Hollyland Lark Max Review - Could it be better than DJI Mic & Rode Wireless Go II?

Hollyland has released a new flagship wireless mic, the Lark Max! On paper, it has 48khz 24bit audio quality, internal transmitter recording and many cool features. But how does it perform in real life ?
Let's find out in this review!
Camera gear I used to shoot this video:
Panasonic Lumix S5II | Lumix S 24mm f/1.8
Hollyland Lark Max www.hollyland.com/product/lar...
Zeapon Micro3 Slider: zeapon.com/products-detail/i-...
Disclaimer: The product sample I used in this video was sent to me by the manufacturer for this review. I do not need to return the sample but I also did not receive any money from the company
Instagram: / photo_by_richard
My Miniature Photography Instagram: / toycapturer
Facebook: / photobyrichard
#microphone #wirelessmicrophone
0:00 Hollyland Lark Max Duo vs Solo - Design and Features
8:01 Audio Quality Test
8:52 Built-In Mic
9:04 Lapel Mic
9:22 Output test (ENC Noise Cancellation Test)
11:07 Range test
12:51 Transmitter recording
16:29 Connectivity
17:53 Recording Modes
19:33 Final thoughts - And why it's not perfect

[@cashfordoughnuts]

The noise cancellation was subtle, but I actually liked how you could hear the background traffic noise while the mic made sure your voice was clear and prominent over this noise; it sounded more natural. If the noise cancellation was stronger, it would have looked and sounded too artificial. Genuinely looks like a great product to me.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes while ideally it should cut background noise completely, but if I have to choose between unnatural audio and no noise or a bit more background noise but more natural audio, I would choose the second one for sure

[@hacobee1]

Hi thank you for your review! Question, will i be able to monitor, via receiver, if onboard recording is engaged per transmitter?

[@alexanderaseffa]

I actually like the additional soft bag that can be utilized even for other devices if required and also carry just the charging box to keep it small. Great review as always.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I do like the soft case too. If i need to carry it in my backpack with bunch of other things, the soft case protects the system much better. I think the biggest reason why i complain about it is that you cannot fit even a small 3.5mm cable or USB-C cable inside the charging case (with the Lark 150 you can at least fit one small cable inside the charging case). So you have to bring the soft case or put the cable somewhere else.

[@2rightsmakeauturn]

Very professional and comprehensive

[@dust4427]

Nice and Honest revue👍 Thank You,

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks and welcome!

[@gabrielgrindulo]

Thanks for the review! I was wondering how did you connect the transmitter to a sound recorder (aka your zoom f6) ? In my case, I have a zoom f3. Did you use an adapter like a 3.5mm trs to xlr cable? I'm sorry I'm quite new to wireless lav mics.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes that's exactly what I did

[@2kime]

Hello Richard. Thank you for your review. I wonder, would an xlr 1 adapter be of use when you want to step up the audio quality? I am also thinking of duo gain adjusting on the xlr 1. I am about to buy FCP, so an xlr 1 maybe obsolete. What do you think? Thank you, Frans.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

The Panasonic XLR1 is great as it does record in much higher quality, allows XLR input and more features. So if you want to stick with in-camera recording, that would be a great upgrade. But you can also consider other options like using a 32bit floating point external audio recorder, downside is you need to sync all your audio footage in post

[@fjfjrfjfjr]

Thank you Sir. Excellent video! 👌

[@TheRealRichardWong]

thanks for watching!

[@0301chris1]

great review, thanks! does this make sense for zoom calls? worried about latency. any thoughts much appreciated. thanks

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Latency is minimal. Nothing to worry about for zoom calls as the latency for the zoom call itself is much higher than the mic's latency

[@enriquemartin8655]

I recently purchased the mic and tested it out. I am totally satisfied with the system.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Enrique , I'm glad to hear you have same experience as me. This is easily the best wireless microphone I have tried (at this kind of price point)

[@enriquemartin8655]

@@TheRealRichardWong Indeed. I also have the previous the 150. I am not a fan of the flat top screen. That's why ai bought the Max.

