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Wireless Lav Mic Range Test — K&F Concept M-8 vs SAMSON Go Mic Mobile vs Sennheiser EW100

Photo Moment - October 09, 2017

Time for a range test! These three dramatically different mics are being compared JUST FOR RANGE (but as you’ll hear, there’s an obvious sound quality comparison too). Does the price match the performance? Which one would YOU buy?

 

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Could you do a video on your recorder?
That one is super old, so no… I’ve had it at least a decade. Sorry!
Good test. I would also like to see a test of someone walking with these mics on through a full parking lot going in and out around cars, or through crowds of people. That would be interesting. My favorite set up is the Audio Technica System 10 .
I'm late to this party.

Would you be able to tell me if the K7F has any sort of auto gain? I know I can hook a different capsule but does the receiver or transmitter adjust the volume down if a loud noise comes in?
@@photojoseph Thanks
I don’t have that mic anymore but as I recall the control is minimal. Possibly only on the output. If you look at the amazon page I’m sure you’ll see more details. Link in the description.
I want to use a zoom h6 as a mic source, can this be connected to the K&F via line out to the 3.5mm mic input or will it only accept a mono connection?
Mic level vs line level is more than volume. Try it of course though.
@@photojoseph I could use the phones out to set a mic level
Hm, if you can set it to mic level (not line level) then it should work. Stereo vs mono should not be a concern here, I think.
Thanks for the review. For my needs, no more than 15feet away, that is a good and cheap solution.
I just had to turn my footage into b-roll because of audio cut outs. This video was a very informative comparison between several wireless mic setups and I’m glad I watched it because now I know the Samson won’t work for my application. Gonna have to save for better mic. Thank you for the video.
Sorry to hear that but glad I could help (at least for future productions!)
Thank you very much for your Videos! So the Samson is so much crap I'll not buying it.
Yeah unfortunately I can’t recommend it.
The samson suckkks! I bought it today and 100% regret it..
This is by far the best presentation on YouTube....I am about to purchase Tascam DR 60 mk ii and was exactly looking for what you presented in a excellent fashion, please its a request if you can add Tascam in your title it will be really helpful for all, because no one has done wirelesa lav mic video like you. Namaste from India.
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Can you please tell me what's the white cable and why have you connected it to DSLR and Tascam DR 60 mkii.
One question
Wats the white cable and why is connected to DSLR and Tascam?
You simply convinced me to buy KMF. Thank you for precise review!
Thanks Joseph. Really great and thorough video as always. The Sennheiser is obviously the Cadillac of mics but for the cost, I really like the Samson and the way it connects to the smartphone which I can then attach to GoPro, tripods or go mobile with a gimble. Using your affiliate link to purchase now. Thanks brother!
Awesome!
Great test, very useful to give content & testing at the same time,
Plus having the same words spoken - one of the best mic comparisons i've heard!
My use case is something that I can have on a gimbal using the iPhone X, meaning I have no 1/8th" jack. Like the idea of the Samson with lightning connector, but I also want to power the camera. The new Zhiyun Smooth 4 has a cable to provide battery power to the camera from the 12 hour gimbal pack and can handle twice the weight of competing models. I just need a really reliable wireless setup for this rig. The Samson looks like dropout city, very disappointing in your test.
I own a Sennheiser, with a nice Sony lav on it and it sounds great but is tough to integrate on the small phone gimbal. I am also exploring Bluetooth solutions like the Sony pair, which is small enough for the gimbal, but it requires you supply your own mike (or line source).
The Sennheisers are bare minimum for any semi-professional project. Also, you're not testing mics, you're testing wireless transmitters and receivers. Nothing to do with mics
Well that’s true…
I think if you change the mic from the k&f concept for a better lav mic, maybe the rode smartlav+, it would be pretty good for the people who can't afford the sennheiser.
Not on this pack, but watch this video and st some point I put a good mic on a cheap pack. Hmm that may have been in the Q&A follow up video actually. Anyway start here: Cheap Wireless Lav Mic Comica CVM-WM100 ▶︎ is this Mic Any Good? https://youtu.be/8uSwpqwqQNw
Have u try it? Im planning to buy k&f m9 2 receivers version with the rode smartlav+ as u say... Did it improve? Do u have this test video too😅 by the way thank you for the information videos😊
I love the SmartLav+. I've talked about it many times in other videos. This of course was a test for wireless mics though.
I'd like to post something to consider. The RF emanating from the transmitters is vertically polarized, since the belt pack antennas were pointing upward. The Sennheiser and K&F M8 receiver antennas were both horizontally polarized, which can drastically affect their range. The Samson receiver looked like it was vertically polarized yet gave very disappointing results. I'd like to see another review, this time with the belt packs on the front and the receivers sitting vertically. I've obtained up to about 200 ft with a cheap Sony WCS999 ($40 used) and 240 ft with an Azden WMS Pro kit ($39 used). These units give surprisingly good results when paired with a decent mic. I also have the K&F M8, but have not tested it for range yet. I used a laser rangefinder to determine distance. Thanks for the great video, keep up the good work!
Ok, but you’re ignoring several real world issues here in an effort to set up a better test. First, we are all mounting the receivers as they are designed to be mounted. If the reception would be improved by changing the orientation, then the manufacturer should build it that way, not expect the user to figure that out and go buy an accessory to mount it differently. Next, putting the transmitter on the subject’s back is how it’s done in the real world. If I’m shooting video of a person, I don’t want to see the mic pack. Ever. I don’t even want to see the mic usually. This is all supposed to be invisible. The pack goes on the back. Period. Finally, while moving the receiver instead of the transmitter is a good idea for testing, again that’s now how it usually works when shooting. Either the camera and subject both move, or the subject moves and the camera is static, but it’s pretty unusual for the subject to be static while the camera moves. Testing should be done in a way that matches how the product will be used, not in a way that maximizes the results of the test.

