– Carry pouch not included – Picks up ambient noise
Spec
Microphone Type: Omnidirectional
Cable: 2 m long
Power Type: Direct Power
Audio recording is a pain unless you have the right audio equipment by your side. Lavalier microphones are the most common type of microphones that immediately clip on and are ready to use without any assistance. They can be used by the subject and can be hidden in plain sight, thereby restricting the need for a support guy like you do in a shotgun microphone.
Finding the best lavalier microphones can be a pickle as the options are surmounting and it is easy to lose sight of your prerequisites. I have created a list of the best lavalier microphones that are available globally and have a sense of security when it comes to record pristine audio. In this post about the best lavalier microphones, I will stress the following sub-topics.
Which are the best lavalier microphones?
Detailed Comparison and Review of the best lavalier microphones.
What are their pros & cons?
Which are the best monitors for photo editing that you should buy?
Excited? So Let’s Get Started.
Advantages of Lavalier Microphones:
Unobtrusive: The biggest advantage is that unlike other microphone setups these are hidden in plain sight. Even if they are visible, they do not disrupt the viewer-to-subject connection.
Portable: Lavalier microphones are extremely portable and do not need special equipment to mount. They come in handy for shots that involve a lot of movement among the subjects. Also, they eliminate the need of being extremely close to the camera.
Hands-free Operation: Once a lavalier microphone is fitted, the very little manual invention is required. You don’t need multiple sound guys but just a single person that can manage the vocals recording, mixing, and monitoring.
Disadvantages of Lavalier Microphones:
Quality: Sound Quality can sometimes take a hit with lavalier microphones. For maximizing portability, the compact form factor can be slightly inferior to a boom microphone recording power.
Power Delivery: Lavalier microphones draw power from a battery and that means you have to frequently replace them. This forces you to have an array of replaceable batteries at your disposal which increases the cost.
Rubbing Risk: Lavalier microphones are often caught between layers of fabric and also record that interference along with the subject’s audio. This demands a few iterations of adjusting the lapel microphone before the actual recording can even begin.
Shure MVL/A is one of the best lavalier microphones from the brand that specializes in audio equipment for ages. Shure MVL/A enters our list due to its simple plug-and-play design.
Shure MVL/A is an omnidirectional condenser lavalier microphone meaning that it is useful for capturing sound waves from any direction. The microphone uses a 3.5 mm connector that can easily plug into smartphones and tablets, provided your latest smartphone actually retains the 3.5 mm jack.
Shure MVL/A lavalier microphone comes with a windscreen, tie-clip, mount, and a carrying pouch to store the contents in one place. It is electrically powered so no need for charging batteries. Shure MVL/A lavalier microphone can draw power directly from the connected devices. For connection with a DSLR camera, you need a TRRS to TRS adaptor, which is to be bought separately.
Shure MVL/A also has a dedicated application to tweak the lavalier microphone settings and use it to manage and share your media files along with making real-time adjustments to the microphone.
Verdict:
Shure MVL/A means business. It is a great option for the best lavalier microphones that comes with all the necessary features. What’s missing, is a competent application for Android users as well. Also, you will need a TRRS to TRS adaptor that has to be bought separately.
“Shure MVL/A is a lightweight lavalier microphone with exceptional signal to noise ratio.
Boya BY-M1 is one of the best lavalier microphones that are able to bridge the gap between the cost to performance ratio. Despite being an economical offering, the audio capturing quality will surprise you.
Boya BY-M1 is also a lavalier microphone with omnidirectional audio capturing capability. It is bundled with a tie clip, a battery-powered condenser, and a windscreen to keep the interference down. The cable bundled with the microphone is 20 feet long, so even if you position your camera slightly far away while recording, it isn’t a problem.
Boya BY-M1 is fairly priced and best suited for budget consumers that cannot go for pricier offerings like Shure or Audio Technica. The condenser has a dedicated button that allows you to adjust the power delivery based on the connecting device. You can toggle the button between the camera and smartphone options as per the device in which the microphone is plugged.
Verdict:
Boya BY-M1 is one of the best lavalier microphones priced fairly that would be a great addition to your recording setup. It even includes a 1/8 connector in such an economical price range. The only flaw is that it surely picks up a lot of background noise.
“Boya BY-M1 is one of the cheapest lavalier microphones.”
JBL Commercial CSLM20B comes with a separate condenser and an omnidirectional microphone that is connected via wires. The lavalier microphone boasts a moderate frequency range and is just 50 grams in weight. The condenser is powered by an LR44 battery and comes with a toggle button identical to the one present on the Boya BY-M1 lavalier microphone.
JBL Commercial CSLM20B is perfect for vloggers, content creators and is priced to not burn a hole in your pocket. The microphone does pick up the ambient sound of the ceiling fan but its windshield tried to keep noise to the minimum. The microphone had a slightly short cable than the Boya BY-M1 but not so short that could restrict movement.
Verdict:
Grabbing the best lavalier microphones from JBL at such budget pricing is a deal of the lifetime. It isn’t inferior or superior to the Boya BY-M1 lavalier microphone but is rather a branded alternative that you can go for. It does include a 1/8 adaptor to connect to a preamplifier.
“JBL Commercial CSLM20B is a great branded budget alternative lavalier microphone.”
Boya BY-M1 Pro improves the shortcomings of its predecessor and fixes the ambient noise pickup issue. This improvement makes it one of the best lavalier microphones for users that have just stepped into content creation.
