You would say most headsets now come with built-in microphone and why do I need another mic for streaming? Well, you can but if you are serious about streaming and dabble with voice over for your videos and simply want a quality mic to be attached to your camera or your Smartphone which many uses now as a pocket video camera for insta- stories and youtube vlogging, it makes sense to have a professional mic at your disposal. What I got here is one such mic from AverMedia, a Taiwanese brand. The mic I have? The AverMedia Live Streamer Mic 133. It makes it very clear what the intent of the mic – for the new generation who are into streaming videos.
Box contents of Life Steamer 133:
- Microphone (AM133)
- Shock Mount
- Metal Stand
- Windscreen
- Carrying Case
- 3-Pole to 3-Pole 3.5 mm Cable
- 4-Pole to 3-Pole 3.5 mm Audio Adapter Cable
- Quick Guide
Tech Specifications of Life Streamer 133:
- Type: Uni-directional condenser microphone
- Polar pattern: Cardioid
- Output: 3.5 mm Jack
- Sensitivity: -37 dB ±3 dB at 1 kHz, (0 dB = 1 V/Pa)
- Frequency response: 20Hz ～ 16kHz
- Maximum SPL: 110 dB
- Dimensions (with stand): 70 x 83.3 x 132.25 mm (2.75 x 3.28 x 5.2 in)
- Weight (With stand ): 80 g (2.82 oz)
Design and build quality
The Live Streamer Mic 133 is lightweight to carry weighing only 80 grams and can also be easily pocketed being only 5.2-inches in length. So for all those vloggers working with a smartphone, this is very handy to carry along. It’s a unidirectional microphone with a plastic construction. There are no controls on the mic itself and is a plug and play type. The deadcat artificial fur is of fairly good quality. The shock mount is sturdy and stood well once mounted on my camera. The cables provided are also of good build and quality.
Performance of Live Streamer 133
Technically you can hook up the Live Streamer mic to your camera, laptop, smartphone if it has 3.5mm audio jack, the performance grading depends on for what you going to use the Live Streamer for. The company has no qualms in admitting that it is basically for streaming, Youtuber (with my test, I would stress particularly for vloggers) and content creators on the move. First thing I did was to try on my Canon 80D for my video shoot. I use a 50mm lens and so at a distance, I found the mic not up to the mark. Then I realized it is not exactly meant for it. Once I started using it with the Smartphone, it worked well. Up close like 1 meter, the sound quality on the mic is captured decently well to show some degree of improvement on your recordings. So yes, the Live Streamer Mic 133 is basically meant for streamers, vloggers and for voice over on a Smartphone or PC. It does a pretty decently well. The recorded audio is not entirely full and rich but does a better job than your phone mic or regular normal mic you might have.
