The Hollyland Lark M2 was already a small, high-quality wireless microphone you could get for the iPhone, but now its M2S successor is even more tiny.
This is why I review products instead of trying to make them — the new Hollyland Lark M2S takes something I was delighted with and makes it so much better. I bought the now-old Hollyland Lark M2 and have been using it extensively for a year, but now I won’t touch it because the new edition solves issues I hadn’t even realized were there.
Both models are still available. Both are wireless microphones with optional accessories for pairing them to an iPhone or a camera.
And yet, there are valid reasons to prefer the older model. For example, the new one is so compact that it’s easy to misplace — and I’ve done it.
Hollyland Lark M2S review: what you get
The Hollyland Lark M2S comes in a pouch that, in every one of its multiple options, includes a USB-C charging case, two wireless lavaliere microphones, and two dead-cat covers for recording in windy surroundings. Each edition then has a receiver, which can be a USB-C one for the iPhone or a camera receiver.
The Combo version, which we reviewed, also has a USB-A to USB-C cable and a 3.5mm TRS cable for connecting to cameras.
The charging case is the only thing larger than with the previous edition, but oddly it feels more professional instead of bigger. It’s better designed, too, with cutouts making it more obvious how the microphones fit inside for charging.
The redesigned charging case means you can put microphones back in the right way without looking
That was a notable issue with the old Hollyland Lark M2. Even after a year, I still had to check which way to place the microphones back inside the charging case.
Hollyland Lark M2S review: it’s the microphones that count
Previously, Hollyland described its Lark M2 microphones as being button-sized. That made it better than most wireless microphones which are big enough to be distracting, but still noticeable.
Most wireless microphones also use their size to show off a company logo. Hollyland does that too, in the old microphone, but optionally let you cover up the logo with a sticker.
That was a good idea and a nice touch, but most of the stickers available were just as distracting as a logo.
With the new Hollyland Lark M2S, no logo is visible when you’re wearing the microphone. That’s because all that is visible is the smallest part of the microphone, an absolutely tiny pinprick of a mic.
Bottom: the old Lark M2 microphone with logo and light. Top: the new Lark MS2
Most of the wireless microphone, the part that transmits to a receiver, is instead hidden inside your clothing. It clips onto shirts, blouses, and jackets, such that only the part that records sounds has to be on the outside.
That’s both an advantage and a disadvantage, though. The advantage is that this is so much more discreet than the most wireless microphones so you can wear it in videos without distracting the viewer.
The disadvantage is that it isn’t as universally useful as the old version. That previous Lark M2 worked magnetically, with the microphone on the outside of your clothing, and a small round magnet on the inside.
So it could go on a jumper as easily as a shirt or blouse, it could be used with just about any clothing. This new version must be clipped on if it’s to be used on clothing, and that means finding an edge like the front placket, perhaps near a button.
You can also noticeably crease up the clothing. Although the new model’s microphones are lighter than the old ones, at 7g instead of 9g, so they should put less strain on the clothing.
But also if you’re wearing a T-shirt, you can clip the microphone onto the neckline where that won’t show so easily.
Left: the old Lark M2: its microphone is on top, above the blue light. Right: the new Lark MS2 showing its microphone at the front
While this means you’ll need to think about clothing before starting a recording, there is another advantage to having this new clip design. As well as having space for a logo, most wireless microphones feature a small LED light that may seem dull in person but is highly visible in video.
It’s a status light, showing both that the microphone is on and that it is connected to a receiver. With the new Hollyland Lark M2S, there is a light, but it’s on the inside portion of the clip.
So before you wear the microphone, you can see that you’ve turned it on, and you can see that it is paired. In the case of the Lark series, you can also see when an optional environmental noise cancellation feature is on.
Hollyland Lark M2S review: receivers
One other element that I failed to see could and, in fact, should be improved when I was using the older edition, concerns the receiver used with iPhones. In both editions, there is a USB-C-based receiver that you plug into your iPhone, but the design is subtly different.
Both receivers have lights to show when they pair or connect to one or both of the two microphones supplied. But with the older version, I used to have to check that I’d got the receiver the right way around.
They are both USB-C based so they work regardless of which way you plug them in, but the status lights are different. With the old one, the lights were only visible from one side.
