- Hey, it's Justin Brown here, from Primal Video.
I'm a big fan of lavalier microphones,
especially the ones you can plug
directly into your smartphones.
Now, last week's video, we ran through how you can improve
the use of your lavalier microphones,
so in this video, I'm going to run through
my top three lavalier microphones that are available
on the market today.
And they are the Boya BY-M1,
the Irig Lavalier, and the Rode smartLav+.
So this isn't going to be a technical review
of the three microphones, it's going to be a side by side
or one after the other comparison of the three microphones
so that you can hear the difference for yourself.
(bass-heavy electronic beat)
Now before we jump into this comparison,
it's important to let you know
that we are filming this using a smartphone.
We are filming it using a Samsung Galaxy Note 5
could have been a 7 if it wasn't recalled
but we're using a 5 for this video.
So we're also going to cover just a little bit
about each of the three microphones
before we get to the comparison.
So the Boya BY-M1, which is actually
what you're listening to right now, sells for about $20 US.
It has the biggest cable out of the three microphones,
which measures in at 18.7 feet, or around 5.7 meters,
so it's huge.
But it does give you a great deal of flexibility
when you're filming.
Probably the biggest feature with the Boya BY-M1 microphone
is that it not only works with smartphones,
it also works with DSLRs
and a lot of laptop and desktop computers as well.
It does however, take a battery, a small LR44 battery,
which is what you'd find in a watch,
but in my experience, that battery lasts a really long time.
So now, on to the iRig Lavalier microphone.
Now, this one sells for $49.99 US
and it has a cable length of 59.1 inches,
which is 150 centimeters.
So it's much shorter than the Boya,
but it's still more than enough to get some great results.
Now what this microphone has that the other two don't have,
is an additional 3.5 millimeter plug,
which will allow you to either plug in a set of headphones
so that you can monitor the audio
going through the microphone,
or you can plug in a second lavalier microphone
so that you're able to get two
directly into your smartphone.
You also have the option of buying the iRig Lavalier
in a bundle of two microphones.
So the third microphone then, is the Rode smartLav+
which is actually a huge improvement
on the original Rode smartLav.
Now this microphone sells for $79 US
but the biggest downfall with this microphone
is the incredibly short cable length.
It's only 45.5 inches, or 115 centimeters,
which means the areas that you can use this
and the ways that you an use this,
you're incredibly limited unless you buy
the extension cable, which they sell as well.
But then, not only are you up for an additional cost,
typically with anything audio,
every time you add an additional extension cable or adapter,
you're potentially losing quality.
So now, on to the comparison.
As I said before this is the Boya BY-M1
you're listening to right now.
I'm just going to count to 10 twice
for each of the three microphones
and that way you can hear the difference
one after the other.
One two three, four five six, seven eight nine, 10,
One two three, four five six, seven eight nine, 10.
And now you're listening to the iRig Lavalier microphone.
One two three, four five six, seven eight nine, 10,
One two three, four five six, seven eight nine, 10.
And this is the Rode smartLav+.
One two three, four five six, seven eight nine, 10,
One two three, four five six, seven eight nine, 10.
And now we're back to the Boya BY-M1 microphone.
So you can tell straightaway
that I think the biggest difference between the three
is the Boya is a bassier sound,
which some people like and some people hate
but for me, it's the best all-rounder,
especially at the price point of $20.
It's the microphone that I use for all of my weekly videos
because of the flexibility that I have
with being able to use it on smartphone,
as we are now, or using a DSLR.
The iRig as well, is a really solid option
and is probably my second pick out of the three,
considering the price point and also the fact
that you can add in a second microphone
which is great if you're going to be doing any interviews
or having two people on camera at once
without the need for any additional adapters.
The Rode smartLav+ is a great microphone as well.
It's the most expensive at that $79 price point
and it does have the shortest cable length,
which for me, is a major drawback.
If you're after a microphone with a really short cable,
then that's your pick.
Let me know what microphones you're using below,
in the comments section.
Don't forget to subscribe and give this video a thumbs up
if you thought it was useful.
And end screen.
If you are hating your video editing,
if you're struggling with it,
if it's taking up way too much time,
then make sure you download our free PDF
which is linked onscreen now.
It's the ultimate step by step process
for editing your videos and it'll save you a ton of time.
I'll see you next time.