Wireless microphones are an incredibly popular and convenient solution to many of the problems that come with traditional wired setups: they require far less cabling, and that means fewer issues with shorted wiring, lowered chances of cable-related tripping, and a higher number on the “Days Since Last Incident” sign. While they can be a bit more difficult to onboard, once the system is up and running, audio engineers and A/V technicians appreciate the fast setup time and decreased storage space that wireless mics afford. So, with all the options out there, which ones are best? Like anything else, it depends! The mic that wins “Most Likely to Succeed” will change based upon the occasion, whether it’s a routine karaoke night or a once-in-a-lifetime presentation. Read on to discover which wireless microphones are right for you.
Types of Wireless Mics
First, you should familiarize yourself with the various types of wireless mics because each has unique physical characteristics and mounting methods. When choosing what’s best for you, keep in mind that handheld microphones mostly use dynamic capsules (only some use condenser), where miniature wireless mics almost always use electret condensers with very few exceptions. Unlike true condenser microphones that need full external phantom power (48V) to function, electret condensers use pre-polarized material that has a “permanent” charge, allowing the microphone to work with only small voltages from a battery or plug-in power source like a bodypack, making them perfect for lavaliers and other miniature microphones.
Keep in mind that every transmitter needs a receiver from the same product line and with a matching frequency band. Make sure that you purchase the correct equipment that corresponds with what you need, especially if you’re adding to an already existing system.
Wireless Transmitters – Making Traditional Mics Wireless
You can convert most wired dynamic and condenser XLR microphones to wireless by using a plug on transmitter like the Shure SLXD3+ or Bose S1 Pro+ Wireless Mic/Line Transmitter—so long as you have the proper compatible receiver that shares the same frequency band, brand and series, and transmission technology (there’s still some legacy gear around using analog FM transmission).
For example, the Shure SLXD3+ transmitter is only compatible with Shure SLXD4+, SLXD4D+, and SLXD5+ receivers, and the Bose transmitter only works with the Bose S1 Pro+ PA System (we also have a kit with the Bose S1+, Sennheiser handheld mic, and mic transmitter).
Lavalier
Lavaliers are miniature microphone, usually a condenser, designed to be attached to clothing or wearable items. Most lav mics do have a cable, which needs to be connected to a bodypack transmitter for wireless operation. The Lectrosonics M152/5P, Sanken COS-11D, and Sennheiser ME 2 are classic examples of lavaliers microphones.
Headset/Earset
These miniature microphones have a frame that allows mounting over the head or over an ear. Like lavs, headset and earset mics utilize cables and bodypack transmitters. Check out the Senal UEM-155 and Galaxy Audio HSM4, or DPA Microphones d:fine Core 4188 if you’re curious!
Instrument
This type of miniature microphone has a mounting system for attachment to a specific type of instrument such as a violin, saxophone, or flute. Most wireless instrument mics have cables and use bodypack transmitters for wireless use. Check out models like the premier DPA 4099 CORE+ that work both wired or wirelessly with a transmitter (see the transmitter section below) or the Shure WB98H/C are quintessential examples. Instruments with installed pickups can use 1/4" adapter cables such as the Shure WA302 and the Sennheiser CI1 to allow direct connection between your guitar, bass, or flamboyant wearable synthesizer and a bodypack transmitter.
Handheld
This traditionally styled condenser or dynamic microphone is meant to be handheld or mounted on a mic stand. A wireless transmitter built into the body of the mic eliminates the need for external cabling. The Shure ULXD2/SM58 and Sennheiser SKM 825-XSW-A are two of the many options available.
Gooseneck
This aptly named style of condenser or dynamic microphone has a capsule attached to a articulated shaft (typically metal) that connects to a transmitter base, usually placed on desks, tables, or podiums. The CAD WX1000GN has a wireless transmitter base and removable gooseneck mic, while the Audio-Technica ATW-T1407 is only the transmitter base with a female XLR connection for use with any XLR gooseneck microphone.
Boundary
This flat and rectangular microphone (usually a condenser) is designed to be set on a table or desk. Like handheld and gooseneck mics, the transmitter is part of the microphone assembly. Unlike the other wireless mic types, boundary microphones are often designed to pick up multiple sources, particularly useful for conference rooms and meeting areas in corporate spaces. Mics such as the Shure ULXD6/O-G50 and Audio-Technica ATW-T1406 are great options to entertain.
Wireless Shotgun
Wireless shotgun mics are a more recent development, having been commercially introduced and quickly adopted mid-2023. These microphones are highly directional and are able to capture sound from quite a distance, most known as the mic that boom operators use. You can use them by themselves, attached to a boom, or even mounted directly to a camera’s shoe.
