The World’s Most INSANE Lav Mic! Boya BY-M1S Review
Summary
TLDRThis video provides an in-depth review of the budget-friendly BOYA BY-M1S microphone, comparing it to the more expensive Rode SmartLav+. The presenter tests the mic in various environments, highlighting its pros and cons, such as its long cable and high gain. Although it has some drawbacks, including tangled cables and the pop shield frequently falling off, the BOYA mic offers impressive sound quality for its low price. It’s ideal for those looking for a portable, affordable microphone option, particularly for travel or secondary use outside the studio.
Takeaways
- 🎤 The review focuses on the Booyah M1S mic, a budget-friendly option retailing for about £15-17 in the UK or $20 in the US.
- 💰 The Booyah M1S mic is significantly cheaper than its competitor, the Rode SmartLav Plus, which costs twice as much.
- 👍 The mic is suitable for those looking to upgrade from built-in smartphone or SLR mics, as well as for those needing a secondary travel mic.
- 🛠 The Booyah M1S no longer requires a battery, is powered by your device, and loses the -10 dB switch from previous models.
- 📦 The unboxing reveals the mic, a sturdy clip, a foam pop shield, and a TRRS connector. The packaging is simple but effective.
- 🌍 The mic performs well for out-and-about recordings, although the long cable can be a hassle to untangle and manage.
- 📱 When used with an iPhone, an Apple Lightning adapter is required, adding extra cost and length to the cable.
- 🎚 The mic's gain runs a bit hot, about 5 dB higher than the M1 Pro, so users need to be cautious about their recording levels.
- ⚠️ The long cable presents a tripping hazard, but it's a trade-off for not paying significantly more for a wireless mic.
- 🎬 Overall, the reviewer finds the mic offers excellent sound quality for the price and is a great budget option for YouTube content creators.
Q & A
What microphone is being reviewed in the video?
-The microphone being reviewed is the Booyah by M1S.
How much does the Booyah M1S microphone retail for in the UK and US?
-The Booyah M1S microphone retails for about 15 to 17 pounds in the UK, which is approximately 20 US dollars.
Which well-known brand's microphone is mentioned as a competitor to the Booyah M1S?
-The Rode SmartLav Plus is mentioned as a competitor to the Booyah M1S.
What are the two main groups of people that the reviewer thinks the Booyah M1S would appeal to?
-The Booyah M1S would appeal to people looking to upgrade their built-in smartphone or SLR microphones and those looking for a secondary microphone for use outside of a studio.
What is the main difference between the Booyah M1S and its predecessor, the M1 Pro?
-The Booyah M1S does not require a battery and loses the -10 dB switch found on the M1 Pro.
What is the frequency response and signal-to-noise ratio of the Booyah M1S?
-The frequency response is 50 Hz to 20 kHz, and the signal-to-noise ratio is 78 dB.
What does the reviewer find both a blessing and a curse about the Booyah M1S?
-The cable of the Booyah M1S is both a blessing and a curse. It allows for more ambitious shots but takes a long time to untangle.
What does the reviewer say about the gain levels of the Booyah M1S compared to the M1 Pro?
-The reviewer mentions that the Booyah M1S runs about 5 dB higher in gain than the M1 Pro, so users need to be careful not to talk too loudly.
What issue does the reviewer face with the pop shield, and how does he solve it?
-The pop shield falls off easily when taken out of the pouch, so the reviewer uses double-sided tape to secure it.
What is the reviewer's overall impression of the Booyah M1S, especially given its price point?
-The reviewer is impressed with the sound quality for the price point of 15 pounds and believes it outperforms its cost. Despite some fiddliness with the cable, they are satisfied with the product.
Outlines
🎙️ Overview of the BOYA BY-M1S Microphone and Comparison
This paragraph introduces the BOYA BY-M1S microphone, highlighting its price in the UK (around £15-17 or $20) and comparing it to the Rode SmartLav+ mic, which costs twice as much. The narrator hasn't been sponsored by BOYA and provides an honest review, noting that this mic could appeal to two types of people: those upgrading from built-in smartphone or DSLR mics, and those needing a secondary, travel-friendly mic. The author himself falls into the second group and praises the mic for being compact, affordable, and a good travel companion, especially when compared to bulkier alternatives like the Rode VideoMic Go II.
📦 Unboxing and Initial Impressions of the BOYA BY-M1S
The narrator unboxes the BOYA BY-M1S, humorously describing typical packaging elements, such as a pouch, instructions, stickers, and the mic itself. It connects via a TRRS plug and can work with smartphones or DSLRs, with a quick note about needing an Apple Lightning adapter for iPhone use. The mic doesn't require a battery, unlike its predecessor, and includes a clip and foam pop shield. The narrator appreciates its compactness and remarks on how it's an excellent choice for portable shots despite the cable being long and slightly inconvenient to manage.
