Hollyland Lark MAX Review – Is It Worth It?
The Hollyland Lark MAX is an all-in-one wireless Lavalier microphone system that’s an upgraded version of the Lark 150 series. The Lark MAX comes with all the features of the Lark 150 but has better audio quality, build quality, a more intuitive and user-friendly UI, and an in-built recording feature.
The Lark MAX is the newest member of the Hollyland family, and I received the product to test and assess its performance; nevertheless, my opinions are my own, and I express them honestly in this review.
The Hollyland Lark MAX is a set of two wireless microphones along with a transceiver and its charging case. You can use one or both microphones at any one time. You can use these as an audio input to your devices such as a camera, phone, or computer, and record audio from there directly when speaking into the microphones.
You can also separately record the audio directly onto the transmitters by clicking the record button on the transmitter. You can do both at any one time, which means that you can also use this as a backup method if the other audio recording streaming fails.
If you’ve used the Lark 150 series or the Lark M1, the Lark MAX should be a sufficient improvement, with improved functions and a more user-friendly interface. It’s extremely beneficial to content creators, podcasters, interviewers, online teachers, vloggers, and YouTubers.
Contents
Hollyland Lark MAX
Verdict
The Lark MAX is an upgraded version that surpasses both the Lark 150 series and the M1 series. It offers better audio quality, more solid build quality, superior transmitter range, and excellent battery life. The Lark MAX features an in-build recording feature, which is incredibly useful. Overall, the Lark MAX is a good-quality, all-in-one solution for a wireless microphone system.
Pros
- Good audio quality, with a toggleable noise-canceling feature
- Sturdy and well-built
- Intuitive display and menu system
- Comes with useful accessories
- Great battery life and charging case
Cons
- The noise-canceling feature won’t be for everybody, and you may get better results with noise-canceling processing in post-production.
What’s In The Box
- Charging Case
- Receiver
- 2 x Transmitters
- 2 x Furry Windshields
- 3.5mm TRS to TRS Cable
- 3.5mm TRS to TRRS Cable
- 2 x Clip Magnets
- USB-C to USB-A Cable
- USB-C to USB-C Cable
- USB-C to Lightning Cable
Hollyland Lark MAX
The Hollyland Lark MAX is a top-notch wireless microphone system that builds on their previous products. Compared to the Lark 150 series, M1 series, and C1 series, the MAX version offers better audio, feels more sturdy and well-built, and features a more intuitive UI.
The receiver has a screen and menu system that makes it very easy to work with. It features an in-built recording feature which can be really useful for content creators and it can be great for backups too. The battery lasts up to 22 hours, and it has a 14-hour recording time. It now has an improved wireless range of a whopping 250m (820ft) featuring adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) wireless signal transmission technology for a stable signal.
I love the big and readable screen, and the menu system has excellent features with its AMOLED touchscreen display. You can check the battery life of the transmitters, the signal, the audio level, the connection status, and more.
Specs:
- Battery Life: 22 Hours
- Transmitter LOS Range: 250m (820ft)
- Max SPL: 128 dB
- Sampling Rate: 48kHz/24-bit
- Built-in Mic: Omnidirectional
Sound Quality
The Lark MAX offers very good audio quality that surpasses its predecessors, and it’s significantly better than their Hollyland Lark M1, particularly where the Lark MAX is far better at picking up on the low-end.
It’s quite effective when it comes to reducing any noise or interference when you enable the noise-canceling mode. Though you might still get better results in post-processing using tools such as Adobe speech enhancer.
Build Quality
The build quality of the Lark MAX feels really good and sturdy. However, it’s only just been released and I haven’t had it for long enough to be able to comment on its long-term durability.
User Interface
The large display EQ section greatly improves the value and overall quality of the Lark MAX. You can check the storage space on both microphones via the display and format when necessary. The battery life is clearly shown on the screen and you can delve into different recording modes as well as fiddle with the microphone settings if needed.
The menu knob has a 360° design with Quick Control which you can use to customize different settings if you wanted to. The Home Button on the touchscreen has a similar function to help with quick settings and with a single tap, you can go back to your previous interface.
Accessories
The Lark MAX comes with a ton of accessories. Apart from the obvious inclusions like the charging case, receiver, and transmitters, it comes with 2 furry windshields, 2 clip magnets for attaching the transmitters.
In terms of connectors, you have a bunch of cables included within the package. You get a 3.5mm TRS to TRS Cable, a 3.5mm TRS to TRRS Cable, a USB-C to USB-A Cable, a USB-C to USB-C Cable, and a USB-C to Lightning Cable. Therefore, connectivity should not be an issue.
On-Board Recording
You can also record directly onto the device using. There is a record button on each transmitter, and when you want to get these recordings you just collect your transmitter to your computer via USB. Then you can use the transmitter as if it’s a USB drive and just click and drag out the recordings and process them from there.
These can be used as either a primary recording method or they can be very useful as a backup method. When you’re out on the go and recording having some backup audio options of recording can be extremely useful and can save your bacon when it comes to not having to reshoot scenes.
Verdict
The Lark MAX is an excellent all-in-one wireless Lavalier microphone system for content creators, podcasters, interviewers, online teachers, vloggers, and YouTubers. It’s an improved version of the previous 150 series, M1 series, and C1 series that boasts better audio quality, increased transmitter range, longer-lasting battery life, and overall build quality. For those looking for a good and solid wireless microphone system, the Lark MAX is a choice worth considering.