[@totoroutes5389]

That noise cancellation feature is not good. Better to apply the noise cancelation in post processing.

[@mannytroll9572]

What settings on the gain do you have on in the receiver on the holly land And what do you have on the transmitter output level? I can’t find the right balance I have +5 on gain and 0 on transmitter output but I don’t like the level

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I think i was using default settings on the Lark Max. What do you not like about the level? Too loud? soft? Another thing is check the level on your camera as well as some camera's preamp is quite hot. Or may have some auto mic gain adjustment which if enabled would fight against your mic's level

[@djresqvideomix]

Have you tried the NEEWER CM22 as well ? Which one do you prefer?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Sorry i have not got any experience with the NEEWER CM22, but I'm very impressed by the Lark Max and it has become my default wireless microphone setup now since I first started testing it.

[@mariobrunettin8338]

Hi Richard, is it possible to charge the smartphone while the receiver is connected to it, basically working as a usb pass-through?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

there are some USB splitters which works with some phones but I haven't try that myself. Or if your phone can do wireless charging that's another option

[@keithgomez807]

Can you purchase the single mode and upgrade to the duo mode later in the future?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I am not sure sorry best to check with Hollyland

[@kenrickkoo]

I found the lightning cable to usb C to be special. No other lightning to usb c cable I tried including the Apple cable worked. Any advice?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Oh that's interesting 🤔 but I have no information about that sorry

[@alexanderashmore]

Have you tried it with any lavalier mics? Does i have interference issues like the DJI mic has?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I didn't notice any issues, there is a short clip i recorded using the lav mic at 9:00

[@MarlonOrellana]

have you had any issues with it connecting to the iPhone? it keeps disconnecting :/ so sad. I was very excited for these

[@TheRealRichardWong]

i don't have an iphone myself. Do you mean the receiver disappeared from your iPhone? or do you mean audio drop outs?

[@MarlonOrellana]

@@TheRealRichardWong so i open the app says its connected and after some time it just doesn't say its connected anymore even though its plugged in

[@TheRealRichardWong]

ok. it's strange. Any chance the plug/connector is a bit lose? What iphone version are you using?

[@masterofcamera]

Coool!! 🎥👌🔥

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Thanks 🔥

[@OneDegreeLife]

Do the transmitters support plug-in power like the Rode Wireless Go II?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I don't think you can. But the battery life of the Transmitter is 7.5hr, and you can top it up easily with the included charging case.

[@OneDegreeLife]

@@TheRealRichardWong I mean VDC. Some lavs require voltage to function properly, like Tram, etc. many transmitters supply this, but I can’t find any info for the Max. Thank you for the prompt response though!

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Oh i see what you mean now, sorry i do not have any information about that.

[@OneDegreeLife]

@@TheRealRichardWong Cool, thank you!

[@OneDegreeLife]

Hello, again! Since you were kind enough to try and help, I wanted to send this along to you. I finally heard back from Hollyland Support and they said: "The Lark Max does provide around 4.2v of power from the 3.5mm jack." Just wanted to share that with you and your viewers!

[@kneepayne]

I'm happy they added the case. I did a video about the the DJI Mic where I called out the accessory bag as "phoned in" and showed off a 3rd party case for the DJI mic that is very similar to this one for the Hollyland. Smart move on their part, it's like they read my mind! kzbin.info/www/bejne/opfScqFpqq58o8k

[@TheRealRichardWong]

nice review you got on your channel!

[@TheWautebommler]

A Comparison betweend the Hollyland and the new Rode Wireless PRO would be nice...

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Agree! Need to see if I can get hold of a sample of the Rode!

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

I am returning the new Rode Wireless pro because it's not better than the Hollyland. It's more expensive, more irritating to use, lavs are cheap quality & recording from any real distance or even with a couple walls in way of the receiver it loses signal. You also cannot adjust each individual mics gain! Hollyland over DJI & Rode!