🌲 Outdoor Test and Sound Quality of the Mic
In this outdoor test, the narrator evaluates the mic's performance in a natural setting, with light road traffic and falling leaves. The sound quality is reviewed, showing how the mic picks up ambient noise, and the narrator expresses satisfaction with its portability. Though the cable length can be both a positive and negative, it's easy to carry around for capturing spur-of-the-moment audio recordings. The narrator also jokes about being careful not to speak too loudly to avoid sounding suspicious in the woods, as the mic's gain is a bit high.
🛫 Testing the Mic in France and Observing its Portability
The narrator humorously transitions to a new location—France—where they continue to test the mic's audio quality in a different environment. The mic performed well during travel and even passed through security unscathed. Ambient noise from the surroundings, like children and croissants, is captured during the test. The narrator shares that one of the reasons they chose this mic was its durability for travel, reaffirming its portability and affordability while keeping sound quality intact.
🎧 Off-Axis Sound Test and Practical Use Challenges
The narrator tests the mic's sound quality from various angles, moving left and right of the microphone to demonstrate how it handles off-axis audio. However, they point out some practical challenges with the setup, such as cable management issues and the difficulty of getting the mic ready for spontaneous use. They note that untangling the cable and routing it through clothing can be time-consuming, making it less ideal for quick, impromptu recordings. Despite these challenges, the narrator believes the mic offers good value for money given its price point.
🔊 Final Thoughts on BOYA BY-M1S: Pros, Cons, and Value
The final paragraph summarizes the narrator’s overall impression of the BOYA BY-M1S microphone. They acknowledge that the cable can be cumbersome, offering both the mobility of a wireless mic with the hassle of managing long wires. The mic’s gain runs a bit hot, which could affect recordings if not managed properly. They also mention minor annoyances like the pop shield frequently falling off. Despite these issues, the narrator is impressed with the mic's sound quality relative to its price and might even use it more often in their studio. Links to the mic and the necessary Apple adapter are provided, along with a hopeful wish for a shorter-cable version in the future.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Booyah by M1S
💡Rode SmartLav Plus
💡TRRS connection
💡Gain
💡Pop shield
💡Lavalier microphone
💡Cable management
💡Signal-to-noise ratio
💡Smartphone recording
💡Frequency response
Highlights
Introduction of the Booyah M1S mic, retailing for 15-17 pounds in the UK, which is much cheaper than its competitors.
Comparison with the Rode SmartLav Plus, which costs twice as much.
Disclosure: The reviewer purchased the mic with personal funds for an honest review.
Booyah M1S is ideal for users looking to upgrade from built-in smartphone or SLR mics, or as a secondary mic for travel.
Main upgrade of the Booyah M1S from its predecessors: no need for a battery, powered directly from the device.
The mic loses the -10 dB switch found in the M1 Pro, but offers a frequency response of 50 Hz to 20 kHz.
Unboxing includes a pouch, mic, clip, pop shield, and a TRRS connection, with a sturdy clip part metal and part plastic.
In-field sound test: The mic is used outdoors with minimal breeze and some background traffic noise, showing decent ambient noise isolation.
The mic's long cable is both a benefit and a hassle, allowing flexibility in shots but requiring effort to untangle.
Review mentions higher gain on the Booyah M1S compared to the M1 Pro, about 5 dB higher, which needs careful attention during recording.
Pop shield consistently falls off during use, requiring a workaround like double-sided tape.
Despite its low price, the reviewer is impressed with the sound quality, especially considering the mic's price point.
The mic performed well in travel situations, surviving international security checks without damage.
Discussion of cable length, suggesting that an 'off-road' version with a shorter cable would be beneficial.
Reviewer gives the Booyah M1S a stamp of approval, considering its performance relative to its affordable price.
