Customer Reviews

Audio Technica PRO88W-R35 Wireless Lavalier System with ATR3350mW Omnidirectional Mic, 170 MHz

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is my first wireless mic. After some research I decided to go with this mostly due to it's price. To my surprise, not only the craftsmenship on this was great, but the sound is excellent too. I mostly do interviews and close range dialog shoots. It's great for the occasion.

You might need to play around with the antennas to get the sound clear but once it's done there's no prob. Can't say much on it's long distance performance but for my use it's great.

You can plug in any kind of mic with a mini plug on the transimitter. This way you can turn any mic into a wireless mic.

There are two outputs on the reciever. One for mic output to be used for connecting to your mixer,camera etc. And an additional output for monitoring sound through a headphone (small earpice headphone comes with the kit) or to be used as a line level output for non powered devices.

If you need more range and have high possibility of interference go for a UHF mic. But for regular interviews and on site shooting this is up to the job.

I've had a pair of PRO-88W wireless rigs for several years now. They've been dropped, kicked, and rained on -- and they still work. Sound quality is fine for 99% of all live video work, and with two channels available I can and often do wire up two people, then run the outputs either into a low-cost cam's stereo mini-jack input through a stereo adapter "Y" or into the balanced XLR inputs on my Sony A1U (with separately-purchased adapter cables).

Caveat: I've never had static or interference problems with the xmtrs within 25' of the cam. Beyond that, you take your chances. I have a $400 UHF mic for that kind of situation -- but I rarely use it.

If you regularly need much more range than 25' or so, spend the extra $$ for UHF, because all VHF units have the same interference problem. Otherwise, get two Pro88s, a spare mic or two (almost any mini-plug condenser mic works, lav or handheld), extra clips and LOTS of windscreens (Radio Shack has super-cheap lavalier windscreens), because these little parts will eventually break or get lost even if you secure them with tape (as I do).

Another thing to get = rechargeable 9V batteries & charger. These things don't chew up batteries quickly, but I like to start every shoot with everything fully charged "just in case." With fresh charges all the time, if someone leaves a unit on all day by mistake, no problem.

Even with a handheld mic, wireless is convenient *and* eliminates the possibility of your "talent" tugging a cord and knocking a tripod over. And the (somewhat arbitrary and perhaps too conservative) 25' range restriction should only rarely be a problem; almost the only times I find myself farther than 20' from subjects is at live concerts and other events, in which case I'm usually either pulling sound directly from a PA or working with a pair of heavy-duty, "music quality," phantom-powered, wired mics on stands that feed directly into my XLR inputs.

I purcahsed this last week from Amazon for my Sony VX2100 and I am pleasantly surprised at how well this works/transmitts. I had purchased a wired lav mic {20' cord} before this from Amz/Audio Tech, in fact the same mic that comes with this unit, but body motion and movement of subjects dictated the need for moblity and this seems to work just fine.
Its TVHF with 2 channels to choose from, the first I tried picked up minor interference, so I switched over to the 2nd channel and all was well. My indoor tests were leaving the camera/receiver on a table in my living room and walking into bedrooms and a bathroom, actually closing the doors, talking constantly and I could not tell the difference when I played the tape back from anyplace I had stood, regardless of the distance. Top quality sound. I also walked onto a balcony where I get heavy freeway traffic noise and of course it picked up the traffic but my voice had predominance!
The included hot shoe clamp slides easily onto the hotshoe of my camera, & the coiled wire from mic input to receiver does not get in the way of anything. The adjustable antennae is a plus because its rubber and can't break or bend like a regular telescopic one. Lastly the mic...the ATR_35. It's the same I have in wired version so I had a built in trust that it would sound just as good. And I mean TV commercial quality sound!

This wireless system is a must if your subject will be moving, like walking in a home showcasing real estate, or maybe outdoor recreations. Wired Mic's are for interviews only!