A USB-C wireless receiver plugs into an iPhone. There is also a Lightning version and one for cameras
With this new Hollyland Lark M2S, the lights are in the same position but extended around the curve of the receiver so that they can be seen from either side.
Both old and new receivers, by the way, feature a USB-C passthrough connector. The angle and position of it mean it can’t be used to plug in other devices directly, but a USB-C cable can be connected.
So if necessary, the iPhone can be charged even while the microphone receiver is plugged in.
Hollyland Lark M2S review: audio quality
I used my old Hollyland Lark M2 microphones for podcasts and YouTube videos. With the new Hollyland Lark M2S, I’ve done the same, plus recorded a live concert.
Hollyland actually advertises the M2S as being discreet enough to be used in spy-like clandestine operations. While I didn’t go that far, I did try it throughout a standup comedian’s set.
Under those conditions, four rows from the stage, I wouldn’t say the results were broadcast quality. But they were startlingly good.
When used for regular recordings such as podcasts and videos, the new Hollyland Lark M2S is clear and crisp. It’s a little more bass-heavy than the previous model, but that can be adjusted in apps, including Hollyland’s optional own recording one.
Range testing is harder unless you’re willing to leave your iPhone on a tripod and leave it as you walk far away. Hollyland quotes a range of up to around 300 meters (or 1,000 feet) and I’ve not tested it that far, but I have walked to the bottom of a long garden and had no dropouts.
The quoted battery life for the new Hollyland Lark M2S is 9 hours per microphone, up to 30 hours when used with the charging case. That charging case is quoted as taking under 1.5 hours to recharge.
My experience backs that up entirely. Especially since for the first two weeks, I failed to notice that each microphone had a tiny plastic protector that stopped it from connecting to the charging case.
Hollyland Lark M2S review: design and build quality
The new microphones are made from titanium whereas the previous edition at least feels like plastic. There’s a sense of these being harder wearing and, again, just more professional.
It’s both good and bad that a pouch is provided. It would be handier if all of the cables and the dead-cat covers could be fitted into the charging case.
But most of the time, I’ve been leaving the pouch behind and haven’t missed it. That includes making some recordings outside where, while it wasn’t especially windy, there was a lot of background noise.
For that, the microphones have this environmental noise cancellation option that has proved to be effective. You can hear a difference in the voice quality if you switch the noise cancellation on during a recording, but it’s a slight difference.
Hollyland Lark M2S review: different options
As well as how it would be good to have everything in the charging case, it would be simpler if there were just one version of the Hollyland Lark M2S. Instead, there are four, but the only key difference is in the receivers provided.
If you are certain you will only use the microphones with an iPhone, there is a USB-C version that lacks the camera receiver.
Then there is an Ultimate version that contains an extra iPhone receiver that uses Lightning, so you can use it with older models, and then still have a USB-C receiver for when you upgrade.
The USB-C wireless receiver includes a passthrough connector
The Combo version — reviewed here — and a Mini Combo version complete the set. The only real difference between those is that the Combo version includes a USB-A to USB-C cable.
Hollyland Lark M2S review: should you buy
Yes. If you need a wireless microphone, the Hollyland Lark M2S provides excellent sound quality — and does so in the smallest possible size.
If you don’t care very much about your wireless microphone being visible on camera, that size difference is only convenient because it also means the mic is lighter.
Then you might also have to fiddle with recording settings to get the right sound quality for you.
But overall, I was delighted with the old Hollyland Lark M2 I bought in 2024, absolutely delighted. And yet I’ll now never go back to that set, because the new one is so much better in ways that matter to me.
Hollyland Lark M2S review: Pros
- Excellent sound quality
- Impossibly small
- No logo or visible status lights to distract viewers
- Long battery life and quick recharging
- One set has both Lightning and USB-C connectors
- USB-C receiver has a passthrough connector
Hollyland Lark M2S review: Cons
- Previous edition’s magnetic attachment is more flexible
- Different editions mean you have to choose carefully
Hollyland Lark M2S Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Hollyland Lark M2S review: where to buy
The Hollyland Lark M2S is available to buy from Amazon. The Combo version as reviewed here costs $149. It contains one USB-C receiver for plugging into an iPhone and one camera receiver.
All editions include two microphones. But the Mini Combo has only the USB-C receiver, and costs $119.
The Ultimate edition adds a Lightning-based receiver, as well as the USB-C and camera versions, for $159.
