Last November, Rode launched its wireless microphone system that combined two small lapel microphones with a small receiver that plugged into your phone’s charging port. Rode later gave that product a free updatesending another receiver that let the microphones connect to digital camerasalso. Now, the company is launching an updated version of that receiver with an OLED display, but this time it charges for it.
The new version of Rode’s wireless camera receiver is now available as part of a wireless micro camera kit that includes it with two wireless lapel microphones and an additional wireless receiver used to connect the microphones to mobile devices via their USB-C or Lightning ports. The kit is priced at $149, which is the starting price of Rode’s wireless microsystem when it launched last November (minus a camera receiver) before getting a price cut earlier this month to $99 when new color options were introduced. Rode’s wireless lavatory microphones still don’t offer as much functionality as DJI offerings like the Mic Mini or Mic 3, but they are more competitively priced.
Like the original, the new receiver is designed to sit on top of cameras by connecting to its hot shoe mount while audio from up to two wireless microphones is sent to the camera via a USB-C or 3.5mm audio cable. Battery life is estimated to be up to seven hours and is maximized if the receiver only turns on when connected to a camera. The receiver’s runtime can be further extended up to 21 hours by using the wireless micro camera kit’s charging case when not near a power source.
The 1.1-inch OLED screen shows details about the battery life and signal strength of the receiver and wirelessly connected devices. It works in conjunction with three buttons to navigate and adjust various settings, including gain assist levels, but for ease of use, the receiver can also make those adjustments automatically to suppress volume spikes and ensure all audio coming into the chamber is perfectly balanced.
