Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ review

The Blink 500 B2+ is the latest addition to a long line of wireless microphone kits from Saramonic that includes the Saramonic Blink Me, the Blink 500 B2, the Blink500 Pro, and the professional Saramonic Blink Me.  As with the other kits the Blink 500 B2+ consists of two transmitters and a receiver. It is an updated version of the Saramonic Blink 500 B2. The transmission range on the older B2 kit was only 50 meters, but the newer Blink 500 B2+ enables you to talk to the camera from a greater range of 150 meters (without a heftier price tag.) 

With receivers that plug straight into your Android or Apple smartphone the Blink 500 B2+ should be particularly attractive to vloggers who use their mobile device to generate content for their social media channel. You can also attach the B2+’s receiver via a cold shoe mount to a DSLR (or even plug the receiver into a smartphone and a DSLR at the same time for a belt and braces approach!)

Saramonic Blink 500 B2+: Specifications

Saramonic Blink 500 B2+: Design & Handling

A really welcome feature of the Blink 500 B2+ is that it ships with two adaptors that allow you to plug the receiver directly into an Android smartphone or iPhone. This means there’s no need to have the receiver dangling via a cable. 

The previous incarnation of the Blink 500 B2 forced you to charge the two transmitters and receiver independently via USB-C cables, but the new Blink 500 B2+ provides a carry case that enables you to charge each unit simultaneously, ensuring that both transmitters and the receiver will ‘go the distance’ during an interview. 

The case also enables you to transport the wireless kit’s components neatly and safely (rather than have them rattling around loose in your camera bag). As a bonus the Blink 500 B2+ ships with a branded drawstring bag which accommodates the plastic charging case and its contents. 

The bag also has an internal pocket to hold additional supplied accessories such as the transmitters’ clip-on furry windshields plus a charging cable and a cable to attach the receiver to a DSLR. 

Unlike the older Blink 500 B2, the B2+ receiver has a useful OLED screen, which makes it easier to view sound input levels and check the battery life of your transmitters during a shoot.  The original Blink 500 B2 was prone to suffer from wind noise but the new Blink 500 B2+ captures a cleaner sound thanks to the combination of software noise reduction, an integrated wind-resistant mesh plus the obligatory clip-on furry windshield for the transmitter. 

The windshields can be a bit of a fiddle to clip on as their fluffy bodies obscure the view of the receivers’ plug-in holes. However, once it has been clipped on a windshield stays securely attached to the receiver.

Talking of secure attachments the transmitters both have traditional clips to attach them to a subject’s lapel or shirt. They also have a magnet that you can unclip from the back of the transmitter and place behind a subject’s shirt to stick the transmitter anywhere on their clothing. This is handy when interviewing subjects who don’t have a lapel (as was the case with our test video’s interviewee who was wearing a sweatshirt.) To ensure that you’re recording noise-free audio you can plug headphones into the receiver.

Saramonic Blink 500 B2+: Performance

To test the Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ wireless kit we took it to a parkour shoot in the city. I used the mic’s magnet to attach it to stuntman Matt Igwe so I could interview him about how he approaches performing parkour in an urban location. Check out our supporting video to hear how the Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ performs (plus see Matt in action!). I interviewed Matt while he warmed up and none of his exercises dislodged the transmitter mic from his sweatshirt thanks to the super strong magnet. The furry windshield stayed on too and helped keep wind noise at bay.

Talking of noise I introduced the test video near some noisy water fountains. After tapping the blue button on the front of the transmitter mic it turned green to indicate that software noise reduction was active. The fountain noise dropped dramatically while my voice stayed loud and clear (see test video). 

I used an iPhone 14 Pro Max on my shoot. Thanks to the kit’s supplied Lightning adaptor I was able to plug the receiver straight into my iPhone. Because there was no dangling cable involved I could mount the iPhone into a DJI Osmo Mobile 6 gimbal and get it to follow my every move as I walked and talked. This would be harder to do with the older Blink 500 B2 kit as its cable-attached receiver would swing around as the gimbal panned and tilted.

After a successful interview and parkour shoot I performed the obligatory distance test to check the range of the Blink 500 B2+. When I faced the camera (and the transmitter had line of sight with the receiver) then the sound was loud and clear - even from a distance. However when I turned my back to the camera the sound did tend to drop out (see video). This is relatively normal for a budget mic kit but its unlikely you’ll be presenting to camera with your back turned in most scenarios.

Saramonic Blink 500 B2+: Verdict

The Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ is a welcome addition to the Saramonic range in relation to value for money and performance. I liked how the cable free adaptors enabled me to plug the receiver straight into my smartphone and the transmitter’s magnetic attachments enabled me to ‘mic up’ my interviewee with ease.  The software noise reduction was very effective and the sound quality was clean and full bodied. The latency (delay between lip movement and recorded sound) was negligible, so I didn’t need to spend time shifting audio tracks in the video edit to get lip sync. 

Alternatives

Hollyland Lark M2
If you primarily use a smartphone to record your video productions’ audio then the Hollyland Lark M2 is worth a look as it costs about the same as the Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ kit and shares similar features. Like the Blink 500 B2+, the Lark M2 boasts effective software noise reduction. The Lark also uses magnets to attach the transmitters to your subject, but the Lark’s transmitters are much smaller and more discrete than the Blink’s. As with the Blink, the Lark’s transmitter can be plugged straight into a smartphone’s USB-C socket so there’s no dangling cable to snap on a gimbal.

Saramonic BlinkMe
The Saramonic BlinkMe is a great entry-level wireless mic kit, but if you need something a bit more professional then the BlinkMe is worth investigating. Unlike the Blink 500 B2+, the BlinkMe has an onboard recording feature on its transmitters, so if you do lose connection with the receiver due to signal drop out you can replace any gaps in the audio track from the recorded file on the transmitter. You can also adjust sound levels using the touch screen on the transmitters. These extra features come at a price so the BlinkMe will cost you £100 more than the Blink 500 B2+.