Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? at DVinfo.net

Nigel Barker · May 22nd, 2016, 01:17 PM

My wife has been asked to film a chef doing some cookery lessons. We have moved house & the old Sennheiser G3 gear seems to have been lost on the move. Does anyone have any recommendations for some cheap wireless units? I can't justify the cost of new Sennheiser gear but recording pieces to camera is more straightforward with a lav mic recording direct into the camera (she will be using an AX100). I seem to recall that someone (Roger?) said they've had bought some very cheap wireless gear from eBay that was surprisingly good quality.

Nigel Barker · May 22nd, 2016, 04:28 PM

It was Roger who posted & it was the Boya BY-WM5 which cost him about £50 per set. http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-...radio-lav.html Does anyone else have any experience? There are several models

Bruce Watson · May 22nd, 2016, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

I can't justify the cost of new Sennheiser gear but recording pieces to camera is more straightforward with a lav mic recording direct into the camera...

Wireless is a last resort. I routinely film my cooking instructors using a 5m XLR cable to their lavs. Works like a charm, and much better sounding, more reliable, and way cheaper than wireless.

That said, when I have to go wireless I don't use anything any cheaper that the Sennheiser G3s. That's the baseline for reliability. Less reliability = more takes, and no one is happy about more takes.

Chris Harding · May 22nd, 2016, 05:53 PM

Hi Nigel

Yep that's Roger and he has two of the Boya WM-5 sets and says they work very well. I've seen a boundary mic on the counter top in cooking shows too as the chef is usually right there but it does also give louder than usual audio when they are chopping stuff. Quite a few USA shows seem to use them.

Wireless with a neatly hidden lav would still be my choice though!!

Nigel Barker · May 23rd, 2016, 12:11 AM

I've just ordered a BOYA BY-WM5 from Amazon. At £69.85 they are a fraction of the price of the Sennheiser G3 kit so must be worth a look & if it doesn't suit then I can send it back for a refund.

Unfortunately my trusty little Yamaha C-24 audio recorders got lost in the move too so I am in the market for a new recorder but again I am looking for cheap & cheerful. Are there any recommendations? I did have a Sony dictaphone that worked surprisingly well fir had price & had much more ergonomic controls than a Zoom or the C-24. Finally any recommendations for good cheap lav mic?

Nigel Barker · May 23rd, 2016, 12:30 AM

I see that Rode now do wireless gear. Their RodeLink product is less than half the price of the Sennheiser gear & includes the excellent Rode lavalier. This looks like a good alternative to the G3 at a much more affordable price. I'll see how the Boya performs but if it's not good enough then I'll try the Rode.

Chris Harding · May 23rd, 2016, 04:37 AM

The Audio Technica is also a nice unit too and around the same price ..called the System 10 and worth looking into ... Let us know your professional comments about Boya ... Roger didn't seem to have any issues on the technical side and they have a neat talk back function too!!!

Nigel Barker · May 23rd, 2016, 09:37 AM

Both the Boya & The Rode use 2.4GHz channel hopping which is totally different to the UHF of the Sennheiser. From all accounts interference is not a problem at all & in a head to head review the Rode came out way ahead of the Sennheiser. I'll see how the Boya sounds before I go for the Rode though. The Boya was just £50.99 from Amazon & arrives tomorrow.

The audio recorder that I have just ordered is the Sony ICD-PX333 which is the one that I previously owned. The quality is acceptable & it's very very easy to use with nice big buttons. I've also ordered an Ultradisk 4016 nav mic as I also had several of these previously & they are great quality for the price.

Donald McPherson · May 23rd, 2016, 09:44 AM

Here's the Rowa dual .
But decide for yourself around £150

Nigel Barker · May 23rd, 2016, 11:06 AM

Here is a review of the Boya BY-WM5 He gives it a reasonable test & it looks & sounds good. In th interests of transparency I should state that I found another review where the guy just said it was crap without any very methodical testing but complained of dropouts & that it didn't work when he plugged in the nav mic from the RodeLink

Kyle Root · May 23rd, 2016, 11:44 AM

I got this Audio Technica wired mic with like a 20' cable for about $40 from B&H a couple years ago. Excellent mic (for the $40) and no interference worries!

I use it for promos and such where I'm dealing with talking heads (like shop owners who aren't good on camera) doing minimal movement and I don't want to risk having interference... because do-overs get to be a pain.

Dave Farrants · May 23rd, 2016, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Barker

The Boya was just £50.99 from Amazon & arrives tomorrow.

Appreciate the heads up - that's £20 down from the normal price it's been for months - just ordered mine, it arrives tomorrow!

Nigel Barker · May 23rd, 2016, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Farrants

Appreciate the heads up - that's £20 down from the normal price it's been for months - just ordered mine, it arrives tomorrow!

Glad to help. Here's the link for anyone else in the UK (or Europe as they will ship to the continent for about £6) https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Dave Farrants · May 23rd, 2016, 11:14 PM

Interesting.....that link is back up to £69 today.

