Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ is quite a lot of iPhone wi-fi mic at an amazing value

In the event you’re on the lookout for an iPhone wi-fi mic, there’s no scarcity of choices on the market, starting from the cheap-and-cheerful to the delicate. The Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ goals to bridge the hole between the 2 – and for my part, succeeds.

For round half the worth of comparable programs from Røde and DJI, you get a twin-mic setup that connects to standalone cameras, Macs, iPads, iPolder iPhones with a Lightning socket, and present iPhones with a USB-C port …

Look & really feel

Two of the best-known wi-fi mic programs for iPhone are the Røde Wi-fi Go II and the DJI Mic, costing $299 and $249 respectively. Every comes with a receiver you possibly can hook up with a standalone digital camera or iPhone, and two wi-fi transmitter mics.

The DJI system proved notably standard when it launched, as every part docks in a wi-fi charging case. That gives each onerous case safety and cell recharging, and it’s this manner issue which Saramonic has replicated, giving the looks of a small Bluetooth speaker

The receiver has an in depth OLED display screen exhibiting you the standing of every of the 2 mics. The mics themselves are compact models with a blue ring energy LED, a built-in tie clip, a magnetic backing plate, and dead-cat windshields.

Every little thing is modern and modern-looking, in a mixture of matte-black plastic and steel.

Compatibility

The receiver has an ordinary 3.5mm TRS cable for connection to most standalone cameras, in addition to a TRS to TRRS one to be used with smartphones, tablets, and computer systems with mixed headphone and mic sockets.

It additionally comes with a snap-on Lightning connector to be used with older iPhones, and an analogous USB-C ones to be used with present fashions.

That mixture implies that you need to use the mics with, nicely, any setup I can consider.

Twin recording

As a bonus, the receiver can concurrently output to each USB and cable ports, so you have got the choice of recording to 2 gadgets concurrently.

This can be a particular bonus for anybody like me, who prefers a belt-and-braces method to filmmaking.

Setup and use

The primary time you employ the system, it is advisable pair every of the transmitters to the receiver, which I discovered barely fiddly. That is, although, a one-off step; afterwards, the mics join routinely.

Utilizing it on a standalone digital camera, the receiver suits on the digital camera hotshoe, and the three.5mm cable to the mic socket.

Utilizing it with an iPhone, you simply pull off the protecting port cowl, snap on the suitable connector (in my case, the USB-C one for my iPhone 15 Professional Max) after which plug that into the iPhone. It sits securely and fairly neatly on the underside of the iPhone.

I exploit a screw-clamp to connect my iPhone to a tripod, and the mic doesn’t intrude with that.

The iPhone routinely detects the receiver as a USB microphone, so there are not any extra steps when taking pictures – simply file as typical, and the sound might be acquired from the mic(s).

Efficiency

Saramonic claims a 150m vary, and whereas I don’t ever want something approaching that, it labored completely in all the usual to-camera and interview setups I examined.

The receiver has a 16-hour battery-life, which is the limiting issue given the transmitters declare 20 hours. Once more, I can’t consider any state of affairs which would wish greater than this. The charging case provides greater than an extra full cost to all three models, and is itself charged through USB-C.

One compromise with the design is which you could solely use the built-in mics – there’s no choice to plug in an exterior lavalier mic. However provided that the transmitters themselves are compact, it wouldn’t be troublesome to cover them if desired.

There are two noise-reduction ranges: weak and robust. The previous labored nicely, whereas the latter ends in a muffled sound, so isn’t really useful.

The sound high quality is superb. I actually discovered no discernable distinction between this and a sound recorder with lavalier mic.

To supply life like examples for each professional and newbie setups, I used the 2 extremes. First, a demo with a standalone digital camera, twin lights, and a tripod:

Second, handheld iPhone with no lights:

Value and conclusions

In the event you’re on the lookout for a system which is dependable and versatile, permitting you to modify between standalone digital camera and iPhones, I don’t assume you possibly can beat this sort of hybrid setup.

Røde or DJI can be the same old protected bets right here, however I discovered no compromises utilizing the Saramonic setup, at at $129, it appears an amazing alternative for newbie filmmakers and anybody desirous to up their sound sport with iPhone video.

The Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ twin wi-fi mic system is accessible from the corporate’s web site for $129.