In the past few years, we’ve seen the emergence of more convenient photography, video, and content creation tools that make it easier for creatives to wear more hats. This affordable but feature-packed option is a testament to that.
With social media being more and more driven by video content, producing videos with good quality has, one way or another, become a norm for professional creatives and businesses, whether it be for marketing purposes or for the sake of education. This is, of course, in addition to the growing and evolving landscape of content creation and content marketing that made way for more people to be seen and heard by the audience that they need to reach. Because of this, the tools that used to be more complicated and more expensive have evolved to be consumer-friendly and made more accessible. This new wireless microphone system from Saramonic is clearly no exception.
The Saramonic Blink 500 B2+
The Blink 500 B2+ is currently one of Saramonic’s smallest yet also feature-packed wireless microphones. This particular one has pieces that are about half the size of the first version of Saramonic’s Blink wireless microphones. Inside the box is a charging case that houses two transmitters and one receiver, a USB-C tip, and a lightning tip for the receiver. In a separate pouch comes a TRS to TRS cable, a TRRS to TRRS cable, windscreens for each of the transmitters, and a USB-C cable for charging.
Each of the transmitters comes in at just 4x3 cm with a thickness of 1 cm. It has a single indicator light on the front part, an omnidirectional microphone on the top part, a USB-C port on one side, a power button and noise reduction shortcut button on the other, and a clip with an attached magnet on the back. Each of the transmitters has a battery capacity of 20 hours and can operate up to 150 meters away from the receiver.
The single receiver is 4.5x3.8 cm with a thickness of 2 cm. It comes with a 1-inch monochrome OLED display for battery, range, and mode indicators, signal/pairing indicator lights on the top corners, a cold shoe compatible clip at the back, and pins under a rubber port cover where the lightning/USB-C tips connect. On one side is a 3.5mm output port, another 3.5mm headphone monitoring port, and an additional USB-C port at the back. This receiver has a battery life of about 16 hours, and the entire set can be replenished by the charging case for 1.6x of the full capacity.
Compatibility
In addition to standard 3.5mm output, the USB-C connector can be used on most smartphones and pocket vlogging cameras along with the lighting connector for iPhones
One of the most significant aspects of this wireless microphone system is the almost universal compatibility with digital devices. Most cameras used for vlogging and content creation now have a 3.5mm port, while other compact vlogging cameras, action cameras, Android phones, and newer iPhones (15 series) can be used with USB-C connectivity, and, of course, older iPhones use lightning cables. A unique compatibility feature that this wireless mic offers is the fact that it can feed two simultaneous outputs for two different devices at the same time. This is, of course, using one of either the USB-C or lightning connectors in combination with the 3.5mm cable on the side of the receiver. This means that two devices can record or stream at the same time without having to share or sync the audio to the other, or alternatively, record with one device and stream with the other.
Transmitters and Audio Recording
The transmitters are equipped with omnidirectional microphones on the top surface. Each one comes with a windscreen that connects through a port right beside the microphone that comes in handy in windy situations. However, the Blink 500 B2+ does not come with any lavalier mic input, probably because of how small and thin the transmitters were made to be. Compared to other wireless microphones, it is considerably small and can easily be hidden between buttons of a shirt or inverted inside clothing using the magnetic plate. However, other than that, it cannot be made more discreet due to the lack of a lav input port.
Each of the transmitters also comes with a shortcut button to toggle between noise reduction modes. Noise reduction comes in two selectable levels, which are named “weak” and “strong”. The difference between the two modes is quite significant. The weaker mode offers a more subtle noise reduction that better preserves sound quality and clarity, while the stronger noise reduction mode gives off a more muffled sound depending on the kind of background noise that it is trying to suppress. Perhaps another trade-off of the compact size of the transmitter (and the more affordable price tag) is the fact that this is not capable of internal recording. While it's not an absolute necessity for most users, internal recording can be a good safety option in case any signal interference occurs between the transmitter and the receiver while recording..
User Experience and Application
Just like other microphone reviews I’ve written in the past, I can make very few comments about the sound quality because of how variable the perception of it can be for viewers who are using different speakers and headphones to listen to the recorded audio. At the same time, I firmly believe that finding the right microphone with the right sound is an individualized process based on the kind of voice that the user has and their preference between wireless microphones, shotgun mics, and other options. On a purely subjective level, I can say that I like how this mic is tuned in combination with my voice specifically with the weak noise reduction in use, as it maintains a good balance between the lower frequencies of my voice. In addition, I think the user interface can be improved by adding at least another button for making selections instead of having to long-press a button to do so.
Overall, the combination of features of the Blink 500 B2+ makes it a versatile option specifically for content creators who are starting out and those who are looking for an audio solution without having to spend too much. With a price tag of $129, this wireless microphone option offers most of what individual content creators and videographers would need out of a wireless microphone. While it doesn’t offer other features like internal recording and external input, the fact that this is priced at about half of some of the most popular options can be really enticing for creatives with a wide range of requirements.
What I Liked:
- Small and discreet transmitters
- Magnetic mounting options
- Dual simultaneous input and wide compatibility
- Affordable price tag
What Can Be Improved:
- Limited user interface
- No external lav input option
Saramonic ?? no thanks... bought the first version of the Blink 500 arrived with both transmitter's display not working, changed thanks to Amazon but after less than a year had the same problem with the changed ones, wrote several times to the customer service never received an answer...