If we take a good look at the market today, we may find hundreds of thousands of wireless microphones available to us — from $20 microphones you may grab on Amazon, to $269 Saramonic Ultra that features Timecode, and all the way to $999 Saramonic K9 for professional filmmakers. These microphones are fundamentally doing the same job, and that is capture sounds. So why do we even bother to upgrade to something as expensive as K9? Kent Lamm, storyteller, YouTuber, and filmmaker, shares his points of view: Film gear need to be reliable, make you money, and save you time.
The Key Difference — Replaceable Components for More Flexibility
People might be wondering why the $999 Saramonic K9 uses AA batteries, while the prosumer microphones have built-in ones. Isn't that the built-in batteries are more environmentally friendly? Well, the truth is, the replacable AA batteries offer more flexibility — With AA batteries, you can swap them under a minute and proceed with that important interview or filmmaking, so you don't have to keep the whole crew or that super busy interviewee waiting. With the built-in batteries, you might have to stop mid-shoot and charge it on set, which might take 15 minutes or more. For serious filmmakers who rely on their gear for a living, these minutes are simply too long to afford.
Unlike the built-in memory we see on Saramonic Ultra, professional gear like Saramonic K9 has slots for microSD cards that support up to 256 GB of storage. With this feature, filmmakers can swap the cards easily without needing a computer or hard drive to offload the recordings into. And they can hand in the recordings to DIT after a day's work. This is much easier for workflow management.
The Key Difference — UHF for More Interference Resistance
Unlike Saramonic Ultra and the consumer wireless microphones that use 2.4 GHz for transmission, K9's transmission is UHF-based, with UHF standing for Ultra High Frequency (550-965 MHz). With that, the professional microphone can transmit signals on less crowded channels, leading to eliminated RF interference and stable performance. The for-pro system also features Auto Scan, a function that scans the surrounding for the cleanest frequency bands automatically. So users can take the guesswork out of the equation and focus on their job instead.
The Key Difference — The Miniature Lav Mic for Professional On-camera Looks
Saramonic K9 is the only wireless microphone that doesn't come with a built-in mic. And instead, you can only record with the miniature microphone that comes with the whole system. The reason behind is that the miniature mics are much easier to hide on a talent than a bulky transmitter, which causes distraction. For films and documentaries, everything needs to look clean and professional on camera and the IP67-rated and Kavla-reinforced K9 Lav Mic was built for — easy-to-hide, resistant to wear and tear, and suitable for long-time use.
The for-professional K9 Lav Mic is much easier to hide than the prosumer DJI Lav Mic
Conclusion - Professiona Gear Need to Make You Money and Save You Time.
As Kent points out in the review, all the gear you use as a professional need to make you money and save you time. The modularized components - batteries, microSD cards, make the filmmaking workflow more efficient without the whole crew waiting. The UHF-based signal transmission enables the recording experience to be interference-free. And the miniature K9 Lav Mic makes it an easier job to hide the microphone on talent and achieve a clean on-camera look.
The Availability of Saramonic K9
The Saramonic K9 is available to worldwide users at a recommended retail price of USD999. Buy it via Saramonic Official Online Store: K9 | Dual-Channel Digital UHF Wireless AudioSystem for Filmmakers – saramonic
Filmmakers, location sound mixers, and any professionals who are interested in the audio system are encouraged to find their local distributor and reserve a demo here: Saramonic
