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Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: two-minute review
Understatement isn’t a common characteristic among content creators, but it’s a winning feature for this wireless mic kit. With two tiny receivers weighing just 7g apiece, the Hollyland Lark M2S is designed to fly under the radar. Hooked over your collar, only a small part of each pick-up is visible. The result is an audio solution that doesn’t distract your audience.
It’s also a versatile one. Available in several variations, the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo kit on test here includes two transmitters, a USB-C mobile receiver and a cold-shoe unit that connects to cameras via USB-C or 3.5mm. There’s also a Lightning cable in the box for connecting to legacy Apple devices. That makes it a pretty complete kit, whatever you choose to shoot with.
Each transmitter is held in place by a rubberized clip, with grips at the tips for extra security. Many of the best wireless mics used magnetic backs to give you more flexibility when positioning. In practise, most users will want the mic on their lapel anyway – and even with the hook on show, the M2S is as subtle as they come.
Despite their discreet size, the omnidirectional pick-ups do a better job than any built-in mic, whether you’re shooting with a smartphone or one of the best video cameras. How the 24-bit audio signal is processed depends on the pre-amp inside your recording device, but voice clips are generally clear and rich enough for the casual listener.
Blustery conditions can be an issue. The bundled windshields do a good job of buffering against buffeting, though attaching them raises the profile of the mics. You also have the option of enabling noise reduction. This tends to flatten and crisp up the sound slightly, but it’s an effective solution where background noise would otherwise be too intrusive.
Noise cancellation can be activated by pressing the single button found on each transmitter, the button on the USB-C receiver or the dial on the camera receiver. The latter is also used to adjust the output volume, while a long-press switches between mono and stereo recording. That makes the interface sound more complicated than it is. There is a slight learning curve, but once you’ve got your head around the meaning of each indicator light, it’s intuitive enough.
Battery life is far from featherweight, with each transmitter rated for up to nine hours on a single charge. Returning them to the charging case yields a further 18, giving the whole package some serious longevity. Together with its neat proportions, that makes it an attractive solution for creators who need to shoot on the go – even though the case itself feels quite plasticky and the components are prone to rattling inside.
Other wireless mics feel more premium, while the DJI Mic Mini uses a neater single receiver. But if you want a compact and cost-effective way to upgrade your audio quality, the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo kit offers solid value.
Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: price and release date
- $149 / £140 / AU$269 for the Combo kit
- Includes 2x mics, 2x receivers, Lightning cable and charging case
- Several kit versions available for different devices
Launched in January 2025 as a follow-up to the Lark M2, the Hollyland Lark M2S wireless mic is available to buy now in one of several bundle variations. On test here is the Combo kit ($149 / £140 / AU$269), which includes the following:
- Transmitters x2
- Receiver (camera)
- Receiver (USB-C)
- Charging case
- Windshields x2
- 3.5mm cable
- USB-C to Lightning cable
- USB-A to USB-C cable
The Combo kit is designed to give content creators the flexibility to work with both smartphones and cameras. The Lightning cable allows you to connect the camera receiver to older Apple devices. The Combo kit offers good value for what’s included, but other options will be better suited to specific creator requirements.
The cheapest Hollyland Lark M2S option is the barebones USB-C kit ($119 / £110 / AU$219). This includes two transmitters and a USB-C receiver for use with a smartphone. With no option to connect to a camera, it’s the best choice for mobile-only recording.
The next step up is the Mini Combo ($139 / £130 / AU$249), which is the same as the Combo kit, except it doesn’t include a Lightning adapter cable. It’s the best choice if you want the flexibility to connect to a camera and USB-C smartphone.
Top of the pile is the Ultimate Combo ($159 / £150 / AU$289). In addition to the USB-C and camera receivers, this adds a dedicated Lightning receiver to the mix. Given that the Combo kit includes a Lightning cable, there are few people for who this will be a necessity. Unless you absolutely need a physical Lightning receiver, this version is best seen as a legacy option.
Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: specs
|
Dimensions |
24 × 9mm (transmitter), 40 × 16.7 × 9mm (mobile receiver), 40.5 × 25.5 × 13mm (camera receiver), 86 × 39 × 60.5mm (case) |
|
Weight |
7g (transmitter), 6g (mobile receiver), 12g (camera receiver), 110g (case) |
|
Range |
300m |
|
Connectivity |
USB-C, Lightning, 3.5mm |
|
Battery |
9 hours, plus 18 hours from the charging case |
|
Audio |
24-bit |
|
On-board recording |
No |
|
Noise cancelling |
Yes |
Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: Design
- Lightweight transmitters with built-in rubber clips
- USB-C receiver with two indicator lights
- Camera receiver with indicator lights and control dial
Dinky is the order of the day with the Lark M2S. From the tiny transmitters (7g each) to the compact camera receiver (12g), everything in the bundle is ultra-light. The components weigh less than almost every other kit in our list of the best wireless mics, including the DJI Mic Mini and the Rode Wireless Micro.
Despite being housed in plastic, the transmitters and receivers feel well-built and sturdy enough for long-term use. The little orange buttons on each device give satisfying feedback, as does the click-scroll of the control dial on the cold-shoe adapter. It’s only the charging case that lets the side down: the hinge for the lid creaks and moves, while the parts rattle around while charging inside.
Still, for a low-weight, low-cost kit, the Lark M2S feels like it’s been assembled with thought. Effort has certainly gone into the design of the transmitters. Most wireless mic kits have rectangular units held in place by a magnetic back. This gives you versatility when mounting, but means the pick-up is quite visible in video footage.
Hollyland has taken a different approach with the Lark M2S. The transmitters are attached by a U-shaped hook with a titanium arm inside. This clips over a collar, with rubber ridges on either side for extra grip. It’s a foolproof solution: it has enough flexibility to fit over different fabrics, with sufficient resistance to hold firm. No magnets means one less piece to lose – and most users will place the mic on a hem anyway.
The added benefit is that the larger side of the transmitter unit is hidden beneath your clothing. Only part of the arm and the smaller puck sits on the outside. The result is a very subtle setup. With mini dimensions and no branding, the mic could easily go unnoticed in interview footage. It’s a lot less distracting than larger alternatives.
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That design does mean the button and indicator light on the transmitter are hard to access when you’re wearing it, particularly as the little LED is obscured beneath the hook arm. Helpfully, there are corresponding lights on the receiver units which indicate the mode and connection status.
The user experience differs slightly depending on which receiver you’re using, but the setup is the definition of plug-and-play. Recording on mobile couldn’t be simpler: remove the transmitters and mobile receiver from the case, insert the USB-C unit into your smartphone and the two LEDs will turn solid to show that everything is connected. The single orange button on the receiver toggles noise cancelling on (green light) or off (blue light). You’re good to go.
Connecting to a camera is no more complicated. Take the cold-shoe receiver and transmitters out of the case and they’ll pair automatically. Then simply hook it up to your camera via 3.5mm or USB-C (or both at the same time) and you’ll get an audio signal. You can also use the bundled USB-C to Lightning cable to connect the camera receiver to an older Apple device.
The camera receiver’s interface is a touch more complicated than the mobile one. You get the same LEDs for connection and noise cancelling status, plus an orange button for power. Then there’s an arc of three additional lights to indicate the output volume, which can be adjusted by turning the dial. Pressing the dial changes the noise reduction setting, while a long-press switches between mono and stereo.
There’s a slight learning curve when it comes to the meaning of each LED, but it’s intuitive enough to get your head around after a few minutes. What you don’t get is any kind of display for real-time audio monitoring. That’s a luxury reserved for premium mics that cost and weigh more. It’s also one that’s absent from the DJI Mic Mini and Rode Wireless Micro.
Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: Performance
- Omnidirectional audio with optional noise cancelling
- 9 hours battery life (transmitter), 18 hours battery life (case)
- Up to 300m range
Rating audio quality is a tricky thing, because it depends on your expectations. If you’re a professional sound engineer, you’ll find things to fault with what the Hollyland Lark M2S produces. But if you’re comparing it to the built-in mic on your smartphone or camera, the M2S is leagues ahead.
The additional caveat here is that results are influenced by the device you’re using and its built-in pre-amp. Send the same signal from the Lark M2S to an iPhone and a DSLR camera, as I did, and you’ll notice differences which result from how each device processes the audio.
The Hollyland Lark M2S has strong foundations. It records 24-bit audio at 48khz, which sets it up well for capturing detail. You can also set the output level to high, giving your device more to work with. Serious users will balk at the lack of 32-bit float recording or on-board storage, but that reflects the target market of the M2S. There’s enough detail and depth here to satisfy content creators and anyone who wants to improve the quality of their voiceovers.
