Saramonic has announced the Saramonic Blink500 B2+ (buy here). It’s the successor to the company’s popular Saramonic Blink 500 B2 (buy here), if the name hadn’t implied that already.
The Blink 500 B2+ comes with increased range. It also has wider dynamic range, increased battery life, and a shiny new OLED display on the receiver. But its biggest feature is that it can output to two devices simultaneously.
Saramonic Blink500 B2+ – 2 devices at the same time
The Saramonic Blink500 B2+ offers a unique (at this price point) feature that other wireless microphone systems don’t. It can record to two devices simultaneously. This is thanks to its separate digital and analogue outputs.
The system comes with two transmitters and a single receiver. The receiver connects to devices using standard 3.5mm TRS and TRRS outputs, USB-C and Lightning. This offers a wide range of connectivity.
Saramonic says that the Lightning and USB-C outputs are digital. This lets you to also connect it to tablets and even your computer. Each transmitter offers up to 20 hours of use on a full charge and the receiver up to 16 hours.
Live Stream and Record simultaneously
The benefit of two outputs is that you can record separate backup audio to a second device. So, you can have the receiver plugged into your camera to record audio in your footage while creating a backup recording to your smartphone.
Or, you can live stream with the audio going into your computer digitally while sending the same audio into a camera recording higher quality footage for future editing. It is perhaps a niche need, but one that many video shooters and live streamers have faced at least once or twice when they need that wireless audio to go to multiple devices.
The receiver also contains another 3.5mm for headphone monitoring. This will be very handy for those who are using cameras that don’t have a headphone output and smartphones.
No lav mic input
One feature that the Saramonic Blink500 B2+ loses over its Blink500 B2 predecessor is on the transmitter. The Blink500 B2, like most small wireless microphones, features a 3.5mm socket for a wired lavalier mic.
A wired lav lets you hide the transmitter while still picking up good sound from your subject. The Blink500 B2+ transmitters don’t feature the wired lav input and rely on their internal microphone. This means it needs to be clipped to your subject and will probably be in the shot.
This will be a deal breaker to some. But with the number of people I see with bulky black bricks clipped to their shirts and jackets on YouTube, it certainly won’t be to a lot of people.
2-level Noise Reduction
While it doesn’t stop the transmitter from appearing in your shot, the Blink500 B2+ sports 2-level noise reduction and 75/150MHz low-cut filters. These will compensate somewhat for the environment noise of awkward microphone positioning on your subject.
You’re able to record mono, stereo, or with a safety output channel. The safety output channel records the same signal as the main channel, but at a reduced gain setting. So, if your subject gets loud and starts to clip, you’ve got a second track to recover audio from.
It transmits over 2.4GHz frequencies, like most of the other inexpensivew wireless microphone systems. But it offers a very impressive range of 150 metres. This is a massive upgrade over the Blink500 B2, which has a range of 50 metres.
Even 50 metres is a long way. Far too long of a distance to be practical on-camera. The increased signal integrity, however, still helps. It should help to ensure it travels more easily through things like walls and other obstructions.
Price and Availability
The Saramonic Blink500 B2+ is available to buy now for $129 from the Saramonic website and has shipping begins today.