Film and TV productions often use traditional wireless shotgun mics like the Sennheiser MKH 416-P48U3 paired with a Sennheiser EW 500 wireless system, but DPA is set to release the 4097 CORE+ shotgun mic (available with a separate interview kit) sometime in 2026. While it’s not wireless per se, it’s specifically designed to be used with a separate wireless transmitter or attached to a camera’s shoe mount and can work with phantom 48V or 12V power as well as with 5V to 10V power from a bodypack transmitter. Speaking of separate transmitters…
Scenarios
Wireless microphones are purpose-built and designed for specific scenarios; what’s appropriate for the boardroom will become a confounding disaster on the live stage—a lead vocalist will look at you with utter confusion (if not malicious contempt) if you hand them a boundary mic during soundcheck. The following list should help you familiarize yourself with common situations and the type(s) of wireless microphones that will best suit them.
Musicians in Live Shows
If you’re micing acoustic instruments without built-in electronics, they’ll need a wireless instrument microphone along with the appropriate bodypack and clip-mount. If the instrument is already outfitted with a pickup—such as a guitar, bass, or synth—no microphone is needed. Simply hook up the instrument cable from your instrument to your bodypack transmitter using the correct adapter for your situation; most instruments use a 1/4" jack for output, but the input of the transmitter may be 3.5mm, TA4, TA5, or another one of many others.
Singers in Live Performances
Assuming the singer doesn’t need to use their hands to play an instrument, wireless handheld mics are ideal for vocalists performing at karaoke bars, church services, or singing the National Anthem in a stadium before thousands of perfectly attentive listeners.
If the singer has a choreographed routine or needs their hands to be entirely free during the performance (think Bad Bunny or early 00s Brittney Spears), opt for a headset or earset microphone. Both will bestow freedom to roam about the stage hands free!
Performers in Theater Productions
Imagine going to see a Broadway show only to see each actor holding a handheld mic in every scene—the verisimilitude is shattered, the disappointment immeasurable, and the day? Ruined.
When using mics on performers in plays, comedy troupes, and musicals, the microphones need to be heard and not seen. Lavalier mics are the easiest to hide, while earsets and headsets offer the best positioning for minimized stage bleed with maximum direct sound from the mouth. One of the most popular models used in theaters is the Countryman B6 Omni Lavalier Mic.
On-Camera Subjects
For interviewers and interviewees, news anchors in the studio, or actors and actresses in TV and film productions, hands-free and hidden is the way it needs to be (podcasts are stylistically exempt from this rule). Lavaliers are commonly used for one-on-one interviews, but wireless shotgun mics are king when it comes to scripted productions. Even for unscripted productions, shotgun mics can be used to capture the sound of the scene for an alternate/backup file, to capture room or audience noise, or to give the ability for the mic operator to dynamically move the positioning of the mic towards whatever sound source is needed.
News Correspondents in the Field
In the field and on location, news correspondents need a single microphone that can be oriented to any individual, so a wireless handheld mic is the way to go (think of any news correspondent you’ve seen on television in the last fifty years, especially when interviewing a citizen at the scene). But beyond the on-screen talent, the news team would be remiss to not include a camera-mounted or boom-operated wireless shotgun mic—the situation may very well call for it. It depends on your budget and circumstance, but it’s never a bad idea to have a shotgun mic in the kit.
Lectures from a Podium and Sermons from a Pulpit
Since the subject will be stationary and not fluttering about the room, a gooseneck mic is the perfect solution. There’s no need to repeatedly attach and remove it from the speaker; it just stays at the podium/pulpit. The flexible gooseneck provides easy adjustment for subjects of different heights and doesn’t require permanent installation.
Speakers Who Move Around in Houses of Worship, Conferences, and Large Classrooms
When subjects feel the need to ambulate during speeches, presentations, or lectures, it’s dealer’s choice between headset, earset, and lavalier microphones. They offer minimal visibility, maximum mobility, and leave their hands free for expressive gestures.
People at Tables in Meetings and Conferences
Meetings and conferences often involve multiple people gathered around a table talking at different times or, in some cases, over each other. Boundary and gooseneck microphones are frequently the preferred choices due to their ease of use and flexible mute functionality. The main advantages of goosenecks in this scenario are that they’re so simple to position and they can be relatively close to the mouth. However, boundary mics require less space and can achieve the same coverage area with fewer mics per table.
Fitness Instruction
When a trainer needs a microphone, the mic should stay consistently positioned regardless of what the trainer is doing—jumping, leaning, lifting, or sitting. So, pick a headset or earset mic; it’ll stay close to the mouth no matter where the head goes!
Conclusion
Before you buy any new wireless microphones, first figure out what would serve the subject best and determine what’s compatible with your wireless transmitters and receivers. If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to our experts online or at the B&H Superstore!
