hollyland Lark M2 are the most usefull. The footprint is just very small and their magnets are just great. Quality is not the best, but I sacrifice a bit of that for the smaller mic.
Disclaimer, I have used the Lark Max and the DJI as well and are just too bulky for my taste.
Tempted by these, I hope their second gen allows on-device recording OR 2 channel recording, which owuld make them a lot more useful
@@PeterAlanJohnson The M2 actually have 2 channel recording, if you set them up in stereo, they record on each side the sound that each mic brings.
I don't think they will add internal recording, it will make them bigger and defeats the purpose
@@MicheletDiez according to the M2 manual (Page 18)-it does not allow stereo with either of the phone receivers, (only when connecting using an analog cable to the camera receiver)
I am glad fstoppers and petapixel came upon the same problem half a day apart. It cannot be easy wanting a two mic system in march.
Wait did they? We are being sent a new unit because they said it was a bad copy. Interesting… -P
ua-cam.com/video/isnQVtVmJxQ/v-deo.htmlsi=89xuVkdzLopNGsdh&t=584@@FStoppers
Which one would you recommend for filmmaking ?
The real question is which mic are you using in your in studio recordings such as this video, it sounded the best
Are any of these mics good for use on a speaker that will be used outside? Looking for for a wireless mic (hands free, clip) that will be used to address a crowd of mayb 30-50 ppl
So what would be a good one for beginners who has no clue on getting started with vlogging?
Thank you so much for making this video. I wanted a portable mic to put infront of my acooustic amp while I recorded in my phone. I have a mic plugged into my amp for loudness and effects but my video content recording from my phone sounds a little ashed with my phone pointing at me from across the room. Now I can breath easy that I don't have to spend over $300 on quality external mics like the DJI but instead I just bought the Saramonic 500 B2's on Amazon and I'm excited to rerecorx some of my content to see how it sounds.
Actually, 95% of the times I use the internal recording to take advantage of the 32bit float
It is clearly a better audio file than the one that goes straight into the camera 🎥
Which mic are you using for the video?
I think that instamic should really be in this comparison. For me, it's an obvious choice as it is waterproof! No option for lav mic though (unless the new version does it via usb c??)
@fstoppers which microphone are you using for recording the video? Sounds great
Are Sennheiser locking lavalier mic compatible with the Rode transmitter?
Definitely buying the Seramonic
Also saw that with the saramonic you can dual connect the receiver to say a iPhone to back backup recording
Hello! Thanks for this great video, I'm subscribing! Would it be possible to know which microphone is used to talk in front of the camera in your office/studio? 🙏
Caveat with the saramonic blink 500 is it may not work. Brand new mic didn’t work on my Sony cam and just barely worked on my phone. I returned it immediately because I didn’t want to waste my money. Quite disappointing too because I actually liked the sound
What's the mic your Main Audio is recorded with?
What mic are you using for your video?
What are your thoughts or have you done a review on the Ankerwork M650. How would you stack it to these?
Should have had the Hollyland Lark M2 and Lark Max there, they the 2 devices the truly destroy the competition.
A couple quick notes. Mic systems for the US market cannot have both internal recording and transmission capabilities. One of the high end production audio companies has a patent. And about the Shure sound, it’s a fairly bright/ punchy sound which can help provide a cleaner result if clothing gets in the way but handheld in open air it might sound a bit harsh. Regardless I would most of the time prefer to have the brighter sound in post especially for spoken word recordings.
I am aware of this patent but both Rode and DJI are selling in the USA now. I'm not sure how they got around this. The Shure Mic does not sound the brightest to me, it flaw out sounds the worst. It almost sounds like a a lower bitrate or something with less highs and lows than the other 3.
@@FStoppers Have you posted the audio files? It’s always hard to judge sound details coming off UA-cam, especially today because I’m on the road and in noisy environments. As for the patent, I’m not sure what’s up with that at the present moment, but do the DJI and Rode mics allow you to transmit and internally record simultaneously or do you have to choose one mode or the other? I just remember Deity late last year talking about the need for a different SKU for the US because they could not include internal recording in their latest body packs.
@@wavelandyes both allow you to transmit and record internally at once.
@@waveland I heard someone talking about this patent (I think it was Curtis Judd in his review of the Deity Theos), and his guess was that Deity was allowed to do transmit/record in the Connect system because it was 2.4ghz, and Zaxcom (who owns the patent) only offers professional audio systems that are UHF, so Deity wasn't really competing against Zaxcom since it was in the 2.4ghz band. However, the new Theos system, which is UHF, competes directly with Zaxcom's own units, so simultaneous transmit/record is disabled in the US.
In other words, that seems to be why Rode, DJI and others are able to sell record/transmit units in the USA - because they're 2.4ghz.
Shure is so bad, that i cant believe with my ears XDDD sounds like a gamers headphone mic just slightly wireless... xD@@FStoppers
Hi! Are they waterproof?
I have in my possession, 15 or 16 wireless lav systems from $400 to
@2:34 Audio is not crazy and does not fail - wireless signals are crazy and THEY fail. You want a reliable signal go wired, end of story. But yes, if you just go wireless and don’t have a back up boom somewhere off shot, back up recordings are necessary.