Boya BY-M1 Pro introduces a -10 dB sound attenuation that helps curb the background noise by quite a bit. With the slight adjustments in post-production, you can get crisp vocals. The condenser also supports headphone/earphones connectivity which enables you to listen to live output of the voice quality being recorded from the lavalier microphone.
Boya BY-M1 Pro retains all the other features including the 6-meter cable, the LR44 battery-powered condenser, a working tie-clip, and wind muff. The toggle switch is present to cycle between smartphone and Camera recording. The brand also bundles a faux leather pouch, to house all the components of the lavalier microphone securely.
Verdict:
Boya BY-M1 Pro justifies its Pro title and comes with much-needed upgrades in the noise cancellation department. It works wonders for vloggers and camera presenters that have to frequently use the microphone in the outside environment. The only flaw remains the absence of a dedicated application to tweak the lavalier microphone.
“Boya BY-M1 Pro is a desirable upgrade over the older iteration.”
Maono AU-100 is another budget offering that goes head to head against the Boya BY-M1 lavalier microphone in our list of the best lavalier microphones.
The components remain the same, except for the additional 6.5 mm adaptor provided by the brand, which is a nice touch. It practically weighs nothing and is Power by an LR 44 battery.
Maono AU-100 comes with a toggle switch to use for Smartphones and cameras. The 6-meter camera wire is a decent length to be connected with a DSLR and not fall short of the cable. The brand advises decreasing the volume while plugging into the camera to reduce sound distortion, which doesn’t do the trick, to be honest.
Maono AU-100 picks up ambient noise pretty much like every other budget lavalier microphone on our list which includes the Boya BY-M1 and the Sony lavalier microphone.
Verdict:
Maono AU-100 is not to be confused with premium offerings from brands like Shure and even the Pro version of the Boya BY-M1. It is a budget condenser microphone so you have to deal with the shortcomings as well. No noise canceling is present on this microphone as well.
“Maono AU-100 is the perfect rival in the budget segment of lavalier microphones.”
Rode SmartLav+ is another pricier offering in the segment of the best lavalier microphones that you can buy. It is one of the trusted brands in the lapel microphone category that offers a desi application for tuning it.
Rode SmartLav+ is an omnidirectional condenser microphone that doesn’t have an external condenser element like the one found on cheap lapel microphones. It directly plugs in any device with a 3.5 mm jack and needs a 1/8 connector for connectivity to a preamp or a camera that doesn’t support the normal 3.5 mm connectivity.
Rode SmartLav+ uses a Kevlar coating on the cable that adds to the durability. The cable is kept fairly short so the camera has to be positioned in proximity to it. It also has a dedicated application that needs a major overhaul to work seamlessly with these great lapel microphones by Rode.
Verdict:
Rode SmartLav+ isn’t for budget users. Its recordings prowess is quite superior to many microphones in our list of the best lavalier and. The only pain point is the most useless application which the company needs to fix in order to use this lapel microphone with smartphones.
“Rode SmartLav+ is the best in the business that has a very short connection cable.”
Audio-Technica ATR3350xiS offers a fairly long connecting cable along with an additional adaptor for connection to the smartphone. It is surprisingly good for a pseudo premium offering for the best lavalier microphones.
Audio-Technica ATR3350xiS is a lapel microphone that can connect to DSLR directly. With a 6 meter long cable, you won’t be restricted near the camera. The microphone is attached to the condenser unit and cannot be removed. The brand doesn’t include any noise-canceling feature but the audio pickup is better than the Sony lavalier microphone.
Audio-Technica ATR3350xiS provides a 3-year warranty with the product and includes a dedicated adaptor, which is a much-appreciated move by the brand. It doesn’t have a dedicated application for adjusting the microphone.
Verdict:
Audio-Technica ATR3350xiS manages the audio input pretty well but induces some level of distortion along with it. If you need a branded lapel microphone that works with an LR44 battery and has industry-leading technology inside it, Audio-Technica ATR3350xiS won’t disappoint you.
“Audio-Technica ATR3350xiS offers a modest audio capturing with ease.”
Amazon Basics Lapel Microphone is a simple construction with a 3.5 mm jack and one end and the microphone at the other. It includes a metallic tie clip which is a nice addition to the kit. The microphone doesn’t directly connect to a DSLR camera and needs a TRS adaptor to connect to it which has to be bought separately.
The audio capturing, as mentioned above, is quite decent for an economic microphone. The major advantage of this lapel microphone is that it isn’t battery powered so no trouble finding an LR44 battery.
Verdict:
Amazon Basics Lapel Microphone is a simple and easy-to-use lapel microphone that plugs into a smartphone directly. It might need an adaptor if you are an Apple user or are trying to connect it to a DSLR camera with a TRS input.
“Amazon Basics Lapel Microphone is an economical lapel microphone.”
8Expert Score
Best Economical
Audio Quality
8
Features
8
Pros
No battery required
Simple design
Cons
Lacks a TRS adaptor
Priced above many competitors
Final Words
Shure and Rode SmartLav are my two best recommendations if you want the best lavalier microphones and no audio trouble. Boya BY-M1 Pro is the next best thing that comes with noise cancellation and is a great improvement in audio quality. Lastly, Sony, Amazon Basics offers the best lavalier microphones in the entry-level segment.
