The kit includes two transmitters and a receiver, and it supports 32-bit float recording.
Sony has announced the ECM-W5, a $400 wireless microphone kit that’s clearly designed to be as easy to use as DJI’s affordable wireless mics, provided creators are willing to pay a comparatively premium price to use it. The ECM-W5 combines wireless transmitters and a receiver that can directly record to a Sony camera (or other devices over USB-C), capturing 96kHz audio from up to 500 meters away in line-of-sight conditions.
The ECM-W5 is easiest to use with Sony’s Alpha series cameras, where it can connect over the Multi Interface Shoe (Sony’s modern answer to the hotshoe) to receive power and transfer data. A kit only comes with one rectangular receiver and two microphone transmitters, but if you’re willing to purchase multiple $120 transmitters separately, you can record up to four tracks at once. Each transmitter includes 64GB of internal memory, which should work great as a backup. The internal memory also enables 32-bit float recording, which means the ECM-W5 can capture both quiet and loud sounds without forcing you to make gain adjustments.
Each transmitter can be attached to a separate microphone, and the transmitters themselves have 11 hours of battery life and come with magnetic backplates so you can pin them to a shirt. If you don’t have a Sony camera, the receiver also includes a USB-C adapter that lets it connect to a smartphone or a PC for other recording scenarios. And while you’re making adjustments on the receiver’s touchscreen, you can listen to playback wirelessly using Bluetooth LE and a pair of Sony headphones.
In comparison to the $259 DJI Mic 3 or the $99 DJI Mic Mini, it’s hard to imagine the ECM-W5 would be a compelling alternative unless you’re specifically interested in using the new microphone kit with Sony’s cameras. If you can stomach paying $400, though, 32-bit float recording could simplify your post-production workflow significantly.
The ECM-W5 is available to pre-order today for $400 and ships in November. You can also pre-order a standalone $190 ECM-W5R receiver or $120 ECM-W5T transmitter if you plan on expanding your kit.