Seramonic was the DSLR Film Noob’s (fellow UA-camr) favorite brand for cheep but great audio equipment around the 2010-2020 time.
I like DJI, but they are becoming yet another behemoth Chinese company stampeding over everything in their path. Let’s give the Scandinavian company Røde some love. They are an audio only company and they have a wonderful origin story.
RODE is an Australian company according to Wikipedia.
As a professional sound engineer I can tell Saramonics sounds as we like to say “muddy” Wireless Pro or Go or whatever that was sounds the most balanced, even though it’s not perfect!, Shure sounds the worst- has a horrible “ringing” in the Mid to top range and entirely sounds unatural! I easily put my money on Rode wireless, no doubt
R0de Wireless Pro system can remote trigger the transmitters. Do the other systems have this capability?
What I really need are multiple Mics with Multipul Receivers to do Multi Camera Shoots but able to keep the audio seperated to be adjustable in post.
Enforced mono is a problem with a lot of the newer systems (Hohem, Hollyland Lark M2, the dirt cheap $10 wireless sets on Amazon etc. especially using their USB connections)
Is it worth using the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Bluetooth Earbuds as a microphone?
You should check out Hollyland Lark Max wireless Mic. I’ve been using them and I think it could be one of your top mic you have tested.
What mic are you using?
What is internal recording? Why do we need it?
good timing. I was just eying off the dji set
Hey man, dumb question here but what mic setup do you use to record this video?
Thanks a lot! 🙂
Hey man, I bought a Ace pro, with the cold shoe adapter, curious about microphones. Can any of these microphones clip into the cold shoe adapter or is the cold shoe adapter only for shotgun mics? And with the Ace pro maybe you know maybe you don't, can you not just connect a wireless Bluetooth microphone to the camera itself?
What’s the main mic you’re using?
You have to add the Hollylark M2, the smallest and rounded but the clear and loudest one.
What kind of mic are you using for this review audio?
@FStoppers
Do you have any advice on a set of wireless Microphones for a group with 5 people starting a Videocast?
kinda like the dji and rode. saramonic not bad thoug, just dji and rode sound much clear and clean to me.
Looking for a wireless mic that can handle loud motorsports audio without clipping. What would you recommend?
What mic recorded this video?
Which ones the cheapest? 😅
May I ask what mic/audio setup you use for the actual video? Don't see a lav so I'm assuming a shotgun?
Is there a mic i could use to improve call quality
What mic are you using to record your video brother?
This review is all over the place, IMO. The Rode II Pro and the DJI Mics 2 are in a different category than the Saramonic and the Shure.
I have used some other Saramonic mics in the past, but found them cheap and were replaced in less than a year. These don't even have an input jack to use with a lapel. Won't use that brand again.
The Shure mics are for creative social VLogger that is more money than sense. They are not 2.4ghz, they are Bluetooth. That is why range on them is junk. They are also designed to be used connecting directly to a cellphone via Bluetooth. No input jack for a lapel mic either. I was forwarded the press release on them, and to me, they are a huge swing and a miss in the wireless mic market. Way over priced for what they are. I would tell someone to buy those Saramonics first, if they really wanted to get into content creation. Start small with cheap and build up from there, but don't buy those Shure MoveMics.
The Rode and DJI mics are the only two that are close to each other in specifications and features. I also don't know why you didn't feature another brand like Hollyland Lark Max mics. I bought them this past summer, and for the same approx. cost of the Rode or DJI, you can get those that are as featured. I would happily use any of these three brands, and feel solid about my purchase. What convinced me with the Hollyland also have some Noise Cancellation in the transmitters as well. The best wireless mic system here is more of a battle between DJI vs Rode vs Hollyland.
Shure is a big boy name, that slapped its name on a cheap product to have a name brand tax on it. Saramonic is a cheap brand and you will get what you pay for.
I also saw mention of the Deity Theos in the comments. Those are close to the DJI/Rode/Hollyland, but they are way more of a professional tool, that are handicapped by a Zaxcom patent here in the USA. They run off UHF and have better range and reliabilty. I would of gotten those mics if the patent didn't hamper the UHF record/transmit transmitters that the 2.4 guys (DJI/Hollyland/Rode) are using.
What about the synco g3 pro? Brand new and internal recording. Also very small unit.
Hello what mic you use in this video in your room please
Brilliant presentation
I know Shure makes great mics but this new mic just seems overpriced. I’ll just have to stick with my Lark M2. I do also have the Pico Mic and it’s great the receiver is just a bit larger than all the others.
Any of these microphone compatible with drone, such DJI mini 3 pro?
which microphone was used to record your voice in the video itself?
What microphone and set up do you use to record your videos?
Love Saramonic. Their gear is such great bang for buck.
excellent video ... your comparisons are on point !!! ......🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Because a certain high-end company you know thousands of dollars high end per unit has a patent on recording and transmitting you are not going to see recording capability on anything in the US until that patent runs out and hopefully doesn't end up patent trolled more than it already is. Either their skirting the patent in some form or they're paying licensing fees.