Verdict
Whether it ’s for TikTok , YouTube or even a DIY podcast , the Hollyland Lark C1 makes it incredibly well-situated to capture clear audio through your smartphone , which in turn make it an crucial bargain for almost any contented creator operate within a limited budget .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Trying to reach light audio is always a key ingredient when filming with your phone , and the Hollyland Lark C1 is here to kick things up a snick .
As the skill set of smartphones in the realm of subject macrocosm has only continue to move to new heights , an teemingness of accessories have impinge on the marketplace to take advantage on their television and photographic capabilities .
late I review the ShiftCam SnapGrip which turns the iPhone into something more akin to a traditional point - and - shoot photographic camera , and now Formosan party Hollyland has sought to contrive another accessory into the mix .
The Hollyland Lark C1 is a wireless mic set that ’s been designed to work exclusively with smartphones . give that phones themselves are n’t the best when it comes to recording tone audio , there ’s a definite break in the market for something like the Lark C1 to provide a more professional ghost to smartphone filming . Having put the machine to the test , we now have it away exactly how well it manages to achieve those aims .
Design
From a length , you ’d be forgive for thinking that the Hollyland Lark C1 was in fact a duo of earbuds , owe to its similar - in - style bill case , but wait a little nigher and you ’ll pull in that the display case is a fleck bigger than that of your average earbuds . open up the case up and you ’ll see the RX receiver and two wireless lapel mics , all snuggle neatly within .
There are go lights on the front of the compositor’s case to let you hump how much barrage fire is left in the tank , and individual lights deep down let you know if either mic is currently charging or ready to go with a full battery . The palpebra find slimly flimsy when clear but there ’s a magnetized twist that keep the case firmly shut , and there ’s a satisfying chink when closing it .
What ’s most remarkable about the Lark C1 is just how lightweight everything is when it ’s bundled into the charging instance . You could easily pop it into a coat pouch and blank out that it ’s even there . This means that the Lark C1 does n’t take away from the portability that spend a penny smartphone take so appealing in the first place .
That same lightweight feeling continues when you take the individual components out of the casing , but never at the expense of feeling like it ’s not up to the labor . On the contrary , the RX receiver fits snugly into the iPhone ’s Lightning interface without any sense that it ’ll lessen out accidentally , and the clip on the lapel mic is the same duration as its trunk which gives it ample way to get a serious adhesive friction on your wear . As a side eminence , there is a USB - C version of the Lark C1 for use with Android speech sound .
There are just two buttons on the mics themselves , one for throw the mic on / off and the other to trigger the dynamic noise cancel ( ANC ) musical mode . I would have like to see a phonograph recording release included so that I would n’t have to draw back to my sound every time I wanted to start / stop the process , but it ’s definitely not a dealbreaker .
Features
One of the great newspaper headline features of the Lark C1 is its inclusion of ANC . While the feature article has become a mainstay in the world of earpiece , it ’s still something of a fallal where mike are have-to doe with . submit the Lark C1 to the Trusted Reviews rooftop , I was impressed to see that the ANC does a solid job of actually beating back any unwanted sounds that might otherwise interfere with the recording .
The downside is that in activate the manner , vocal quality hire a noticeable dip , not to the point where it ’s unusable but articulate enough that you wo n’t want to have the mood switched on constantly . At the very least , I find confident knowing that if I require to shoot in a busy or work up - up region , then the ANC could be used in a pinch to prevent the vocals from being totally deride .
There is an go with app with the Lark C1 that offer an easy to read dashboard of your levels , seduce up for the absence of any blind on the machine itself to show you that information ( unlike the DJI Mic 2 ) . You also have the ability to commute the rigor of the ANC as well as the loudness of the transcription itself , so you have some flexibility uncommitted to befit dissimilar scenes .
The app also lets you beleaguer an matter that I ’ve had with old lapel mics where they tap the audio from your phone during playback , efficaciously forcing you to remove the mic from the Lightning port in gild to hear how your recording turned out . With the Lark C1 , just toggle the ‘ Speaker Play ’ option in the app and you could hear your playback through the telephone ’s speakers without needing to take out the wireless receiver . If you require to charge your headphone whilst using the Lark C1 , there ’s a charge port on the side of the pass catcher to keep thing ticking without gap .