Nigel Barker · May 24th, 2016, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Farrants

Interesting.....that link is back up to £69 today.

£69.95! Apparently Amazon prices can fluctuate wildly. There is obviously some clever algorithm that tweaks the prices to maximise sales/profit. There are several websites that will track prices for you so that you can buy when the price is low. According to this one £50.99 is the cheapest price for the Boya BY-WM5 in the last couple of months & the highest has been £69.95
BOYA BY-WM5 2.4 GHz Wireless Lavalier Microphone for Canon/Nikon/Sony DSLR Camera - Black (B00RGF6AJ2) | Amazon price tracker / tracking, Amazon price history charts, Amazon price watches, Amazon price drop alerts | camelcamelcamel.com

May 22nd, 2016, 01:17 PM	#1
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? My wife has been asked to film a chef doing some cookery lessons. We have moved house & the old Sennheiser G3 gear seems to have been lost on the move. Does anyone have any recommendations for some cheap wireless units? I can't justify the cost of new Sennheiser gear but recording pieces to camera is more straightforward with a lav mic recording direct into the camera (she will be using an AX100). I seem to recall that someone (Roger?) said they've had bought some very cheap wireless gear from eBay that was surprisingly good quality.

May 22nd, 2016, 04:28 PM	#2
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? It was Roger who posted & it was the Boya BY-WM5 which cost him about £50 per set. http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/wedding-...radio-lav.html Does anyone else have any experience? There are several models

May 22nd, 2016, 05:53 PM	#4
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? Hi Nigel Yep that's Roger and he has two of the Boya WM-5 sets and says they work very well. I've seen a boundary mic on the counter top in cooking shows too as the chef is usually right there but it does also give louder than usual audio when they are chopping stuff. Quite a few USA shows seem to use them. Wireless with a neatly hidden lav would still be my choice though!!

May 23rd, 2016, 12:11 AM	#5
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? I've just ordered a BOYA BY-WM5 from Amazon. At £69.85 they are a fraction of the price of the Sennheiser G3 kit so must be worth a look & if it doesn't suit then I can send it back for a refund. Unfortunately my trusty little Yamaha C-24 audio recorders got lost in the move too so I am in the market for a new recorder but again I am looking for cheap & cheerful. Are there any recommendations? I did have a Sony dictaphone that worked surprisingly well fir had price & had much more ergonomic controls than a Zoom or the C-24. Finally any recommendations for good cheap lav mic?

May 23rd, 2016, 12:30 AM	#6
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? I see that Rode now do wireless gear. Their RodeLink product is less than half the price of the Sennheiser gear & includes the excellent Rode lavalier. This looks like a good alternative to the G3 at a much more affordable price. I'll see how the Boya performs but if it's not good enough then I'll try the Rode.

May 23rd, 2016, 04:37 AM	#7
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? The Audio Technica is also a nice unit too and around the same price ..called the System 10 and worth looking into ... Let us know your professional comments about Boya ... Roger didn't seem to have any issues on the technical side and they have a neat talk back function too!!!

May 23rd, 2016, 09:37 AM	#8
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? Both the Boya & The Rode use 2.4GHz channel hopping which is totally different to the UHF of the Sennheiser. From all accounts interference is not a problem at all & in a head to head review the Rode came out way ahead of the Sennheiser. I'll see how the Boya sounds before I go for the Rode though. The Boya was just £50.99 from Amazon & arrives tomorrow. The audio recorder that I have just ordered is the Sony ICD-PX333 which is the one that I previously owned. The quality is acceptable & it's very very easy to use with nice big buttons. I've also ordered an Ultradisk 4016 nav mic as I also had several of these previously & they are great quality for the price.

May 23rd, 2016, 09:44 AM	#9
Donald McPherson Major Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Aberdeen Scotland Posts: 815	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? Here's the Rowa dual . But decide for yourself around £150 YouTube (Short URL)

May 23rd, 2016, 11:06 AM	#10
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? Here is a review of the Boya BY-WM5 He gives it a reasonable test & it looks & sounds good. In th interests of transparency I should state that I found another review where the guy just said it was crap without any very methodical testing but complained of dropouts & that it didn't work when he plugged in the nav mic from the RodeLink BOYA BY-WM5 WIRELESS MICROPHONE - YouTube

May 23rd, 2016, 11:44 AM	#11
Kyle Root Major Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Decatur, AL Posts: 883	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? I got this Audio Technica wired mic with like a 20' cable for about $40 from B&H a couple years ago. Excellent mic (for the $40) and no interference worries! I use it for promos and such where I'm dealing with talking heads (like shop owners who aren't good on camera) doing minimal movement and I don't want to risk having interference... because do-overs get to be a pain. __________________ Kyle KR Productions; www.kyleroot.com

May 23rd, 2016, 11:14 PM	#14
Dave Farrants Major Player Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Gloucs, UK Posts: 216	Re: Cheap wireless audio & lav mic? Interesting.....that link is back up to £69 today. __________________ https://www.foxvideo.co.uk