The brand Joby is a brand that really does provide products for those looking the create content and Joby aid with the audio and lighting requirements. Here at What Gadget, we have reviewed content creation tools like the Joby Podzilla & Joby Standpoint.
In this review, we got the chance to review the Joby Wavo Air which was released alongside the Joby Wavo Pro, Joby Wavo Pro-DS, Joby Wavo Pod.
First Impressions
The Joby Wavo Air comes in at £214.95 and is a wireless mic and receiver that work together to capture high-quality sound. In my day job working for a publication, we interview many people from the data industry at trade shows and this device proved very useful.
The Joby Wavo Air solves an ongoing problem many content creators have been having. Recording high-quality video has never been easier due to technological advances on our smartphones. However, one area has fallen behind a little and that is the audio quality meaning the further a person is away from the smartphone or camera the greater the impact on the audio will be.
The Wavo Air is a wireless microphone that actually enables you to capture broadcast-quality even if the person you are recording is up to 50 meters away from the video recording device.
Unboxing
The Joby Wavo Air comes with 2x transmitters and one receiver. The transmitters are very lightweight at only 2.4GHz and each has a built-in microphone at the top of the device. The Mics have an omnidirectional polar pattern so they give you the ability to capture 360 degrees around the subject. The downside is it will record some unwanted background noise but it’s something you should still be able to live with.
The lightweight transmitter can be attached to a magnetic necklace which does help with getting the mic closer to the speaker’s voice and also provides a stronger audio signal. Also in the box is the clip-on windshield ideal for when recording content in the great outdoors and that allows you to reduce the amount of wind noise you might expect.
The transmitter is an eye-catching red and black design which might not be for everyone’s liking. If you want something a little more discreet you can also use the cavalier clip mic that is also provided in the box and will blend in more into the background when recording.
Moving on to the receiver this can be connected to your video recording device using the TRS & TRRS cables also supplied. Depending on the device you use you might need to purchase an additional headphone jack to lightning cable adaptor in order to connect the Wavo receiver. Unfortunately, Joby did not provide this additional accessory but at only £15 it won’t break the bank.
An issue that some content creators face is capturing the right sound levels without distorting the vocals. The Wavo Air solves this issue with the use of an LED wheel that lights up in increments when you press the + button to increase recording levels. If you still want a more professional level indicator consider downloading the FiLMic Pro app which allows you to keep an eye on the levels and get more precise control.
Design
The Wavo Air is built using lightweight plastic and set up is quite easy but if you need some help you also get a useful quick-start guide. What you will find is the receiver and transmitter mics are already paired. The transmitter’s clip-on windshields were tricky to fit on the unit but once connected they stayed connected.
As mentioned earlier the sound levels can be controlled with the +/- buttons on the transmitter. They can be accidentally tapped when connecting the transmitter onto a belt for some recording action.
Performance
The transmitters will record from up to 50 meters and as long as there are no obstacles in the way and you have a clear line of sight it will work well.
In testing the audio recording did provide clear audio but if you move out of the line of slight this will impact the audio quality and it’s likely it will just drop out but it’s only likely to happen for a few seconds.
If you need to record people walking away from your camera you will get good quality of sound up to about 25 meters which were a little short compared to what Joby stated.
The benefit of having 2x transmitters is in an interview you can connect both the interviewer and interviewee at the same time. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to have the audio on separate channels. As long as you set the levels before you start recording it should not be an issue.
Battery life with the Joby Wavo air is 6 hours which considering most interviews we did were 10- 15 minutes long gave us ample battery life for the whole day.
Last but least with Bluetooth recordings you can suffer the issue of latency where the sound is slightly out of sync with the main video. When using the Wavo Air it resulted in 3 frames out of sync you can fix this by using software such as Premier Pro and just lining up the frames so the audio and video match and you get that high-quality video with audio that matches.
Verdict
Joby Wavo Air allows you to capture broadcast quality sound with the ability to move around with ease. We found this perfect for interviews planned interviews at trade shows.
Some users might complain about the build as a lot of plastic was used but it did not cause me any issues. The one slight negative you might suffer is the audio and video being slightly out of sync at points but with some editing software, you can solve this common issue.
The only other issue I could mention is that if your using an iPhone 12 or above with this device there is no lighting cable included in the kit. This is a disappointment as the Wavo Air is designed for content creators who would normally use an iPhone so you would expect such an accessory.
Overall the Joby Wavo Air is slightly expensive at £214.95 but if you are creating regular content it’s worth the investment. Its lightweight and the windshields do a good job of cutting out unwanted outside wind affecting the sound. It pairs instantly and has a very simple set-up.
So if you are a content creator this device comes highly recommended.
Product Rating:
Overall Rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
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