FIFINE M9 Wireless Lavalier Microphone Review
Get Up and Rolling in seconds
Disclaimer: FIFINE sent us a unit free of charge to review, but all thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are our own and were not discussed with the company prior to publishing.
Retail Price: $72.99
Plug and Play
During my review period with the FIFINE M9 wireless lavalier system, my experience came down to two categories that defined whether the M9 was the right setup for me. The first obvious discussion has to be whether the quality of audio in which it receives and records is acceptable not only based on the price point, but in general content making standards as well. The second thing I look for in a lavalier setup is the ease of use and reliability. A likely scenario that a lav setup is being used is when the operator is out of their studio and in an outdoor environment. Getting things running quickly is a must for those cases. Let’s evaluate whether FIFINE’S newest implementation of their lavalier setup can handle the job of content creation.
Like a lot of modern lavalier microphone sets, FIFINE’s offering with the M9 comes packaged very similarly to what a modern earbud package would look like out of the box. The audio company gives buyers a padded exterior case to house a charging case that in turn houses two lavalier microphones, and the receiver. Everything stores away neatly into an organized package that is easily accessible and transported. I especially liked how FIFNE designed the charging case which charges everything via the USB-C port on the rear. While everything here is made out of plastic, I didn’t necessarily feel that the product was cheaply made thanks to an interesting textured design on not only the charging case, but the microphones as well. The slanting lines on the body of these products make for a nice contrast for touch purposes. I didn’t once feel worried that I would fumble and drop the equipment. Once the three piece set is aligned properly into the designated slots, they are pulled in magnetically and begin recharging with the case.
Lots of Time For Rolling
FIFINE says the complete setup can last up to 30 hours of recording time. Each of the microphone can record up to 6 hours by themselves. Like earbuds, the charging case also holds its own charge. Theoretically if you use Microphone A in mono mode, and then swap it out with Microphone B after the first microphone is drained, you do have a completely fresh identical microphone to stretch the recording time if needed. The cool thing about the M9 is that it allows the microphone to continue recording while charging. You can plug it into a portable power bank through the USB-C port and that can add to the recording time duration if needed. There’s a good deal of flexibility for endurance recording with the M9 package.
Because there are two microphones included in the purchase, Microphone A and Microphone B can be utilized together in Stereo mode. Each microphone will take one channel that can be monitored on the receiver. That means that two people can each have their own microphone and have their audio recorded simultaneously. Since this is a lavalier setup, you’ll have to do a little bit of work in post to make sure audio is playing through both channels as the mono recording usually reads as a stereo on some video editing suites and thus needs to be changed to dual mono.
Sound Quality
The quality of the recordings are decent at best. This is not a high-end option in the lavalier space, but for the price point I do find it acceptable and comparable to other competitors in this range. The transmission distance is rated at 164 ft from the receiver, which isn’t bad at all. With a sensitivity of -38dB, and a frequency response range from 20Hz to 20kHz, there’s slight modifications in the recording that you can tinker with on the M9. Both microphones have a little button on the frame that lets operators toggle on or off noise-cancellation. I tested out this function both indoors and outdoors and there is a noticeable post-processing of the voice that I personally found to be too harsh. It eliminates the natural tenor and bass of a person’s voice and somewhat muddies it too much for my liking. Still, it actually does as it says it will and suppresses, even almost fully eliminating background noises that isn’t my voice. The sound coming through the microphone is a bit on the tinny side. I’ve owned and used clearer alternatives to record. On the receiver side, you can adjust the gain setting through three preset levels: high, mid, and low. I struggled to find a sweet spot between the mid and high positions as I often blew out on the high level, but was slightly lower on the dB level than I usually hit with the mid setting.
A contributor to whether the audio is recorded cleanly or not happens to revolve where the microphone is placed. Unlike some higher priced lavs out there, there is no magnetic mount on this product. Each microphone, as well as the receiver, uses a traditional clip mount that can either clip onto the collar of a shirt or slide into the cold shoe of a camera. While the M9 isn’t heavy at all, it still does flip forward if mounted on a collar of a flimsier t-shirt. I had more consistent success recording cleaner audio attaching it across the shoulder strap of a bag as it stabilized the microphone while keeping it within a reasonable distance from my mouth. You can also attach an included dead cat cover to help with wind noise when recording outdoors.
Form Factor
I do like the actual physical shape of the lav microphone though. It’s a slim rectangle that is directed vertically. The receiver itself is a square shape, but that one doesn’t really matter much as it usually sits on a cold shoe anyway. The little M9 mics look pretty good on camera and I like the appearance and size of these a lot more than some of the other competitors out there. FIFINE didn’t overstuff the devices with too many extra buttons and controls. It’s just the basic buttons that include mute, and noise cancellation functions.
The best selling point the M9 has is just how simple it is to get up and running. At least during my review period, I found this FIFINE setup to be extremely reliable. I’m not exaggerating that everything just turns on and is paired almost immediately after pulling them out of the charging case. No signals ever got crossed or disconnected. Nothing ever dropped out during recording. It was a seamless experience from start to finish. I very much appreciate that as I hate filming out in public dating back from my film student days. Times have changed a bit and everyone has a camera and vlogs out and about now, but back in the 2000’s, cops were very stringent with permit laws regarding filming. It was vital for guerrilla content creation to be able to set things up and get the shot, wasting as little time as possible. I’ve kept that mentality ever since and the M9 is one of the easiest lav setups I’ve gotten to use.
You don’t even need to use this with just a DSLR or mirrorless camera either. FIFINE includes USB-C cables to literally let the receiver of the M9 plug into just about any video recording device out there. A smartphone, a tablet, a Zoom H4n, or a camera, whatever it is you create content on, the M9 can hook up to and transform the audio. It’s beneficial in some manners for those implementations as native mobile phone, tablet, and camera audio recording usually isn’t too great. They’re rough around the edges and even if there is a digital focus on the voice, it sounds artificial. Having a dedicated directional microphone even at this quality of audio is better than the natural state of a video recording device.
final thoughts
I certainly don’t classify the FIFINE M9 to be a pro option in the lavalier space. However, if you go into the purchase with the proper expectations of what the setup can provide you in an audio sense, I did find it quite acceptable for the retail price. Its main strength for me is the ease of use and setup time, as well as the reliability I’ve experienced using it. For someone who is looking to get their first experience in using a lavalier setup, FIFINE definitely makes it an easy transition. It's a step above the basic smartphone recording level and I think there’s likely a market here for FIFINE to continue developing this line for the future going forward.
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