[@TheWautebommler]

Thanks a lot. U got a new subscriber as I am an English teacher in Switzerland...so I might be able to use one or two videos from ur channel. I really appreciate ur feedback.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@TheNatashaDebbieShow oh that is interesting! I do feel the Hollyland would also fail if there are a few walls in the way, but it's very interesting with your other comments/sharing your real life experience.

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

@@TheRealRichardWong We have had no problems with the Hollyland and distance/walls.

[@FlatEarthSovereign]

Can i use this to talk thru a speaker?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

Yes you can. Just connect the receiver output to your speaker

[@FlatEarthSovereign]

@@TheRealRichardWong nice. I guess the next question is if they would sound tinny due to the wide pickup pattern say for a ceremoney.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

@@FlatEarthSovereign Because you are wearing the microphone very close to your mouth, so the audio quality isn't too bad. You can hear the audio quality in this review as the entire video's audio was captured using the Lark Max with no audio editing at all.

[@FlatEarthSovereign]

@@TheRealRichardWong yes but you were not broadcasting thru a loud speaker where the mic picks up the feedback.

[@TheRealRichardWong]

The person who is speaking with the mic should never be standing in front of any speakers. A direct feedback loop like that would break any microphone.

[@BraisFernandez]

Dji mic or lark max ?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I was wanting to do a side by side comparison so I can answer questions like this better, but right now I would prefer the lark max a bit more because I like having a physical dual on the receiver and the audio is just really clean and high quality

[@antonvankinderen3598]

to the point

[@kmwong1786]

Still no 32bit float or timecode ... Besides that modern cameras have 4 channels would be nice if those could be used too. Like left and right with safety track or left and right stereo recording or even 4 transmitters.

[@jockturner1547]

These are consumer level mics. 32bit float isn’t the standard in this price range. It has stereo, mono and safety track options. These are designed for direct to camera recording and the internal recording is really intended to be just a back up and I dont know of any camera in this target audience that records 32bit float audio internally… Yes it’d be nice to have 32bit float internally, but internal recording isn’t its focus and you have a safety track for protection if you clip.

[@unpluggged]

The system has SNR of about 70 dB. What's the point of having 32-bit FP recording with dual-gain ADC and DSP setup?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I would love to see 32bit float and 4 channel internal recording! But mid 2023, i don't really expect to see these features yet on a wireless microphone system at this price point. Hopefully in 2-3 years time when we see a Lark Max replacement then these are the features that will be included. But with the SNR is 70db and maximum Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is 128dB so the internal recorded file should handle wide dynamic range quite well, better than most similar systems in the market.

[@shem44]

Weird that use cables instead of adapter for connection to phones. Who wants dangling cables and receiver when filming with phones?

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I think if you want to shoot with phones, it's better to use the Hollyland C1 which is designed for phones and uses a small receiver that plugs directly into the phone.

[@salmond_Lawistani]

I think in C1 there is only lightening connector.

[@rMr.big13]

No 32 bit float….. blahhhhhh

[@TheRealRichardWong]

I love 32 bit float, but what wireless microphone system at this price and size can do 32bit float?

[@rMr.big13]

@@TheRealRichardWong rode wireless go ii

[@fluz0000]

​@@rMr.big13The rode mic wireless go ii have only 24 bit too. The Rode Central app have an option to convert 24 bit to 32 bit, like any other audio software. This option doesn't improve the audio quality.

[@rMr.big13]

@@fluz0000 bro it does not convert. If you can’t convert 24 bit audio to 32-bit have the option of saving an added 20 for a 32 bit🤷‍♂️

[@fluz0000]

​@@rMr.big13Yeah. It can't convert 24 to 32 bit. Maybe a better way to say is that the Rode Central save the upscale version, but with no audio changes. I'm still searching for a wireless mic with internal recording and 32 bit float. 🙏🙏🙏