Your suggestions may help get better results which is great, but when it comes to product testing, most of us will test as it comes out of the box, because that’s how the manufacturer designed it. Making it better is another video.
Yes, they have a hot shoe mount, but that doesn't mean it must be horizontal. The Saramonic and Hammer & Anvil passive mixers include vertical hot shoe mounts on the ends. They also sell a triple hot shoe adapter, L brackets, etc. These are radio transmitters and receivers and they observe the laws of radio wave propagation, just like all others. Yes, they'll probably give more than adequate range even if the receiver is horizontal, but for optimal performance they should both be in the same plane. I've watched a lot of wireless mic reviews and I'm surprised by 2 things: nearly everyone is mounting the receiver horizontally and/or the transmitter behind the back so it has to transmit through the talent's body and everyone is doing the range test at the transmitter end. If they mounted the transmitter at a fixed location with an input (radio or mp3 player) and traveled with the receiver and a laser rangefinder, they could hear for themselves (and record their commentary on a portable recorder) when they got the first dropout, how much static, max range, etc and get precise measurements with the rangefinder. They could also test with no input to get a measure of how good the S/N ratio is, you can also hear hiss or static better with no input. Just some food for thought from an engineer.
Interesting. However each receiver was mounted in the position its designed to be mounted, as if on the hot shoe. I will eventually do more with the digital pack as they have asked me to and sent another one, and I’ll consider that when testing. Thanks.
Great test!! 🏆
Why this video dosen't have 1M views ? This is the best informative video i found on Youtube ! I was watching your video a few days ago and i came back because you have the best informative video from Youtube ! Well done mate ! Cheers
+mihai0377 Wow thank you! Tell 999,000 friends and I’ll hit they million mark ;-)
Excellent test and presentation. In my opinion, the K&F offers the best value for my application which involves occasionally walking and turning away from the receiver.
+New Astronomer Thanks, and glad this was useful!
whoa. 4k. nice!
The best test I've found (Came for the K+F). Thanks!
+Damian Brown Ugh. Sorry to hear that ☹️
Ye I'm thinking the mic I received is funky. I tried the suggested 15cm placement and it improved a bit but now the wire seems dodgy when I move... doomed I tell ya!
+Damian Brown Hm, no I haven’t noticed that. As you heard in the tests, it was virtually identical to the Sennheiser. Consider placement; if it’s too bassy, move it a bit higher so it’s not right over your breastplate, where it’ll pick up more low frequency resonance from your chest. I didn’t do ANY adjustments to the audio in the video except where I lowered the levels (and noted so) to make the popping less painful to hear.
I've received my M8 and I'm finding the mic is very "bassy" .. I've lowered the receiver volume to 8 and my canon to the first notch, to get me to 12dB... Now I don't fancy EQ'ing everytime I use it. Did you find it to be a little too warm? I didn't notice that in your tests but mine is definitely not quite where I want it to be out the box.

Thanks!
+Damian Brown Sweet! Thanks
El Tutorial Muy bueno, Solo que seria Mejor Si lo tubieran tambien en Español.!!
+Santos Edil Mejia Moreno Ah, pero mi Español no es bastante bueno :-) Pues, sin vino, no es!!
Definitely expected the G3's to come out on top here, been using the G2's & 3's for years. I have a couple of sets of the Rode Filmmaker kits, and thus far they've been pretty damn solid, only had an issue on one job with them which was solved by moving to a slightly different place. Haven't tested the range though, would be interesting to see how they stack up.

On a slight side note one of the reasons I went with the Rode's when it came to actually purchasing a radio mic set for myself, apart from the price point, was, in the UK at least, the radio frequency licensing changed (channel 69 to 38), and the Rode's being digital saved me from having to worry about that. Do you have a similar issue in the US?

AND, whilst I think about it.. did you take a punt on the B&H Sennheiser AVX deal? Would also be interesting to see how that compares, have heard some good things about it
+Matt Grover Thank you! Please consider leaving a review on the site GH5Training.com if you haven’t already 😊🙏
That's a shame mate, not like the G3's are going to give out any time soon though :)
While I'm here..your GH5 Training is great :)
+Matt Grover We do have frequency licensing changes happening here. I don’t recall what they are but I’m pretty sure none of this gear will be affected. Well… can’t say about the K&F since the freq. isn’t listed. And no, sadly I didn’t take advantage of the B&H deal. Couldn’t spare the cash :(
To the point. This works really well.
+Richard Parrington Thanks!
Legitimate test however....
The UHF transmit on a lower frequency and are not that subject to line of site. But to complete the test you should do this also inside an office/studio space. The 2.4 Gh Samson can have problems with reflections of big metal subjects , but also phones, microwaves and the like . IMO the K&F is most bang for your buck . Thanks for sharing
+RS Haha I have none 😔
He's right but my excuse is that English is not my native language, what's yours ?? ;-)
+Kevin Wright well that’s embarrassing!!!
Gah! Both of you... It's spelled line of sight
+RS glad you like and thanks for the comment. Right, UHF doesn’t have to be line of site, while 2.4Ghz does (mostly), hence the turning around at each position. I had originally used the Samson indoors and had issues with it so here I wanted a clean path for range (and of course short of a NASA hanger I don’t have any indoor space that’s 175ft long!). I will do another round of tests with the Samson. I want to show that it can be used in normal use cases, because I want it to be usable there!! But, we’ll see.
Sennheiser is worth it
+Xackery Xtal I don’t disagree, but the K&F is impressive for the cost.
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