Hollyland claims that the Lark C1 has a full connection compass of 650 foot , which give you the freedom to swan around in the shot without worrying that your duologue wo n’t be heard . Of of course , any examination in this regard is tricky without exact measuring tools but I was able to unravel all the way down to the oddment of the street without it bear on the quality of the audio recording . You ’d be severely pressed to go beyond the reaching in any give blastoff but for comparison ’s sake , it is deserving noting that the DJI Mic 2 has a reach of 820 foot which is worth suffer in mind if this is one of the key feature you ’re interested in .
When it comes to electric battery life , the Lark C1 has an estimated life cycle of up to 32 hours off the back of the charge instance , with each microphone go for roughly eight hours before needing to be top up . In the entirety of my testing , I never observe myself needing to look sharp towards the skinny superpower outlet , and after 30 minutes of continuous recording , one of the mics was still show 100 % battery left in the armoured combat vehicle so you ’ll be absolutely fine with a full day of shooting .
Audio quality
Given that the Lark C1 is far more budget - friendly than the DJI Mic 2 , I anticipated that that might amount at the price of audio timber but after slews of examination , I found that the Hollyland Lark C1 actually keep its own with a level of audio that ’s sure to please most buyers .
I ’ve been using the Lark C1 to record the audio for my own TikTok and YouTube videos , and in these moment where I have n’t had to cope with any external haphazardness or distractions , the Lark C1 mics have blame up my voice clearly without any hiccough in capture . They ’ve been able to bring a serious bump in quality to the sound of my videos , to the point where I do n’t ever see myself going back to using a wired lapel mic or ( God forbid ) the iPhone ’s make - in microphone .
To see how the Lark C1 fared away from the comfort of my flat , I head to two locations : the breezy rooftop of the Trusted Reviews business office , and the bustling show floor of MWC 2023 . At the former , the Lark C1 allowed some of the rushing wind to get picked up ( but not enough to deride the vocal music ) but more impressively , it manage to almost completely parry out the logical clanging from a nearby construction site .
When using both of the included mics to record a conversation , I descend across no discernible echoing in the transcription or any return with overlap dialog , so if you need a low - price set - up for show a podcast then you’re able to get by with what ’s on offer here .
Here ’s a quick look at Tom has been testing latterly 🎤 🎙 ️ And yes … the pigeon is a pay thespian 🐦 # hollyland#larkc1#wirelessmic#microphone#wirelessmicrophone#mic#iphonemic
At MWC , I had utterly no need to switch on the ANC fashion as the mic do to perfect in on my phonation absolutely whilst keeping the ambient yack at bay . The only issuance I found here is that when I spoke at a higher volume to be heard over the crowd , the Lark C1 struggled to maintain the same degree of audio faithfulness that could be heard in other scenarios , but it ’s the type of distortion that an audiophile might pick up on while the average consumer probably wo n’t have any issues with it at all .
Either way , I obtain myself able to rely on the Lark C1 to record my vocalism during all of these scenario , which is exactly the peace of mind that you ’d want to have from this type of mic .
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Should you buy it?
If you ’re a content creator on a budget then I ’d be hard pressed not to recommend the Hollyland Lark C1 . For all that it extend , its ease of use and the asking price that follow with it , it ’s an loose winner .
As cracking as the Lark C1 is for most people , audiophiles may desire to invest in pricier kit to get the best audio caliber possible , and more customisation options to the boot .
Final Thoughts
For any content creators out there who becharm video and audio mainly with their smartphone , the Hollyland Lark C1 is a must - have accessary . In maliciousness of its comparatively affordable monetary value , the admit microphones more than obtain their own in demanding condition , and the 650 ft range let you to get originative with the type of shot you need to film .
The ANC , while efficient , could do with a scrap of employment for it to be something that I would merrily rely on more often than not , and the overall audio lineament can be bested by pricier options , but when browse at this end of the food market the Hollyland Lark C1 offers pile of bang for your one dollar bill .
Trusted Score
How we test
During each mike review , we lead a series of recording test that include sampling sound recording during ideal place setting , with background signal noise apply and in an outdoor setting ( where possible ) , to give you the best idea of how each twist performs in real - reality use .
FAQs
There are two interpretation of the Hollyland Lark C1 , one with a Lightning adapter that works with iPhone , and another that utilize a USB - C connector to operate with Android phones .
Yes , there is an input port on the pass receiver that permit power to run through it , shoot your phone as you record .
Full Specs
Sustainability
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We currently have n’t received answer to the question on this mathematical product , but will update this page the minute we do . you could see a elaborate partitioning of the questions we enquire and why in oursustainability info page .
