Saramonic Blink500 Pro B4 Mini Dual-Channel Stereo Wireless Microphone with Charging Case

The Saramonic system for Iphone is truly plug and play. This variation solves many of the issues pertaining to IPhone 'corkeness' that you can run into while using a universal mic system via a lightning adaptor (this can be a pain). This Saramonic variation simply plugs in and becomes the default microphone for ANY applications you are using on the IPhone. Fantastic.The main CON is that this has a difficult time interfacing with a Macbook or PC. The Lightning receiver provides the power to the device (along with sound) and the issue is that Thunderbolt (USB C as seen on Mac) to Lightning adaptors only allows sound through. In sum, the unit does not work as there is no power provided through adapters available on the market. Therefore, the receiver won't work on a Mac (or PC) like it does on the IPhone. I wanted to use this as the mic on my Mac, but I can't. However, this can work with meeting software when operated through the IPhone.The other con is that the Saramonic will not fit securely on the IPhone with a case on. This is a problem for me as I use Moment Lenses while I film. The work around is buying a small Lightning extender (about $15) on Amazon. Nothing to difficult to overcome.In summary: the unit is absolutely fantastic if you film a lot with your IPhone. Cross platform use beyond that is nearly impossible. The system will not make a solid connection if you use an Iphone case. Sound quality will knock your socks off!

ITEM: Saramonic Blink500 Pro B4 Wireless Mic System w-Dual-Tx and Rx w-Lightning output PRICE: $ 349.00 at time of reviewABOUT THIS MIC SYSTEM…..The Saramonic Blink500 Pro series is just that; an upgraded ‘Prosumer’ level compact wireless system that includes features I don’t find on some of my budget wireless mics. And while some of my ‘Under $250’ wireless mic systems may have one or a few more of the Saramonic’s features, none have all of the features. So yes, I recognized that this was not just another wireless system. It’s feature rich, with expanded capabilities, like its extended 100-meter transmit-receive range and 8hr. battery operating time. And then there's the fact that it was built on Saramonic's previously successful Blink 500 system.QUALITY OF THE SYSTEM AND ACCESSORIES…..Luckily, the user’s manual was clear and concise. When I said ‘full featured’ in my headline, I was referring to all of the audio control upgrades, the highly informative OLED displays on the transmitters and a dedicated storage-charging system. Technically this is a more advanced system than many budget wireless mics that I’ve used. So the Blink500 Pro is somewhat in a more rarified group of wireless mic systems. And it's certainly a cut above most of my inventory of wireless mics that I've been using.This set’s ‘charging station’, is a unique accessory that I don’t have with any of my other wireless mic systems. And I currently have about 10 wireless mic sets. The Saramonic charging station has its own 3,000 mAh Battery, which when charged, will then charge your Tx and Rx components even if you’re not near a power source. Additionally, the charging-storage station fits into a formed hard-side carrying case that’s included in the package. And also unique, when you have the two transmitters and the Lightning Rx nested in the charging station, you can push a button and ‘pair’ all three devices at one time.Having reviewed and used a number of wireless microphone systems in the ‘under $250’ price range, I could quickly see that from the way this ‘kit’ was organized, its ‘Prosumer features’, and with its very clean audio, I’d have no problem recommending the ‘B4’ kit configuration for Lightning connected audio, nor the family of Blink500 Pro wireless kits. They do share the same Tx units, and if you have this kit plus the Blink500 Pro (cabled) Receiver, you’ll have expanded the device list with which you can use the Saramonic Blink500 Pro system. After going to the Saramonic Store, I also saw some added accessories, including adaptor-cables and microphone-holders for the SRM1 microphones included in this kit.