I was hoping to avoid the big price tag of a UHF system and got the 88W instead. I wish I hadn't. The initial tests were promising, until I walked further from the reciever, and had some small obsticles between the two units. I began to pickup static that switching between the two channels didn't change. A day or so later, I used it in the field and had the same static problem even when I was well within the suggested range. And again, changing frequencies didn't help at all. Perhaps this is the nature of an FM system vs. a UHF system. And while I saved hundreds of dollars in going with the 88W, I'm afraid to use it most of the time, making this a hundred bucks wasted instead of four hundred saved. Of course it doesn't always do this. And when it works, it is great. It's larger size, compared to the top of the line UHF models, is'nt anything I couldn't live with. But its range and susceptability to interference is a big drawback.

I purchased the Audio Technica Pro88W-R35 Mic to use with my Canon Vixia with HD. The sound is very good. It works much better than using the internal mic because I can get farther away from the camera...so far I have used it up to 50' away indoors and it sounds great. Very easy setup for a guy who is not a techy and very easy to operate. I recommend this mic to anyone looking to upgrade their sound over the typical internal mic of a personal camcorder. I can't really say how it compares to more professional setups...I don't have a comparison.

The audio is full of noise at times for seemingly no reason.
My pre-shoot tests were A-OK (probably because my subject was only a few feet away; long distance tests weren't a luxury), then the wedding began.
At first the groom was at the other end of the big church.
I had lots of static pops at varying degrees, all of which had constant noise, but that was almost expected at that distance with such a cheap wireless VHF mic. But then the ceremony began so the subject was only about 30 feet away, and I got static pops and varying degrees of noise off and on (mostly on) throughout the ceremony with an often motionless mic'd groom. It was a miracle that the vows came out ok (acceptable low noise), because that was really the only moment where I absolutely needed the wireless mic. When there is no noise (very close quarters) the R35 mic provides acceptable audio but definitely not professional grade quality. I guess there are other more expensive Pro88 models available with a better mic, however the whole point of going wireless is the freedom to have good, clean, consistent audio of a roaming subject. This wireless mic system doesn't provide that with any amount of reliability. With the amazing achievements in affordable wireless technology like cell phones, wireless Internet, and blue tooth...how the hell are we still stuck with cr@ptacular low cost wireless solutions? It's like that bad Steven Seagal movie "Fire Down Below" where at the end he goes on a preachy tirade about government suppressed technology that can get 100 miles to the gallon of gas. What's this conspiracy suppressing high quality, wireless microphone technology. You can buy low cost, HIGH quality video camcorders that destroy the equivalent prosumer technology a decade earlier. Why can't we get such achievements in wireless audio? Or even wired audio for that matter. It shouldn't cost an arm and a leg to buy goood audio equipment.

I cannot recommend this product. However, I don't have a quality low cost alternative to recommend either. There's the Azden WLX-pro/WMS-pro, but I read negative reviews for that product too. It seems that with these cheap wireless mic reviews, when it rains it pours on the negative results.

My Wife and I used this wireless while video taping a wedding. We ran 2 cameras. The rear cam picked up the audio over a monitor from the house sound system and the front cam picked up the audio with this audio technica wireless on the groom's lapel. I am extremely satisified with the results. The omni-directional mike did a great job picking up the groom, bride, and minister. This added so much quality to our video project, being able to get the exchange of vows, and even the bride and groom whispering to each other while lighting the unity candle. Any noise that was picked up was insignificant. I would recommend this wireless for any prosumer application.

Very pleased with this item. We run a wedding business and use it outdoors on the beach to transmit audio from a lapel mic to a PA system, and it works flawlessly. A great product at steal of a price!

Make sure your camcorder, or recording device, has a mic input. You need it for this. And it seems many camcorders these days are coming with no external mic jack at all! This device works great. You do need to provide your own microphone to plug in, but they are not too expensive. This device just provides the wireless capability. It provides clear sound transmission, and also has an ear-piece jack at the camera side. This is very handy for your camera-man to make sure that the sound quality is what you expect, before you waste too much time taping! For the price, a very good product!

This set is perfect for home footage or small corporate jobs.
It works perfectly on my MiniDV Panasonic and it is a great solution for such a small price.
Don't expect High_Def results... It is what it is...
I'm very pleased with the product since it's perfectly balanced with the price.