Today we are taking a look at two wireless audio systems made by Hollyland. The first is the Lark Max announced back in 2023 and the second is the Lark M2 announced earlier this week.
Concept
Wireless audio technology has been developing rapidly. In the last year, we’ve been working with 6 different systems. Today, we’re looking at 2 wireless systems by Hollyland. These are in two different categories, so this isn’t a direct comparison.
What we want to show is how well Hollyland has implemented its technology into very small but reliable products. These are the Lark M2 and the Lark Max wireless microphone systems. Throughout this video, we’ll switch between these two, so you can compare the audio quality.
On the left – Lark M2, on the right Lark Max
In the box
Hollyland ships both of these with accessories and a charging box that fits two transmitters and a receiver. The Lark Max comes in a semi-hard case that holds the charging box and cables. The M2’s accessories and charging case come in a soft pouch.
There are different M2 kits that include receivers for Android/iPhone/camera or a combo kit that includes all three. There are also clips and lanyards for the two transmitters included in the kit.
A word about deadcats. I’m sure they do the job, but I’ve never used them. The units themselves are so small that most of the time, I can hide them in the clothes that act as a windscreen. Even when the magnet is showing, I just put the transmitter under the shirt.
The Hollyland Lark M2
Features Comparison
The Lark Max is a lot bigger and offers extra features, like a jack for a lapel mic, a bigger sound cavity in the transmitter, a longer distance, internal recording, and a controls menu on the receiver.
For the most part, if you can do without the extras, and all you need is quick setup and good clean audio, the M2 is a great choice. It actually works as a remote for your phone camera with a double click of the transmitter button.
It’s tiny and the extra phone receivers make it very versatile. We actually tried connecting to both the camera receiver and the phone receiver simultaneously, but it didn’t work. That would’ve been an interesting feature.
Tests
We used the Lark Max for all of our interviews on the IBC showroom floor, and it did a great job, even with tons of interference. We did notice that the distance was very limited there because of all the interference.
In our use, the range difference has been pretty obvious between the Lark Max and the M2. With no line of sight, the M2 signal is clear only at about 5 meters. Here’s a demonstration of the two systems side by side.
Another important feature of these systems is environmental noise cancellation. We were very surprised with how well Hollyland’s SolidCom handled it, and the Lark Max also did a great job cleaning up the noisy audio at IBC. But here’s a side-by-side comparison of the ENC on the Lark Max and the M2.
The Hollyland Lark Max kit
Use cases
So, who are these two systems for? Both of these produce quality audio, even though there’s a difference between the two, and neither one is on the level of a studio microphone. But for the size and the versatility, they do a great job.
The M2 is a simpler and more stripped-down version, even though the ENC is as good as the Lark Max. Lark Max’s internal recording is a big differentiator. Distance, at least in our experience, isn’t much of a factor. There are not many scenarios where you’d need to be far away from the receiver.
The versatility of receiving audio into a phone camera is a plus for the M2 with the dedicated receiver. The M2 camera receiver and the Lark Max can also connect to the phone through the USB-c port, [phone cables included in the kit] but the setup isn’t very ergonomic.
Also, when we tested it to shoot some shorts at IBC, we had some problems with the iPhone recording from the internal mic instead of the receiver audio. And because there is no way to monitor the audio on the iPhone while recording, it was pretty frustrating to have to check the audio after each recording.
Another useful add-on that comes with the M2 phone receiver is an app that lets you monitor the gain, change noise cancellation settings, and allow the phone to play recorded audio through the speaker without unplugging the receiver.
The M2 receiver comes with a pass-through charging port to keep the phone plugged in. The iPhone receiver’s charging port is USB-C, so you can actually use it as a charging adapter in case you don’t have a lightning cable on hand.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Hollyland did not fail to deliver quality and ease of use with both of these systems. They offer high-quality audio and stable connection, as well as portability and seamless operation.
The Lark Max receiver offers a lot more settings and options, but it’s geared more for a camera operator to monitor and adjust. For solo work, the M2 is more streamlined, yet without sacrificing audio quality.
The Hollyland Lark M2 ultra-small transmitter
Pricing
As for pricing, the M2 USB-C version sells for $140, the combo kit is $180 and the Lark Max costs $250.
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