Review: Hollyland Lark M2S wireless mic

Review unit provided by Hollyland

The Hollyland M2S is an ultra small wireless mic released in January 2025. You can think of this as a variation of the Hollyland Lark M2 that was released one year ago. By the way, the Hollyland Lark M2 is the main mic I use to record audio indoors and when I'm vlogging, and I've already made more than hundreds of video with that mic over the past year.

Price of the Hollyland Lark M2S and M2 are USD 149 and USD 119 respectively.

Video review

Bottom line

The Hollyland Lark M2S mic system is compact and extremely portable. The mic is versatile and can be used with phones, mirrorless cameras and even computers. The mic is easy to use and the mic can record good audio quality.

Between this and the Lark M2, I still prefer the Lark M2 because I can put that mic behind my shirt to use my shirt to block out wind noise, which means I do not need to bring any furry windshield with me. While the Lark M2S has a smaller and more inconspicuous design, it will need a furry windshield when recording outdoors.

One potential deal breaker is how the Lark M2S mounts on the camera hotshoe. If the mounting is loose, you'll have to find some way to tighten that yourself.

Both Lark M2 and M2S are small mics so they are small enough. Not having to bring and use a furry windshield is extremely convenient. And the Lark M2 is cheaper by US $30. So between the two I still recommend the Lark M2.

Specifications

• Mic Sensitivity: -37 dBV ± 2dB @ 1 KHz, 94dB SPL
• Wireless Modulation Mode: GFSK 2 Mbps
• Wireless Transmission: 2.4 GHz Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH)
• Transmission Range: Up to 1000ft (300m) for LOS / 200ft (60m) for NLOS
• Mic Polar Pattern: Omnidirectional
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: > 70dB
• Sound Pressure Level: 116dB SPL
• Sample Rate & Depth: 48 kHz / 24-bit
• Battery Life: Up to 30 hours with charging case
• Battery TX: 9hr
• Battery RX: 8.5hr
• Charging Time: Less than 1.5 hours
• Weight: TX 7g, RX 6g, charging case 80 to 110g depending on content
• Noise Cancellation: Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC)
• Compatibility: Works with iPhone, Android, PC, and cameras

Things included

• 2x transmitters
• 1x receiver (camera)
• 1x receiver (USB-C)
• Charging case
• 2x furry windshield
• 3.5mm TRS to 3.5mm TRS cable
• USB-C to lighting adapter cable
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Packing list card
• User manual
• Warranty card
• Compliance info card

Design

Shown above are the three Hollyland mics that I have, from left to right:

• Hollyland Lark M2: Compact and portable. This is great for voiceover, vlogging and 1-on-1 interviews.
• Hollyland Lark M2S: Has almost the same feature set at Lark M2, but with a new transmitter design
• Hollyland Lark Max: This mic has more features. I use this for event coverage because I can attach a lavalier or directional mic to the transmitter. The large size of the receiver makes it less ideal when used with phones.

Out of the three, the Hollyland Lark M2S has the smallest transmitter. Actually the transmitter size for the Lark M2 and M2S are so small that I wonder why the Lark Max transmitter is that big.

The system

This mic system comes with all the accessories you'll need to record to an Android phone, iPhone, tablet and computer. The transmitters and receiver will power on and pair automatically when taken out of the case, and charge automatically when in the case.

The charging case is able to house the USB-C and 3.5mm receiver and two transmitters. You'll have to keep the cables elsewhere if you bring them.

This system is so small and lightweight. Transmitter weighs 7g. Camera receiver weighs 6g. Not sure how heavy the USB-C receiver is but it's even lighter, and you won't even notice the extra weight when it's on your phone.

Here's the size comparison of the transmitter with a SD card.

This transmitter features a reverse hook design. To wear the transmitter, you just hook it over the shirt collar. Removing this transmitter is easier than the Lark M2 because you can just pull it up, but for the Lark M2 you have to make sure the transmitter and magnet do not fall off.

The side button is for power and noise cancellation. This transmitter does not have a power light so there's no way to know that mic is on or off unless you look at the receiver's light status.

The omni-directional mic has to be worn outside. The mic does a good job picking up voice. The mic will also pick up some ambient noise but it's not really an issue for me as I prefer to have some environment ambient noise. You can enable noise cancelling but that may add some distortion to voice recording which do not sound good to me.

Battery life of the transmitter is said to be 9 hours.

Here's how the Lark M2S looks with and without the furry windshield. The Lark M2 is in the middle. If I'm recording outdoors, I would put the Lark M2 inside my shirt and the magnet outside so that I can use my shirt to block out wind noise.

The camera receiver is also very small. The knob can be used to adjust volume gain (3 levels). Single press on the knob enables or disables noise cancellation. Press and hold for 3s will switch between mono and stereo mode (one mic records to left, and the other mic records to right channel).

On the right side is the 3.5mm port that should connect to the camera. The hotshoe mount is not a clip like other receivers I've seen. This can present a problem because if this is loose on your camera's hotshoe, how are you gonna tighten it? This is actually a potential deal breaker.

On the other side is a USB-C port for charging in addition to the charging connects at the bottom. The lower button can be used to lock the knob to prevent accidental volume adjustment, and a double press will mute/unmute, a 3s press will power on/off, and a 6s press goes into pairing mode.

Battery life of the receiver is said to be 8.5 hours.

The battery life of a single recording session is limited by the receiver. Battery life for this system is long and not an issue. You can record in the morning, put the transmitter and receiver back in the case for charging while you're at lunch, and continue to record until night time.

Audio quality

The mic is able to record clear audio. When recording in a quiet environment, the voice is good enough for voiceovers or making product reviews.

When outdoors, the mic is able to pick up voice very well. The mic will still record some ambient noise so you'll have to decide whether to enable noise cancelling. I rarely use noise cancelling unless the background is extremely noise, e.g. heavy non-stop traffic or drilling.

Conclusion

The Hollyland Lark M2S is a mic capable of recording good audio. The compact, lightweight and inconspicuous design makes it so convenient.

One potential deal breaker is the hotshoe mount. If the receiver is loose on the hotshoe of your camera, you'll have to find some way to tighten that.

As mentioned earlier, I still prefer the Hollyland Lark M2 because I can place that mic behind my shirt so that I don't have to bring the furry windshield. I've dropped and lost one furry windshield by the way before I discovered the behind-the-shirt trick.

Availability

The Hollyland Lark M2S is available from Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | ES | IT | JP)

The Hollyland Lark M2 is available from Amazon (US | CA | UK | DE | FR | ES | IT | JP)