The Saramonic Air is one of the most full featured and affordable wireless mics I have ever used, and honestly I am a little shocked at the price. You get two microphones, a receiver, a charging case, and lav mics for only $169. If you want to save a bit more, there is an option without the lav mics for $149.
One quick note on audio quality before anything else. Every word of audio in the video above was recorded with the Saramonic Air. I am wearing it right now, so what you are hearing is an accurate picture of what these mics actually sound like. That is the fairest way I know to judge a microphone.
What you get in the box
Open the box and you will be impressed by how much is packed in for the money. Inside you get a plastic charging case that holds two transmitters and a receiver, lightning and USB Type-C adapters, and a carrying pouch that holds the lav mics along with wind mufflers for both the lavs and the transmitters.
The charging case is smarter than it looks
The case has a clear plastic top, which sounds like a small thing until you use it. You do not have to open it up to check how much battery your mics and receiver have left. You can just look right through it. Pop it open and the receiver screen activates to show battery life, and there is a second retro looking number screen that shows the battery percentage of the case itself. I love knowing exactly how much charge I have left before I head out.
The receiver punches above its price
Remember this whole system starts at $149, so I was surprised the receiver comes with a one inch color screen you can use to change a ton of settings. It ships with adapters for both USB-C and lightning, and they use a twist lock design that stays put and will not get accidentally unplugged.
One of my favorite touches is the adapter that connects the receiver directly to a Sony camera through the hot shoe. No extra 3.5mm cable running from the receiver to your camera’s mic jack. If you shoot on a different brand, the receiver also has dual 3.5mm jacks on the side, so you can run one into your camera and use the other for a separate recorder or to monitor with headphones.
The transmitters can also trigger phone video recording remotely, which is a nice bonus. And the receiver powers on when you turn on your camera and shuts off to save battery when the camera is off.
How the transmitters sound
Both transmitters have a built in microphone, so you can clip one on and go without a lav at all. In my testing the built in mic sounds good on its own. The lav mic is a slight step up and it is easier to hide, so if it were me I would spend the extra to get the $169 version that includes it. Either way, the audio is very usable.
Here is a clever design detail. The charging case is built just large enough that you can leave a wind muffler on a transmitter and still close the case. Just tuck the fuzzy bits in first.
About the audio format
This is a 24 bit recording system and it does not support 32 bit float. Before that scares anyone off, remember the price. I do not know of any wireless mic offering 32 bit float for what Saramonic is charging here. And once you see the other audio safety features, I do not think you will miss it.
The transmitters have a built in limiter to keep your audio from distorting. On top of that, taking a page from some of my favorite pro audio recorders, the Air can record a -6 dB backup track. So if your main audio ever peaks, you can save the take with the backup. That is real peace of mind. You enable it from the receiver by pressing the button once, choosing output mode, and selecting Safety.
Noise canceling on a $150 mic
Noise canceling is a feature you usually see on much more expensive systems, but Saramonic put it in here. The Air has two levels, light and strong, to cut down on background noise when you are recording in louder places.
I tested it with a laptop blasting cafe sounds right next to me. Light mode trims the background while keeping your voice natural and easy to hear. Strong mode removes a lot more of the noise. Personally I am a big fan of the light setting. It cleaned things up really well without making my voice sound over processed, so that is the one I would reach for.
The app and EQ modes
There is a smartphone app that gives you a lot of control over the unit. It lets you adjust everything you can change on the receiver, and it adds per transmitter EQ modes including a vocal boost, a high lift, and a low bump. The transmitters themselves also have EQ modes for full, low, clear, high, and natural vocals.
Personally I prefer to shape my EQ in post, but if you find yourself in a tough audio situation, it is nice to have these built in.
Lav mic support you rarely see at this price
I do not know of any budget transmitters out there adding lav mic support the way Saramonic did here, and it makes the whole kit feel far more expensive than it is. Interestingly, Saramonic did not use a traditional 3.5mm mic jack because that would make the transmitter too big. Instead there is a tiny mic input on the side made for their lavs. You just push the lav in and it holds firmly. It should not pop out if you tuck the transmitter into someone’s jacket, though I would still treat it with a little care since it is not a screw in lock.
Battery life
Battery life is competitive. Saramonic rates the transmitters at nine hours and the receiver at six hours with the screen on, and that matched what I saw. They lasted easily through all of my testing. Better still, the receiver can be charged while it is recording, so you are not capped by that six hour number.
Should you buy it?
Like I said at the top, I am genuinely surprised Saramonic fit this many features into this price. There is a ton of competition in the wireless mic space right now, and I cannot think of another system that includes this much for $149 to $169. If you are on a budget and looking for an affordable wireless mic, the Saramonic Air is an easy recommendation.
If you would rather have something that mounts on your camera instead, take a look at the best on-camera microphone I have ever used.