If you’re looking for an iPhone wireless mic, there’s no shortage of options out there, ranging from the cheap-and-cheerful to the sophisticated. The Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ aims to bridge the gap between the two – and in my view, succeeds.
For around half the price of similar systems from Røde and DJI, you get a twin-mic setup that connects to standalone cameras, Macs, iPads, iPolder iPhones with a Lightning socket, and current iPhones with a USB-C port …
Look & feel
Two of the best-known wireless mic systems for iPhone are the Røde Wireless Go II and the DJI Mic, costing $299 and $249 respectively. Each comes with a receiver you can connect to a standalone camera or iPhone, and two wireless transmitter mics.
The DJI system proved particularly popular when it launched, as everything docks in a wireless charging case. That provides both hard case protection and mobile recharging, and it’s this form factor which Saramonic has replicated, giving the appearance of a small Bluetooth speaker
The receiver has a detailed OLED screen showing you the status of each of the two mics. The mics themselves are compact units with a blue ring power LED, a built-in tie clip, a magnetic backing plate, and dead-cat windshields.
Everything is sleek and modern-looking, in a mix of matte-black plastic and metal.
Compatibility
The receiver has a standard 3.5mm TRS cable for connection to most standalone cameras, as well as a TRS to TRRS one for use with smartphones, tablets, and computers with combined headphone and mic sockets.
It also comes with a snap-on Lightning connector for use with older iPhones, and a similar USB-C ones for use with current models.
That combination means that you can use the mics with, well, any setup I can think of.
Dual recording
As a bonus, the receiver can simultaneously output to both USB and cable ports, so you have the option of recording to two devices simultaneously.
This is a definite bonus for anyone like me, who prefers a belt-and-braces approach to filmmaking.
Setup and use
The first time you use the system, you need to pair each of the transmitters to the receiver, which I found slightly fiddly. This is, though, a one-off step; afterwards, the mics connect automatically.
Using it on a standalone camera, the receiver fits on the camera hotshoe, and the 3.5mm cable to the mic socket.
Using it with an iPhone, you just pull off the protective port cover, snap on the appropriate connector (in my case, the USB-C one for my iPhone 15 Pro Max) and then plug that into the iPhone. It sits securely and pretty neatly on the bottom of the iPhone.
I use a screw-clamp to attach my iPhone to a tripod, and the mic doesn’t interfere with that.
The iPhone automatically detects the receiver as a USB microphone, so there are no additional steps when shooting – just record as usual, and the sound will be received from the mic(s).
Performance
Saramonic claims a 150m range, and while I don’t ever need anything approaching that, it worked perfectly in all the standard to-camera and interview setups I tested.
The receiver has a 16-hour battery-life, which is the limiting factor given the transmitters claim 20 hours. Again, I can’t think of any scenario which would need more than this. The charging case gives more than an additional full charge to all three units, and is itself charged via USB-C.
One compromise with the design is that you can only use the built-in mics – there’s no option to plug in an external lavalier mic. But given that the transmitters themselves are compact, it wouldn’t be difficult to hide them if desired.
There are two noise-reduction levels: weak and strong. The former worked well, while the latter results in a muffled sound, so isn’t recommended.
The sound quality is excellent. I really found no discernable difference between this and a sound recorder with lavalier mic.
To provide realistic examples for both pro and amateur setups, I used the two extremes. First, a demo with a standalone camera, twin lights, and a tripod:
Second, handheld iPhone with no lights:
Price and conclusions
If you’re looking for a system which is reliable and flexible, allowing you to switch between standalone camera and iPhones, I don’t think you can beat this kind of hybrid setup.
Røde or DJI would be the usual safe bets here, but I found no compromises using the Saramonic setup, at at $129, it seems a great choice for amateur filmmakers and anyone wanting to up their sound game with iPhone video.
The Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ dual wireless mic system is available from the company’s website for $129.
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