The Saramonic Ultra Microphone System is a wireless microphone solution for creators and professionals. Built with versatility and content recreation in mind, the Ultra boasts 32-bit float onboard recording, and an impressive 300-meter range built-in timecode. All of this comes in an impressively compact form factor and all the accessories you need for a two-person recording setup. Aimed to offer the ultimate in portable audio capture setup, the Ultra Microphone System comes ready to impress.
The build quality of the Saramonic Ultra is quite solid. Compared to the Saramonic Blink500B2+, they offer a comparable size but feel more substantial and a bit more rugged. For example, the transmitters provide IPX5 waterproof protection, allowing for more adaptability in the field. Using a second, detachable antenna also means a longer range (up to 300m LOS) for better wide-angle shots. Not to mention that the transmitters weigh 35g, up 12g from the Blink500B2+ 23g. While similar in build, the whole system feels much sturdier.
There are a few internal components that have seen an impressive upgrade as well. The microphones on the transmitters feature premium MEMS mic capsules known for delivering clear capture with minimal noise. MEMS mics excel at lowering total distortion on the capture, which results in a cleaner overall audio profile. Additionally, they offer a wider dynamic range and a higher threshold for distortion, meaning they can capture audio without distortion in high dB environments.
Another notable feature of the Saramonic Ultra transmitters is the higher bit depth of 32-bit float, which aids in capturing clearer audio in louder environments. As a result, the peak sound pressure threshold for the Ultra is an impressive 130dB. There is a small caveat with this capture quality: the 32-bit float capture can only be achieved via onboard recording. The upside is that the transmitters support onboard recording with 8GB storage each, making them ideal not just as a higher quality audio capture but as a safety recording device while filming.
The receiver, likewise, carries the same kind of improvements and quality updates seen in the transmitter. It includes a 1.1” HD AMOLED touchscreen as well as an onboard scroll knob for easy navigation. This scroll knob has been an amazing quality-of-life upgrade for me during testing. Using small touchscreens with my stubby fingers is always a chore and the inclusion of the knob has made navigation a much more user-friendly experience.
Perhaps one of the nicest quality-of-life design features is the inclusion of an onboard timecode system integrated into the receiver. This has made multicam editing a much smoother experience overall, allowing for quick syncing without any additional work. The time code system is easy to activate and is a real treat to have when editing in post with the audio clips.
“All of these features help the Saramonic Ultra truly become a competitive option for content creators and professionals.”
Many of the more common features present in competitor wireless mic systems such as noise cancellation, voice boost and lowcut are also present. All of these features help the Saramonic Ultra truly become a competitive option for content creators and professionals. It’s nice to see the company pushing their products forward and raising the bar for what we can expect from Saramonic.
As for accessories, the Saramonic Ultra takes many of its cues from the aforementioned Blink500B2+. There is an impressive list of accessories including 2 transmitters, 1 receiver, a charging case, a USB-C to USB-C data cable, a TRS to TRS audio cable, lightning and USB-C adaptors, windshields, 2 Lavalier mics and magnets for the transmitter clips. The most notable difference is the inclusion of the external antenna, which fits nicely with the aforementioned accessories in the included carry bag. It’s designed as an all-in-one solution to accommodate a wide range of recording setups. When all packaged up it’s a convenient and fairly compact audio solution.
Shifting to audio quality, there is a notable improvement over previous models I’ve tested as I would expect considering the price point as well as the inclusion of the MEMS microphones. The base audio quality without any enhancements is quite clear and representative of the source signal. In fact, in testing, I was impressed at how well it handled the low-end frequencies in my voice, which tend to give microphones trouble.
This became even clearer with the inclusion of the low-cut filter which offers three levels, 75Hz, 150Hz and 300Hz. While all worked well, I found the 105Hz setting to work well with my voice which, as mentioned, is on the lower end of the register. On the note of audio capture quality for those needing high sample rates, the Ultra can capture at up to 96kHz which helps give the Ultra that competitive edge.
“Noise reduction on the Saramonic Ultra is a solid if not a bit too aggressive at higher settings.”
Noise reduction on the Saramonic Ultra is a solid if not a bit too aggressive at higher settings. While level 1 (lowest level of NR) sounds very similar to the raw capture with slight background reduction, level 5 (highest level of NR) feels a bit aggressive and causes some audio artifacts in the audio sample during recording. In testing, which took place in front of a fan set to high I found level 3 to be the sweet spot offering clear audio capture while reducing the overall background noise levels to a reasonable level. This will vary from setting to setting.
The Saramonic Ultra also includes a voice enhancement feature with three levels of effect to work with. Much like the noise reduction, the max setting was quite aggressive and while never actually distorting the capture danced on the line with abandon. In some settings though I could see lower settings being of use when coupled with NR.
In most cases during testing I found the base microphone capture to be quite impressive, offering a clear and well-represented audio capture. Indeed, the microphones on the included transmitters are excellent to work with and worked in every setting I tested in. While I mentioned the 130 dB SPL before, I wanted to circle back to this as I was impressed at how well the Saramonic Ultra was able to capture clear audio in loud environments without actually distorting it.
While looking at the files in Reaper I was able to pull the overall track volume down and have a clean, clear audio track without any notable distortion. While I’ve seen this on higher-end XLR mic captures, it’s the first time I’ve had the opportunity to work with it on a wireless system. I was impressed with how well the Saramonic Ultra handled it.
The included Lavalier microphones, while not as clean and clear as the base transmitters, still did a serviceable job at capturing audio. It’s a great option if you don’t have a favourite Lavalier but if you do, I would recommend going with what you like. The included Lavilers are appreciated and do work but simply lack some of the detail that the transmitters capture.
“The Saramonic Ultra Microphone System is an excellent wireless microphone solution.”
Battery life on the transmitters is rated for 6 hours, which might seem a bit low compared to the Blink500B2+’s massive 20 hours. However, when overall audio quality, onboard recording and 32-bit float capture are considered it does start to make sense as to the difference in battery life. In testing, the Saramonic Ultra performed as advertised, capturing for the duration it is rated for. Thankfully this time can easily be extended thanks to the charging case which has an operating time of 24 hours. This makes charging the transmitters a quick and painless process when setting up new scenes and in-between takes.
Saramonic also includes two pieces of software to help manage the Ultra microphone system, the Saramonic App and the Smart recorder. They do the same thing and offer the same controls and settings with slightly different interfaces. While I’m not sure why two separate apps exist, I am happy to report that they both work well and offer an easy interface for managing the system.
The Saramonic Ultra Microphone System is an excellent wireless microphone solution. It provides all the features and hardware I would want in a professional-level portable recording system and the capture results are impressive. Onboard transmitter capture along with the rugged design and build make the Ultra a versatile wireless audio solution to consider. While the $300.00 price point is higher than what we’ve seen come from the Saramonics Wireless microphone line previously, the Ultra’s build quality and features justify the price point.
- 【Captures Crystal-Clear Professional Audio with Wide Dynamic Range and 130db Max SPL 】 This wireless microphone Delivers High-Quality Audio that’s ideal for Interviews, Vlogs, Streaming, Podcasts & More
- 【Universally Compatible with All Your Devices 】 This wireless lavalier microphone’s transmitters can Seamlessly Connecting to Cameras, iPhones, iPads, Android Devices, Computers and much more with 3.5mm TRS, USB-C, and Lightning Outputs
