AP031 Wireless Lavalier Microphone 3-in-1 Plug-Play Noise Reduction Auto-Sync

SKU: KF10.051

  • 76.79
Overall Rating 4.9   31
Reviews
5
Works well
This is a well presented product, the packaging is well thought out and the price is reasonable. The product itself consists of three parts (two if we are talking about the body of the model with a microphone). These are black plastic and while well made, they feel very plasticky. This is slightly less important than functionality. But first these need to be charged and to charge all three at the same time means three USB-C lines going to three sockets and although one USB-C cable is included that would mean two more USB-C lines cables are not at hand - this one after the other. A failure in this price range. Also in the box is a microphone extension cable and a single mono earphone. There are instructions and while these are fine and cover turning on and pairing the base unit with the mics, I later found them to be incomplete. Once the three parts are charged, the device can be used in two ways. First up is the base unit. You can use this with a 3.5mm headphone jack connection, so in a camera etc or like I tried with the front jack on my PC. Or you plug in your mobile device and you have your choice of an Apple connector or USB C. Turn on the base unit and a small (possibly too small) light will flash green, then turn on one or both microphone units. When the base station is paired, the tiny green light will stop blinking. The lapel mics work the same way, they turn on and the green light, which is better sized, then flashes steadily when paired. The mics have a nice spring loaded clip on the back and although they are relatively large (approx 35 x 40mm and 15mm thick) they fit well enough on a lapel or tie as they are light (only 30g). Using my PC and Windows Sound Recorder, I was able to easily get a clear recording that played at a level similar to that of a YouTube video, without having to change my usual volume settings. This made it pretty much plug and play and painless, which is really good. (my sound drivers are up to date and are proprietary to my motherboard and windows 11 didn't do this on its own) I use my android phone, record via a standard recording app (any works, there isn't a proprietary one for this product App required) and I was satisfied with the result here as well. However, I had to disconnect the microphone base unit to reproduce the sound, or alternatively I could have connected the single earphone...or so I thought. But no. A standard set of stereo earphones didn't work either, nor did a pair of USB-C headphones plugged into the C jack. It's worth noting that the C-jack in the base unit can be used for load-through, a nice feature, it didn't work as an audio source for me. No light was shed on this in the user manual, except that there might be problems with Android software. That could explain why the earpiece didn't work. And while pulling out the base unit isn't a huge issue, I found that to be a negative at first glance. However... Then I turned on Bluetooth and grabbed a set of wireless headphones, which are, to be honest, my audio choice of choice for my phone. With the base unit connected and using Bluetooth audio, I was able to hear my recording. Result. I then did a new recording, the app found it was using the external mic it had before, but I was like, can I be sure I'm not using the mic in my headphones? Just to be safe, I grabbed a willing helper and left the mic with them in the living room and walked down the hall to the kitchen, pressed record, called and they spoke. This test had two purposes: to show that the app was actually using a lapel microphone — the external mic and not my headphones, and to show that the 2.4 GHz signal was a reasonable distance away. I can then say I'd be happy to set up a phone as a camera or something — to film me and another person in a conversation for example, like one would do for an interview for a podcast, etc. I don't have the battery life tested to the point of extinction - but the specified running time is very good. In summary, while this product isn't perfect, it does the job when it comes to the important core function of recording from a reasonable distance, good audio quality. Not only did it work, if not perfectly, with Android - while it was fine for me as a Bluetooth headphone user, it also worked fine with my PC via the 3.5mm jack. This flexibility makes these wireless microphones a good product.
26/03/2023