Hollyland Lark C1 Review

An iPhone can be an ideal solution for recording an impromptu vlog or interview when you don’t have your camera and kit. Additionally, if you are interviewing someone in their home or office and just need something simple, maybe on the spur of the moment the iPhone is a great tool for capturing the conversation.

The issue with recording audio on the iPhone is that the built-in mic is not designed for professional-level audio recording. It tends to pick up a lot of ambient noise, and the sound quality, even when enhanced lacks the clarity of dedicated systems. One of the main issues that you’ll notice aboyt the iPhones microphone is that it is very sensitive and can pick up every sound in the room, including background noise and other conversations.

Using a dedicated wireless mic would provide better sound quality, as its designed specifically for sound recording. Sets like the Hollyland Lark C1 will enable wireless audio recording on your iPhone, this means that unlike wired options you can move around while recording, as the microphone is not physically attached to the iPhone. This can be beneficial when you need to record multiple sound sources from different locations.

The Hollyland Lark C1 Wireless Microphones for iOS is an all-in-one solution that will suit anyone looking to use an iPhone for recording professional-sounding pieces to camera. In this review I’ll be taking a look at the iOS version designed for Apple iPhones, but there’s also a version available for Android.

The Lark C1 consists of four parts; a receiver that plugs directly into the lightning socket of your iPhone, two compact transmitters that can clip onto a person or persons doing the talking, like a Lavalier microphone and a handy charging case. The Lark C1 also comes with an app that enables you to adjust many of the camera’s settings.

On paper, the Hollyland Lark C1 Wireless Microphones sounds like an ideal solution for anyone wanting to use their iPhone for recording professional audio. However, we’ll have to give the units a good test before we know if they’re any good.

When it comes to features the small units pack in the essentials, with most option handled automatically by the technology. To access audio input and noise cancelling, which are the two main adjustment you need to use the app, Larksound, installed on your phone.

The features of the Lark C1 that make the units stand-out are adaptive frequency hopping of 2.4GHz, giving a transmission range of 130ft (40m) for non-line-of-sight and 650ft (200m) for line-of-sight. The C1 has a built-in omnidirectional microphone with a frequency range of 20Hz to 20KHz and a maximum sound pressure level of 110dB with an input dynamic range of 86 dB.

The battery capacity of the transmitter is 140mAh (0.518Wh) and the charging case has a capacity of 1400mAh (5.18Wh). The operating time is 8 hours for the transmitter which can be charged up to 3 times with a charging time of 1.5 hours each time.

The dimensions are 48×21.5×10 mm for the transmitter, 48.3X27.6X9 mm for the receiver, and 83x60x30 mm (1.89”x0.85”x0.4”) for the charging case. The weight of the transmitter is 11.5g (0.4oz), the receiver is 7g (0.25oz), and the charging case is 85.5g (3oz).

The Lark C1’s charging case is a great idea for keeping the receiver and transmitters topped up with power between uses, such as when filming an interview. The charging case is small, measuring 83x60x30 mm, which makes it easy to store and transport. It is also lightweight, allowing you to take it wherever you go. Additionally, the charging case allows you to keep all of the wireless microphone set components in one place.

Furthermore, as the name suggests the charging case is designed to keep the components charged, so you won’t have to worry about running out of power while you’re out filming. All in all, the Lark C1’s charging case is an excellent way to keep the wireless transmitters with integrated mics and the receiver topped up in all in one place, so easy to find, in between uses.

One feature that really helps in crowded places, especially exhibition halls and in cities is the 2.4GHz channel hopping. This hopping is a technique used to reduce interference when filming at events. It works by automatically changing the frequency of the wireless microphone system to a different channel every few milliseconds. This prevents any other 2.4GHz devices from interfering with the wireless microphone system, as the frequency is constantly changing. As previously mentioned this is incredibly useful when filming at events as there are often many devices that operate on the same 2.4GHz frequency, such as Wi-Fi networks, smartphones, and other wireless microphone systems. By using automatic channel hopping, the wireless microphone system can operate without any interference.

Like many of the advanced features of the Lark C1 this feature operates in the background and you don’t have any control over it’s application.

The Lark C1 transmitter clip enables you to fix the transmitters to your subjects or yourself. The clip itself is small and simple to attach to a shirt collar or lapel, and it does the job very well. The microphones are quite apparent and nowhere near as discreet as a traditional lavalier mic, so they will almost always be seen in the shot. This visibility is a small sacrifice for the pure convenience of use. The receiver slots neatly into the camera’s hot shoe and connects to the camera with a 3.5mm connection cable, which is pretty standard. All in all, clipping the Lark C1 transmitters onto clothing is a good way to capture audio, and the attachment of the receiver to the camera with a short cable is also straightforward.

Once the mics and receiver are removed from the charging case, they automatically switch on and connect to the Larksound app. The app allows you to adjust various settings, including the input volumes of each mic, noise cancellation and overall input volume. The app also allows you to monitor the input levels, so you can ensure that the mics are not overloading the receiver. However, the app does not allow you to adjust each mic’s input volume individually, and there is no in-app recording facility. Instead, the C1 is designed to pair with Apple’s video app or applications such as FiLMic Pro, which provide more advanced features and control.

The main advantage of the Lark C1 is that it is good at what it does – recording audio. It is easy to install and set up, with minimal settings options, making it very straightforward to use. The audio quality is excellent, providing clear and detailed sound that is well above what you would get with the iPhone’s own microphone when filming. The compact size also makes it ideal for vlogging, travel recording, and any other situation where you need a high-quality microphone that is easy to carry around. Additionally, the Lark C1 is compatible with various recording devices, including DSLR cameras, camcorders, and audio recorders.

The Lark C1 wireless microphones from Hollyland offer excellent audio quality in a compact, convenient form factor. The neat design of the charging case is excellent, and the wireless mics are small but quite visible when attached.

The battery life is outstanding and the mics can be popped into the charging case to keep battery levels topped up.

The partner app is useful for adjusting the input volume and noise cancellation, but there are limitations, such as no in-app recording or individual mic input volume adjustments.

All in all, the Lark C1 wireless microphones allow for a huge leap in audio quality compared to the internal microphone of the iPhone, and the combination of the compact size, convenience and excellent audio quality make it a worthwhile purchase for anyone wanting to film professional-sounding video with their iPhone.