Are Cheap Lav Mics Any Good?

Pretty much any external mic is going to help make your audio sound better, but what’s the difference between cheap ones and expensive ones, and which might be the best choice for you?

⏱️Chapter Markers:
0:00 - Small Mics, Big Sound!
3:02 - The $6 Microphone
4:07 - Lav Mic Positioning
5:27 - Cheap Mic First Sound Test
7:33 - Why Are Some Mics So Expensive?
8:29 - Rode Lavalier II Sound Test
9:37 - DJI Lavalier Sound Test
11:53 - Noise Rejection Tests
14:16 - Do You NEED An Expensive Mic?
15:58 - What Makes A “Professional” Mic?
17:31 - What About Mid-Range Options? (Rode & DJI)
19:57 - Cheap Mic Build Quality
23:17 - How To Choose Your Mic

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Hi! My name is Tom Buck, a lifelong A/V nerd and former high school Digital Media teacher. I started this channel in 2017 as a project to share my enthusiasm for everything related to audio and video production.

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Episode 451: Cheap vs. Expensive Lav Mics: Can You Hear A Difference?

[HoopNuke]

Sorry Tom but this was one of your worst videos. It's quite obvious that you are NOT into the professional online Karaoke scene (with friends) and it really shows here, all of the professional online Karaoke people use this exact same microphone, and if you would've done just a quick Google search you would find that this is in fact THE industry standard. Usually your videos are well put together and reserched but as somebody who has been in the online Karaoke scene (with friends) for years, I finally see you for the fraud you are.

[zojirushi-rice-cooker]

Awesome video. Personally, I feel like the $6 and $250 mics sound similar enough to the point where 99% of people would have difficulty picking them apart. There's just too many factors that can mask the difference in quality: poor positioning, output method (laptop/smartphone speakers, cheap headphones) or software (Discord, conference calls).

To put into perspective how good of a value the $6 mic bundle is, a TRS adapter ALONE costs $6 on Amazon, whereas expensive mics may not include one. I found this out the hard way after I ordered a Rode TRS adapter and was shipped a Rode smartLav+ by mistake...

[rogerblackwell]

One of the features of the more 'professional' equipment I've found over the years in electronics is durability which means that it can be used more intensively & regularly.

[InternetDoggo]

6:54 I mean, it's not the easiest to hold, but that would probably work for a really cheap podcast mic setup. Just a $6 mic, a splash of processing, and a phone would definitely be worth it for people who aren't sure about their podcast but want something a bit better than just a phone.

[ChiefNonsense]

Definitely need to eq a lav at the chest differently. Some of my recorders even include a menu setting called “presence” or sometimes “presence boost” and the whole point is that it corrects for the difference and gets you almost exactly to the “right in front of your mouth” sound while being to clip to the chest or even better, tape a moleskin sandwich under the shirt in the center of the chest. That’s my favorite with clients and always sounds great if EQed to correct for the high end loss being down there.

[andresjoberg]

I need a table top flailing arm man! Also: the 6 dollar lav is *surprisingly* good, a slight boost in upper freq cleans everything up pretty well :)

[krazywabbit]

Listening to you on the laptop with the $6 lav, I honestly don't hear anything that warrants spending extra "Bucks". Sure, if I tossed on some cans, it might be a different story.

[thomasjdurfee]

One more really nice feature of spendy lav mics, some have patterns! I got the Sennheiser ME4 (cardioid) about six months ago and it has been a difference for me (a novice recording untreated classrooms with a deity pr2). Sounds a bit boxier than the rode smartlav (omni), but sounds a whole lot less reverberant. Also the locking trs connector was so helpful. I'll take that tradeoff.

[ChrisDavisTrumpet]

In general, across all mics demonstrated, I prefer sound when it's clipped to the chest. Good to know.

[markexploringnewstuff]

I do notice a change in “tone” on the different lav mics - but not significant. Location of lav mic - hand held, at neck line or mid chest - made a much more noticeable difference. Maybe, I just have old ears - lol. I have Sennheiser MKE and have noticed it is way “softer” than Rode and DJI labs. Thanks for the comparison.

[MertOneJoy]

This video proved that the recorder is more important than the mic. All mics sounded pretty good with the Zoom H1. Very valuable review, thank you Tom! Great colors :D

[JamesMusicCo]

12:22 I love the use of that mini “Wacky Waving Arm Flailing Inflatable Tube Man”. It is PERFECT for testing purposes and hilarious!

[DaivG]

A few years ago when I was comparing three inexpensive (less than $20) lavalier microphones, I found none were any better than the microphone on the corded in-ear headphones included with every iPhone or the microphone on my Sony corded in-ear headphones I don't even remember when I picked it up.
I started just using a clip to hold those mics and do recordings with them and gave up looking for a lav mic, figuring I would just make do until the time I needed to actually step up to a pricier model.
For my needs, that time never came. But I think this video was a great explanation for people who's needs are different than mine were. It covers a lot, but makes it pretty easy to consider everything.

[nickdual]

I love to hear about lav mics which are suitable for any solutions. especially outdoors.

[RalphMitchell-jqen]

Hi Tom,

I really love all of your content! The visual and sound quality are top-notch — some of the best I’ve seen on YouTube. I also appreciate the vibrant colors in your videos; they make watching such an enjoyable experience. Your explanations about mic stands and holders are super clear — there’s so much to learn, but you break it down in a way that's easy to follow.
Could you share your thoughts on the Hollyland Lark M2S lavalier mic? I’d love to hear your take on it!
Thanks again for all the fantastic content — keep it up!

Best regard, #beprepared2treat

[YoungBlaze]

I wonder if they would create a lav with a high spl to accommodate a 32bit float recorder, because i have a very expensive countrymen lav and i ruined a recording even with the 32-bit float turned on because I distorted the mic capsule and that was also captured in the backup recording, So I wonder if companies will ever create a capsule with a high SPL

[FacciamoPuff]

You must try the Behringer BC LAV GO . It's cardioid and not omni and sound pretty good compare to my other Sennheiser lav

[alexwr]

I have no idea what Senheisser's RnD departments are up to, but it sure isn't anything to do with lav mics! There is absolutely no reason for the Senheisser to be priced at $250.

Damn, the $6 one sounds great for the money. A bit of EQ in post and they would be indistinguishable from each other.

[theoutsiderjess]

Lav mics are one of the few mics that sound good at any price however If I was to buy a lav mic today I would pick up a wireless one simply because the long wire not only trips me up. I don't like dealing with tangle

[JoshRazauskas]

I’ve never been able to physically use a lav mic but from an outsider perspective, they never sounded that great to me, but I have to admit this. Sennheiser sounds fantastic for the type of Mike that it is! The cheap Mic isn’t as good, but it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.