Transcripts
have you ever wanted to be so far from
your audience they can barely even see
you this is the booyah by m1s and so is
this
and so is this
and this
that's a lot of mic currently retailing
for about 15 17 pounds here in the uk so
about 20 bucks the nearest competitor to
this from a well-known brand is probably
the rode smartlav plus and that's still
twice the price i don't have one of
those but my friend steph does so she's
very kindly offered to help me do a bit
of a sound comparison between the two on
your mark ready set let's go on your
mark ready set let's go dance floor pro
i know
you know i go psycho when my new joint
hit just can't sit got to get jiggy with
it
that's it before we get into this it's
worth saying i haven't been sponsored by
booyah i bought this with my own
hard-earned cash so i'm going to give
you an honest review of this little mic
i think this mic will probably appeal to
two different kinds of people the first
is those just looking to upgrade their
built-in smartphone or slr mics and then
the others are those looking for a
secondary mic which they can use outside
of their studio and that's the camp that
i fell into when i was buying this when
i'm in my studio and the mic that you're
listening to now is the rode videomic go
to i wanted something for traveling that
was a bit less bulky and the road does
look a little bit like a sex toy so i
just wanted to avoid any awkward
conversations at the airport i also
wanted something really cheap so i
wouldn't cry too much if i broke it
while i was out and about but this
little bad boy is a successor to the
very popular m1 and then the m1 pro
after that the main changes are this
little capsule doesn't need a battery
anymore so it's just powered from your
slr or your smartphone it does lose the
-10 db switch that you got on the m1 pro
and if you're interested in that sort of
thing the frequency response 50 hertz to
200 kilohertz signal-to-noise ratio of
78 db and a weight of 68 grams which is
about the top range of what a mouse can
bench press let's travel quickly into
the past and unbox this thing now
companies typically use boxes to
transport goods so that they don't get
damaged and they hopefully have added a
picture of the mic on the box so that
you know what is inside the box
so inside we find a pouch which is
probably made from the hopes and dreams
of small children some instructions
warranty card and a few stickers that
you can stick on your toilet door if you
so wish
here we have the mic itself it's a trrs
connection and the extra r stands for
raunchy in case you were wondering i'll
be using this with my iphone so i'll
need to use the extortionally priced
apple adapter
to plug into the lightning port
we have the capsule here which allows
you to set it from
camera if you're using an slr or
smartphone if you're recording on your
phone like i am and then the mic here
quite nice and small inside this bag we
have yet another bag containing the clip
for the mics like past the parcel or
some
and then we have a little foam pop
shield here so here's the clip feels
quite sturdy this bit's metal this bit
is plastic
clip on like that and we are done one of
the main reasons i wanted to get this
mic was to do these kind of out and
about shots not too breezy today we've
got a few leaves falling
slight bit of road traffic in the
background just going to shut up now so
you can hear what it sounds like
not sponsored the cable is both a
blessing and a curse it obviously lets
you do
slightly more ambitious shots like that
but it takes forever
to untangle it but it's definitely
easier than rigging up
a full-on shocker mic or something and
if that's the difference between
shooting something and not shooting
something that's probably worth it the
gain does seem to be a bit high so i'm
being careful not to talk too loud
not least because i'd sound
like a murderer in these woods
but overall pretty happy it's going
straight into my iphone 12 in a minute
with the apple lightning adapter because
what could be better than making this
cable even longer one thing i've always
wondered is like swearing the
microphones sound better in france
let's find out brb
[Music]
well that was a pretty excessive segway
wasn't it so here we are in the south of
france and the mic is doing its first
test as i mentioned one of the reasons i
got this was to be a bit of a travel mic
that i could take out and about and not
really care too much if it got damaged
while it was traveling i'm happy to say
it did make it through french security
without getting destroyed so well done
if you listen in the background you
should hear some croissants baking maybe
the sounds of some french children
probably speaking french
let's do a quick test of some ambient
noise as you can see it's clipped just
about my chest level
and just so i can justify this trip
let's do some more sound tests so i'm
going to move off axis so to the left
and the right of the mic and you can see
how it sounds
this is me talking to the left
this is me talking to the right
i can now just fell down a ditch there
it's not quite as fast as i'd hoped to
just grab out the bag and get ready to
record because you do have to do a lot
of untangling and once you slip it
through your t-shirt or your top or
whatever you'll clip the little capsule
onto your belt and then figure out the
cable with that as well so not quite as
plug and play i think that concludes our
test in france after being here for less
than five minutes let's fly all the way
back to london
[Music]
hopefully that's given you a bit of an
idea of what this mic sounds like and
how it might sound in your setup i'm
going to talk about some of the things i
found a bit annoying about this
obviously the cable is the first thing
to talk about it's absolutely insane it
gives you all of the benefits of a
wireless lav mic in terms of being able
to move around as you're talking with
all the added fun of cable management
and there's also a very real risk of
tripping over the cable and dying but of
course the cheapest decent wireless lav
mics cost at least four or five times as
much as this so you have to weigh that
up as well the other thing i notice is
the gain does run a little bit hot from
other reviews i've seen it runs about
five db higher than the m1 pro so you
just need to be mindful of your gain
settings and make sure you're not
screaming ahead of while you're talking
another tiny niggle was that every time
i took it out the pouch the little pop
shield fell off and i had to search for
it on the floor i think this is a common
problem with most lav mics so i can't
get too annoyed about it and i solved it
by just sticking it down with some
double-sided tape like many people that
make youtube videos i love buying gear
when you buy something expensive you
kind of expect it to work pretty well
and it's almost a little bit
disappointing when it does but when you
buy something cheap and it really
outperforms its price point that's where
i really get the most fun from this and
to be honest i think this falls into
that category yes it's a little bit
fiddly with the cable but for 15 pounds
i actually think the sound quality is
really good after having used it for a
few days listening what kind of sound it
can get i'm actually really impressed
and i might consider using it more in my
youtube studio as well i popped all the
links in the descriptions for both this
mic and the road if you're interested in
that bear in mind that you do need to
use an apple lightning to headphone jack
adapter if you are planning on using it
with your smartphone like i am that adds
another eight to ten pounds on top of
the cost but yeah well done
maybe in future off-road version with a
slightly shorter cable i think 800
meters is probably fine but this one
against my stamp of approval
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