Over the years phones have become an invaluable asset to content creators. They went from a simple device that could take photos, to in some cases outright replacing traditional cameras. This shift has resulted in a number of companies creating solutions that cater more towards this market. One of these is Saramonic’s Blink 500 B2+, with another being Boya’s Boyamic. With this in mind, is Boyamic worth considering, or are there better options out there?
Boya Boyamic Review Overview
Unboxing
Boya went with a more traditional retail look with their Boyamic. The front mentions a couple key features, the product with a glossy finish, complete with icons to indicate connections. On the back a couple features are highlighted, such as the three included audio adapters, substantial battery life, 8GB of memory, and the inclusion of a lavalier microphone.
Inside are two boxes, one containing the main Boyamic unit, and another with a simple velvet feeling pouch holding various accessories. It’s a fairly straightforward design that might not be flashy, but is effective.
Accessories
Accessories include the aforementioned pouch, two lavalier microphones, two windscreens, two clips, two fur windscreens for the Boyamic transmitters, 1’~ TRS (3.5mm) cable, 1’~ USB-A to USB-C cable, and a USB-A to USB-C adapter. The remaining two accessories, a USB-C, and Lightning adapter for the receiver are located in a dedicated compartment in the main Boyamic unit.
All You Could Want
In all, I’m actually impressed by how comprehensive this assortment is. These products typically cater to a specific niche, so getting essentially everything you could want out of the box is nice.
Design
Boyamic starts by leaving an underwhelming first impression. The simple black box feels like a rather cheap plastic, with no designs besides a glossy stamped Boya logo on top; and silver plastic Boya logo on the front. Inside is a similarly feeling blue compartment holding both transmitters, a receiver, and the previously mentioned USB-C/Lightning adapters.
That being said, I love that Boya included the same middle opening founds on Blink 500 B2+. This compartment allows owners to securely store the receiver with either adapter attached without causing a problem. Perfect for anyone concerned about losing an accessory outside of the house, or phone users that have no use for other configurations. I also like the ability to utilize wireless charging if I so choose.
Both transmitters keep a simple rectangle design. The outer casing is plastic, with a clip on the back being metal. This works with an extremely powerful magnet that also fits inside the case. On the side is a mic switch, with the other featuring a dedicated power, noise reduction, and record buttons. These are also color coordinated, a small touch that instantly tells me what their function is.
Finally, the receiver features a similar design, just with a plastic clip. This might sound like a downgrade, but given the clip will likely only be used with a camera, it limits potential damage. As for inputs, there is a mic out for a camera, mic monitor, slide in adapter on the bottom, and mode button.
Solid Pair with Easy to Use Buttons
The lack of inputs makes it hard to calibrate via the device itself, though this is thankfully something you probably won’t do often. Some options include mic mode (mono/stereo), auto recording, output volume, low cut, and more.
Mobile Devices
One of Boyamic’s biggest advantages is the included USB-C, and Lightning adapters. These connect directly to a phone, eliminating the need to have wires, or further complicate any set up.
Similar to Saramonic’s Blink 500 B2+, it’s not possible to store the transmitters with the fur windshields attached. Another downside is the additional lavalier microphones must be stored separately if you want to bring them.
One unexpected downside is the case is slightly tall. At a glance the amount seems inconsequential. It’s to the point where I couldn’t simply eyeball it, but that difference was enough to make closing my Nomatic accessory case rather difficult. It could still be done, though at a much higher risk of damaging it/other items. It still fits lying down, though that limits configuration options.
On-Device Recording
In addition to the second microphone configuration, Boyamic supports on-device recording. Files created like via on-device recording are WAV. Boyamic also boasts a total of 8GB of storage, though only 7.8GB is usable. According to Boya this can hold up to 15 hours of audio, though through our own testing I averaged 8.8MB with either microphone per 1 minute file. So I’d imagine you can get a bit more, but how much more will vary.
Interestingly, I used the Saramonic app to record a minute of audio to compare sizes, and that came out to be 20.4MB. Despite the significantly lower file size, the actual recording sounds pretty good. A brief sample of this can be found above.
All this being said, I have mixed feelings about the actual functionality. On one hand, I love that it’s a simple click of a button. Hitting the red record button activates it, indicated by a universally understood red light, with another click deactivating it. My only concern would be accidentally disabling it. I don’t think it would be likely in the default configuration, though I could see lavalier positioning causing issues.
Set Up
For the most part Boyamic is incredibly straightforward. It should be plug and play, with everything working as expected. The hardest part is configuring the receiver, though that is more due to a lack of inputs, than it being complicated.
Everything else is rather simple. Both noise cancellation, and recording can be enabled/disabled with a single button press. They’re also color coded, so at most it will take a minute to master everything. I can also confirm it sounded great out of the packaging, with no need to fiddle with additional settings.
Powerful Magnets
In my Saramonic’s Blink 500 B2+ review I briefly touched on the surprising power of the included magnets. These are always something of a concern, as a lot can happen in the outside world. Especially if these are used in more active settings like conventions, or events.
Since my last review I ended up buying a Function101 deskmat. For those unfamiliar, these deskmats are “metal-infused,” with the idea being they can use magnets to hold things in place. Extremely useful for USI pens, or the included Cable Blocks. Given the overall size/weight, I thought it would make a solid test of its power.
Depending on placement, and how quickly I moved my hand, I was able to lift the deskmat a couple inches. Mind you, this is a 31″ x 16″ mat that weighs a bit more due to the metal-infused design. Even the blocks designed for the actual mat couldn’t come close despite being a bit larger. I would try it with Blink Me as well, but the overall design doesn’t lend itself well to this test.
Performance
Sound capture is going to depend on what you’re looking for, and which configuration you use. Speaking for myself, I think the default configuration with, or without, the fur windshield was roughly on par with Blink 500 B2+. This would, unfortunately, mean Boyamic loses out to Blink Me.
One advantage over all of these devices is the ability to use a lavalier microphone. In that configuration I would say I am a bit underwhelmed. It still beat out my Maono WM821, which supports this feature as well, though I am not sure I would rely on it.
Surprisingly, I found myself liking on-device the most. A sample from this configuration can be found under on-device recording if you’d like to listen to it. All of the other samples can be found below.
Boya Boyamic
Saramonic Blink 500 B2+
Saramonic Blink Me
Maono WM821
Boya Boyamic (w/ Pop Filter)
Saramonic Blink 500 B2+ (w/ Pop Filter)
Saramonic Blink Me (w/ Pop Filter)
Boya Boyamic (w/Lavalier)
Maono WM821 (w/Lavalier)
Boya Boyamic Review Verdict
Boya did a good job with their Boyamic. Not only is the sound capture nice for the price, it’s great to see small touches like on-device recording, and wireless charging. Many will likely appreciate the simple controls as well. While I would like to see better lavalier performance, the overall package makes for a compelling product. One that can handle pretty much any situation you throw at it.
Editor’s Note: Boya Boyamic was provided to us for review purposes.