The omnidirectional pick-ups do a decent job of isolating speech against background hubbub. As with many wireless mics, though, wind noise is an issue. The bundled fluffy windshields help to tackle this, but also make the mics more visible.
Your other option is to enable Environmental Noise Cancellation. This is highly effective at limiting the impact of blustery conditions on your recordings. It also works well at reducing traffic noise to a barely audible level. The trade-off is that noise cancelling tends to make vocals sound slightly flatter and more processed – although not as significantly as some wireless mics.
You can adjust the level of noise cancelling through the LarkSound app, with high and low options. Usefully, the app can also be used to monitor the audio level from each mic in real time, giving you a visual indication of whether the gain setting needs to be changed to avoid clipping. This can be controlled in the app, as can the channel mode, which allows you to switch from mono to stereo recording when using the camera receiver.
Transmission range is rated at 300m. Unless you’re working at telephoto distances, there are few occasions when you’d need to be that far from your recording device. Still, with a clear line of sight from transmitter to receiver, I didn’t encounter any signal drop-out at a distance of about 100 paces. That changed as soon as something came between the two. In reality, most users will work at close range, where clear transmission won’t be an issue.
Longevity is also assured. Despite the miniature dimensions of the Lark M2S, battery life comes in at a competitive nine hours. The case can also recharge the components twice over, giving you a total recording time of close to 30 hours before you’ll need to use a wall charger. The case itself needs around 90 minutes to go from flat to full.
It’s unlikely that most users will encounter a shoot where they have to record for 9 hours straight, but it’s reassuring to know that the Lark M2S can live through a lot of takes before it needs returning to the case. Using it as many content creators would – on the move, taking out the components to record clips on location, then storing them back in the case – the M2S simply ran and ran. For such a compact kit, the battery life is seriously impressive. This is a wireless mic that’s easy to live with.
Should I buy the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Hollyland Lark M2S Combo: also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Hollyland Lark M2S |
Rode Wireless Micro |
DJI Mic Mini |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dimensions |
Transmitter: 24 × 9mm (transmitter)Mobile receiver: 40 × 16.7 × 9mmCamera receiver: 40.5 × 25.5 × 13mm |
Transmitter: 40 x 27 x 17mmReceiver: 44 x 24 x 9mm |
26.55 x 26.06 x 15.96mm |
|
Weight |
7g (transmitter), 6g (mobile receiver), 12g (camera receiver), 110g (case) |
12g (transmitter, without magnet), 102g for the whole kit |
10g (transmitter, without magnet) |
|
Transmission range |
300m |
100m |
400m |
|
Connectivity |
USB-C, Lightning, 3.5mm |
USB-C or Lightning |
USB-C / Lightning, 3.5mm |
|
Battery |
9 hours, plus 18 hours from the charging case |
7 hours, plus two additional charges from the fully charged case for a total of 21 hours |
11.5 hours (transmitter), 10.5 hours (receiver), up to 48 hours with fully charged case |
|
Audio |
24-bit |
24-bit |
24-bit |
|
Noise cancelling |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
Bluetooth |
No |
No |
Yes |
How I tested the Hollyland Lark M2S Combo
- Tested extensively over several weeks
- Paired with both the camera and USB-C receivers
- Recorded audio in a range of indoor and outdoor settings
Given that the Hollyland Lark M2S is a wireless mic kit that’s designed to let content creators capture quality audio on the go, that’s how I approached this review. I packed the kit in my backpack every time I headed out of the house, then recorded voiceover content wherever the day took me.
That meant I captured audio clips in a whole range of settings and scenarios, from noisy cafes to windy walks along busy roads. I tested the transmitters at all three volume levels, with and without the windshields installed, and with noise reduction enabled and disabled. This gave me a catalog of recordings with which to make comparisons on clarity and quality.
Because the Lark M2S Combo is pitched as a full kit for creators, I tested it with both the USB-C mobile receiver and the cold-shoe camera adapter. With the latter, I wired up to a Nikon D7100 using a 3.5mm cable, as well as using the bundled Lightning cable to connect an iPhone 12.
During my time with the Lark M2S, I tried to use it as someone might do in the real world. That meant clipping the transmitters to different items of clothing. I also purposefully interacted with interface before consulting the instructions in detail, to get a realistic idea of how accessible the system is for beginners.
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christian.rowlands@me.com (Chris Rowlands)