This is the nicest (and most expensive) wireless lav mic that I have ever used, it is specifically designed to be used with an iPhone (or iPad). It's MFi certified, that gives me peace of mind when plugging it into my expensive iPhone 12 Pro. I love the charging case that holds the major components (transmitter, receiver). It's super easy to use, you just plug in the receiver to your iPhone and turn on the transmitter. The wireless range is pretty decent, because it is using 2.4Ghz (rather than bluetooth), you can get up to 328 feet. I did not need anything close to that amount of distance away from my phone, but it's good to know that it's there if you did.The transmitter has a mic built into it, but there is also a wired mic that you can plug into it that is included. I found that the wired mic was a little bit higher quality than the one on the transmitter. I really like that the charging case uses USB C, it will charge up the TX/RX, but on the TX you can use a Micro USB charger (as well as charge it via the charging case). They include a Micro USB and a USB C cable and both have gold-plated connectors on both ends of the cables. The charging case also has a protective carrying case that you can store it in or carry it around with.If you are someone who creates a lot of content on your phone and your audio is mostly just a person (or persons) speaking, then this is a good wireless microphone to get for that type of thing. You could save a lot of money by using a shotgun microphone attached to like a tripod plus phone grip, but that would be quite as versatile as this product from Sarmonic.

I'm usually loyal to Comica when it comes to microphones, but as I wanted something that I could easily use with my iPhone I decided to cheat on them with Saramonic on this occasion. I'm impressed, but not quite enough to break it off with Comica.The big drawback with a system such as this is that it's platform specific. My Comica Boom-XD receiver can be plugged into pretty much any device with a headphone jack, be it my iPad, Google Pixel 4a or my DSLR, and while it does mean I'm stuck with a bunch of coiled cables to fit every device I get the benefit of wide compatibility. The Saramonic Blink500, on the other hand, will only work with devices that come equipped with a lightning port, so I'm limited to my iPhone and iPad. If you're loyal to the platform that's no problem at all, of course, but it does limit your options, and if you've spent hundreds of dollars on a fancy camera (or you might plan to in the future) it would be useful to have a microphone setup that you can connect to it.If an Apple-only system is what you want, though, you won't be disappointed. This thing is incredibly easy to use, and the quality appears to be top shelf. From my test recordings so far I've found the sound pickup to be a little clearer and crisper than I get with my Comica, and I'm especially impressed with the range. Saramonic claim a range of 100m, which is the same range I get from my Comica CVM-WM100 Plus. The Comica system achieves that with the use of large antennae on both the TX and RX while Saramonic have no external antennae on either device. It's witchcraft, I tell ya.All in all I'm very impressed with this system. I'm not quite so impressed with the lightning-only connection, so I doubt I'll get all that much use out of it, but if you're looking for a microphone to use only with iPhone/iPad I'd happily recommend it.

I unboxed this wireless microphone as soon as I received it, and going over the instructions and setting it up for use after unboxing it only took me a total of about fifteen minutes.This particular Saramonic model is designed for use with iPhones and other Apple devices, and setup went smoothly. I didn’t run into any unforeseen problems/complications. As one hopes, everything just worked. Consequently, I am quite happy with this system so far.In my opinion, the clarity of the microphone is excellent. It’s surprisingly good. I genuinely have no complaints. But, of course, if you happen to feel you need to, you can always tweak the sound in post.And that brings me to the stability of the connection between the transmitter and the receiver. I found the connection to be completely stable up to about 100 feet. However, after 100 feet it would occasionally loose connection for about half a second. So, if someone is talking, you will miss a syllable or two. And, of course, at the advertised 300-foot operating range, the lost half-seconds were far more frequent. However, to be fair, 90+% of all the lost half-seconds occur when the microphone is in front of you and your back is to the camera.So, overall, I think this is a really terrific wireless microphone package. It’s designed well, it works well, and the build quality is very good. Furthermore, it’s a complete package/system. It comes with everything you need. I like it a lot. I recommend it highly.If you have any questions about this Saramonic wireless microphone, please feel free to ask, and I'll try my best to answer. I hope you found this review helpful.