When comparing Nolan LiveMIC2 vs RØDELink Filmmaker Kit, the Slant community recommends Nolan LiveMIC2 for most people. In the question“What are the best bluetooth microphones (excluding headsets) for mobile devices?” Nolan LiveMIC2 is ranked 3rd while RØDELink Filmmaker Kit is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose Nolan LiveMIC2 is:
With this product, you are connecting the unit (the transceiver) directly to your tablet, phone, or other Bluetooth enabled device (the receiver). No receiver is supplied with this product. You must have something compatible for this to work with either the [A2DP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bluetooth_profiles#Advanced_Audio_Distribution_Profile_.28A2DP.29) or [HSP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Bluetooth_profiles#Headset_Profile_.28HSP.29) Bluetooth profile. On iOS this does not work for Apple's built-in apps, but for some 3rd party apps, you can use your phone as the receiver. For Android it likely won't be as much of an issue. YMMV.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Microphone connects directly to mobile device by Bluetooth (no 3.5 mm jack)
With this product, you are connecting the unit (the transceiver) directly to your tablet, phone, or other Bluetooth enabled device (the receiver). No receiver is supplied with this product. You must have something compatible for this to work with either the A2DP or HSP Bluetooth profile.
On iOS this does not work for Apple's built-in apps, but for some 3rd party apps, you can use your phone as the receiver.
For Android it likely won't be as much of an issue. YMMV.
Pro Incredibly portable
It's very small and lightweight. It easily clips on to your pocket, shirt, or wherever else.
Pro 7 hours battery life
While advertised battery life is 8 hours, a user reports the battery life as being 7 hours in real world use.
Pro Works with most mobile devices
Pro Micro USB port is for charging
With a USB power bank, you can keep the unit running far longer than the estimated battery life.
Pro 8 radio frequencies and hassle-free auto synchronizing
All the user needs to do is pair the transceiver and receiver unit after putting in fresh batteries and that's about it. The paired units will automatically monitor and change to the best radio signal throughout a session. Users have not mentioned any issues with noise even in heavy radio congested areas.
Pro No radio license needed to operate
Cons
Con Flaky, low quality hardware
In less than a month, my unit became unreliable, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.
Con The buttons are unclear about what they do
You have to look at the manual and memorize that pressing left or right on the directional pad will put the embedded microphone in either omnidirectional or cardioid pattern.
Con Requires a 3rd party app in order to use
Default video/voice recording apps of iPhone/Android don't support the use of a bluetooth microphone, you will need to use a different app for that.
Con Latency/Lag can be an issue
If latency lag is a concern, consider purchasing the Alead Nolan LiveMICRX2 instead as it has the same transmitter as this product and a Bluetooth receiver that claims 10x lower latency (meaning 10x faster transmission and receiving) than most Bluetooth devices. Using linked product would mean your mobile device would have to have a 3.5 mm microphone jack as that is how the receiever would connect to your mobile device.
You can also buy the Nolan receiver a la cart, although you lose the savings (~$2 at the time of this writing) by buying it in a bundle. It is also possible to purchase other stand-alone Bluetooth audio receivers or USB Bluetooth dongles (for computers) depending on your needs.
Con User reviews report echo effect
Con Expensive
OW
Con Will need an adaptor to connect receiver to 4 pole TRRS jack on mobile devices
Most smartphones and tablets use 4 pole TRSS headphone/microphone jacks. This product uses 3 pole TRS jacks, so an adapter will be needed.
Con Audio signal disappears when going beyond range
The technology used with this product is digital, the same frequency as wireless routers. When out of range, it just drops the [audio] connection. The flip side is you know that if you have a link, you won't have the creeping noise issues of analog wireless systems when going beyond the range capabilities of the unit.