Lavalier/Lapel Microphone
Why a $23 mic might be all you actually need — and where the audio industry's pricing falls apart.
I posted something on an audio forum:
I've been using a $23 Boya BY-M1 for three years, and the recording quality isn't much different from my friend's $200 Rode. Most people can't tell the difference at all.
A lot of people disagreed. Audio enthusiasts think lavalier mics need to cost at least $150 to be usable. Gear review YouTubers will tell you anything under $500 is garbage. I know a guy who does wedding videos — he uses a Sennheiser G4 kit at $629 and tells me cheap mics are completely unusable.
My experience has been different. In 2019 I bought my first lavalier mic, a Boya BY-M1, for $19.95 on Amazon. Still using it today. Recorded over two hundred videos with it, never had a problem. I later bought a Rode Lavalier Go for $79. Honestly, in my post-production workflow, the finished audio from both mics sounds nearly identical.
Let me be clear about something. I'm not saying expensive mics are useless. I'm saying that for most content creators, the $20 to $80 price range is already sufficient. Beyond that, you're paying for marginal improvements, not fundamental upgrades.
The Truth About Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Manufacturers love using signal-to-noise ratio to prove their products are superior. The Rode SmartLav+ has a rated SNR of 67dB. The Boya BY-M1 is rated at 60dB. A 7dB difference looks significant on paper.
How big is this difference in actual use? I tested my own equipment. In a quiet indoor environment, recording the same speech with both mics, looking at the waveforms in Audacity, the noise floor difference was about 3-4dB. The minimum volume difference human ears can perceive is 3dB. Under normal recording conditions, most people can't tell them apart.
Wireless Lavalier Mic Pricing
Wireless lavalier mics are a different story. This market has changed dramatically in the last two years.
Before 2020, entry-level wireless lavalier mics basically started at $200. When the first-generation Rode Wireless Go came out, it sold for $199. Sennheiser's entry-level models were over $300.
Starting in 2021, Chinese brands entered the market. Hollyland Lark, DJI Mic, Synco — these brands pushed entry-level prices below $150. The Hollyland Lark M1 is now $89 on Amazon.
Rode and Sennheiser's pricing has basically stayed the same. The Rode Wireless Go II still sells for $299. The Sennheiser XS Wireless is still $349. Their justification is "professional-grade quality."
Wireless System Comparison
I've used both. The Hollyland Lark M1 and Rode Wireless Go II. In range testing, the Rode can indeed reach about 200 meters in open areas. The Hollyland starts getting intermittent around 70 meters. For indoor use within 15 meters, both are very stable. 90% of my use cases are indoor interviews and livestreams, with maximum distances under 10 meters.
$89 and $299. Think about it yourself.
The Profit Margin on Accessories
Lavalier mic manufacturers have another way to make money: accessories.
Accessory Price Comparison
A windscreen fur cover — Rode's official one costs $15. Third-party on Amazon, 10-pack for $8. Same thing.
Microphone clips — Sennheiser's official ones are $12 each. On AliExpress, $0.50 each. I've bought from both sides, no difference.
Extension cables too. A 3-meter 3.5mm extension cable, official brand starts at $20. Generic is $3. I've used generic extension cables for two years, no noise floor issues.
I'm not saying official accessories are bad. I'm saying the profit margins are too high. The material cost for a windscreen fur cover is at most $0.30.
The Problem with Phone Direct Recording
Many people buy lavalier mics to record video with their phones. There's a problem here that most reviews won't tell you about.
Phone microphone input gain is fixed. iPhone's Lightning port, Android's Type-C port — the input gain is preset by the manufacturer. You can't adjust it.
Different lavalier mics have different output levels. The Rode SmartLav+ output level is -35dBV. The Boya BY-M1 output level is -30dBV. Connected to the same phone, the recorded volume is different. The SmartLav+ records quieter, and when you boost the gain in post, the noise comes up too.
A Trap I Fell Into
I stepped into this trap myself. After buying the SmartLav+, I found the recorded audio was too quiet and thought it was a microphone problem — almost returned it. Later I figured out it was a mismatch between output level and phone gain. I had to get a TRRS adapter with a gain booster to fix it. That cost another $25.
Nobody tells you this stuff. Most review bloggers test mics with professional recorders, where of course every mic works great. Regular people recording with phones run into lots of pitfalls.
How Much Should You Spend
Here's my personal standard.
Recommended Price Ranges
For accessories, buy generic whenever you can. Windscreen fur covers, microphone clips, extension cables — official and generic work the same in practice. The money you save is better spent on a decent phone mount.