Hollyland has released the LARK A2 wireless lavalier system. In China the brand is known as MOMA, and the company is now merging both names into one. The kit is standard for the class: a clip-on transmitter, a receiver and a charging case. The transmitter weighs 8.5 grams.
The most useful item on the spec sheet is the safety track. The microphone records a second channel 6 dB below the main one, so if the speaker suddenly shouts or breathes into the capsule, the clipped main channel can be swapped for the backup during editing. That solves the problem that most often ruins footage for people who shoot alone and cannot watch the levels while filming.
Hollyland calls its noise reduction MOMA Smart-Sound, and it has three levels: 10, 15 and 20 dB. The strength is selected in the MOMA Audio app, while the button on the body toggles the noise reduction itself rather than its depth. How much of the voice survives at the top level, the manufacturer does not say.
- Safety track: a parallel channel at −6 dB in case of clipping
- Noise reduction in three levels — 10, 15 and 20 dB, strength selected in the app
- Recording at 48 kHz / 24-bit, signal-to-noise ratio of 68 dB or better, maximum pressure of 120 dB SPL
- A 2.4 GHz radio link with adaptive frequency hopping, claimed range of 200 metres
- Transmitter of 8.5 g, an 80 mAh battery, a 530 mAh case, full charge in under 1.5 hours
Battery life: three different numbers on one page. Hollyland states the runtime three times, and the figures do not agree. In the block with large numbers the company lists 7 hours on the transmitter and 42 hours together with the case. The description underneath gives 8 hours on the transmitter and up to 48 hours with the case. The specification table, the strictest part of the page, says about 7 hours with a note about «up to 9 hours with smart power saving enabled». The mode works like this: the microphone goes into standby when the phone stops recording and switches on when it starts again. So nine hours describe a working day with pauses, not nine hours of continuous recording. I would rely on the 7 hours from the table.
The rest of the specs. The capsule is omnidirectional and the frequency range runs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Fast charging gives an hour of work after 5 minutes at the socket. The controls sit on the body: one press toggles the noise reduction, two mute the microphone, three start and stop the recording. Three kit options are offered — one transmitter, two transmitters without a case and two with a case.
Price. Hollyland does not publish it on the product page — only the purchase channels are listed there. I am not quoting the Chinese retail figure here, because the manufacturer does not confirm it.
How the LARK A2 records a voice outdoors, in the wind and in a noisy room, we will check ourselves — we film with microphones like this every day. Where the newcomer lands in our ranking of the best microphones for a phone, our test will show.
Source: hollyland.com.cn
