Handheld microphones of the wireless kind can get very expensive for quality solutions that pack the features a prosumer or professional may be looking for. Mid-range solutions can normally run you between $500 and $1K, while there are other solutions that can cost more than that. So it is nice to come across something like the Saramonic UwMic9S HU UHF Wireless Handheld Microphone (a late-2023 model). A solution that anyone can afford.
This microphone is part of a product series that not only can open doors for beginners and prosumers alike, but it allows these users to buy into two handhelds, two lavs, a dual receiver, and (likely) additional batteries, while still remaining under $1,000. Or when it comes to just the handheld, $159 each.
It is compatible with the company’s UwMic9S RX & RX-Mini Receivers, which can typically be found paired with full lav kit options. You can find our review of the dual UwMic9S RX kit here. So you will have to buy into one of these receivers as this mic won’t work with other brands or Saramonic’s previous series.
This handheld microphone takes on a very familiar design when compared to a very specific brand (Sennheiser). Yes, I said (wrote) it out loud. But it’s just too obvious when you look at it. Which does make for a nice design to base another off of. While at the same time, just making it unique enough to call their own.
What really makes it nice is that Saramonic also seems to have focused similar effort when it comes to build quality. The microphone features a solid/thick aluminum body that provides durability and a decent amount of weight in your hand. It feels great holding it and looks great all the same.
I’d say that it should be relatively easy to get years worth of heavy use out of this microphone based on what we have seen and experienced thus far with it.
It features an OLED display on the front, which should contribute to better battery life, even if just a little (compared to the older screens). It is also much easier to read and contains everything you need to know,
It displays the group in two ways (both icon and text), shows the mute status, battery life, and channel of the microphone.
Power (long-press) and mute (single-press) can be controlled via the power button below it. Similar to the model that came before it. Only we found that this power button offers a much better design that makes it harder to accidently press it while holding it or sliding a mic flag on it.
Toward the lower section of the body, there is a “set” button which is used to make your way around the menu of options. A long-press will trigger the menu (or save and close, if you are already in the menu) while single presses allow you to switch the settings. These functions seem to be very simple and straight to the point.
It is also located in an area that shouldn’t experience any accidental presses. Especially, since you have to long-press it before it will do anything.
Then there is the bottom that features the battery compartment. Unlike the original UWmic9 series before it, this one makes use of a rechargeable Li-ion battery vs using AA batteries. This battery can be accessed by pinching the two switches on each side of the tail there and pulling on it to slide the battery compartment out.
Once slid out, the battery can be replaced or charged. It features a USB-C on the one end that slides into the microphone. So you simply slide it out and use a USB-C to USB-A cable (one is included in the box) to refresh its charge when needed.
Making use of a battery like this gains you additional use time before having to swap out (up to 10 hours worth of use with each charge). Much better than burning through AA batteries, and in the long run, should save you a ton of cash. I know we have burned through a lot of Duracell Procell batteries through the years, thanks to handhelds.
It is also easy to swap batteries with minimal interruption, as long as you have a spare battery (or more) in inventory. Reducing downtime since you don’t have to stop to charge until the end of the day and not in the middle of your shoot (or whatever else you are using it for).
The only issue is that Saramonic doesn’t seem to have spare batteries listed anywhere just yet. So this may be coming or ir may not. Hopefully, the company plans on making them available though as this should prove to be a popular accessory purchase for most.
Performance
When it comes to performance, this microphone delivers. The resulting audio is crisp and clear in both quiet and busy environments thanks to its supercardioid pattern and solid electronics inside. We found the resulting audio was mostly impressive. You can experience this for yourself in the unboxing video below, where my colleague provides a demo of its use.
Of course, it isn’t perfect. At this price, you are lucky it sounds good at all, let alone how good is actually does. We found it to be a little tinny/nasally. It isn’t terrible but it is obvious to anyone that knows what to listen for. So one should be careful when it comes to pairing it with other mics within a recording just to make sure it isn’t immediately obvious to the viewer. When there is nothing side-by-side to compare it to, it is less noticeable. It is also less noticeable in busy environments (indoors or outdoors) vs controlled/quiet indoor recording scenarios.
We also feel that it heavily benefits from a foam windscreen, as without it, implosives can really do damage to your audio. It doesn’t come with one, but these are a dime a dozen on places like Amazon or eBay. Saramonic also sells its own for a more premium price via its website.
Beyond that, there wasn’t a thing we could complain about. The mic sounds good beyond that and really focuses on spoken word vs the noise around the person talking. Isolating what you really aim to capture.
And again, it looks and feels amazing thanks to the build-quality that Saramonic used with this model. The battery life is amazing and so is the range. It is spec’d to allow a user to be up to 230 ft from the receiver (open line of sight) depending on their environment. So you should be covered in most scenarios.
The only thing we couldn’t do is create an incredibly noisy wireless environment to see how easily it takes hits from such a scenario. We did light up over 20 RF mics throughout the floor spread about to see what would happen. It isn’t much compared to a large convention space or other areas you might run into much more than that, but it at least gives somewhat of an idea of how well it holds up.
It offers 96 selectable frequencies between the two groups (range: 514 MHz to 596 MHz), giving you plenty of freqs to pick from. So if you do start taking hits, it shouldn’t be difficult to scan for a better freq. As for the groups, that is referencing A or B, so you know which microphone is which when using two.
Our Conclusion
This really is a great microphone for the price! It looks good, feels good, sounds good. It features a fantastic build quality. It is easy to read the OLED screen. It doesn’t take much to learn the ins and outs of the menu. The battery is easy to remove, swap, or charge (and it’s nice having an li-ion battery vs having to use AAs.
Is it perfect? As mentioned, of course it isn’t. It’s a $159 product when some of the best cost 4-5x this price or more. But for the price, this is a great balance for what you get. Plus, the nasally/tinny profile we found it to have can easily be improved upon in post.
There are no spare batteries yet though, which is one thing the mic is missing. Saramonic should consider selling spares so it is easy for users to extend their use of the microphone in case they have an incredibly busy day of shooting/recording. The user should also focus on buying into foam windscreens third-party to save some additional cash, and make use of them for little to no implosive results.
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Specifications:
- Display: 0.66” (1.68mm) OLED
- Modulation: FM
- Channels: 96 Selectable Channels
- Channel Group: 2 Groups (A and B)
- Wireless Frequency Range: 514 MHz to 596 MHz (UHF)
- Polar Pattern: Supercardioid
- Sensitivity: 0~-52.4dB +/- 3dB (0dB = 1V / ubar at 1kHz)
- Reference Deviation: +/-5hHz (-60dBV, 1kHz Input)
- Signal to Noise Ratio: >/=75dB
- Voice Delay: <0.2ms
- Antenna: Built-In
- Reference Audio Input Level: -30~-42dBV (MIC input, 0dB attenuation)
- Distortion: 0.1% or less (32ohm, 1 kHz, 65mW output)
- RF Output Power: <10mW
- Operating Range: Up to 230ft (70m) without obstacles
- Power Requirements: 3.7V/2600mAh Li-ion Battery
- Battery Life: Approximately 10 hours
- Dimensions: 10.33 x 1.96 x 1.96″ (262.5 x 50 x 50mm)
- Weight: 12.87oz (365g)
Are you a manufacturer or distributor that would like us to test something out for review? Contact us and we can let you know where to send the product and we will try it out.
