A good quality microphone has become a necessity in the age of social media, where almost everyone is looking to improve their social media presence or simply enhance their work with a better multimedia presence.
Enter the Crossbeats Clip M01, a microphone that claims to deliver excellent audio quality for a budget of around ₹3,000. But does it live up to the hype? I tested the Clip M01 extensively over the course of last two months, and here’s how it performed in the real world.
Design and in-hand feel:
Clip M01 comes in a plastic case with one receiver and two transmitters. There is also a USB-C and lightning dongle inside the case to ensure connectivity with both Android and older iPhones.
The case itself feels pretty cheap in hand and is also susceptible to a lot of fingerprints and scratches. I have had this M01 with me for a couple of months with the case using lying around an almirah or my bag and it already looks completely worn out, which isn’t a good sign as far as durability goes.
There is also a glass like finish on top of the case, which I assumed would reflect the charging percentage or connection status but as it turns out it is just there for the show. Instead, the charging percentage is dropped down below the Crossbeats logo where it is barely visible.
Connectivity and usage:
Connecting the M01 is relatively simple. Just plug in the transmitter to your phone’s Type-C or lightning port and press down on the top button on the two microphones. Once the violet and blue light goes up on both the microphones, it means that they are connected to the phone.
Once connected, the two omnidirectional microphones can either be used in an interview-like set up or to get a stereo sound output. I tried Clip M01 on two separate Android devices (iQOO 13 and Vivo X200) and there were no issues with either separately recording the audio using the recording app or recording with the default camera app.
For the tech buffs, Clip M01 is capable of capturing audio at 48Khz sampling rate and 24 bit depth. Crossbeats claims a range of 120m with the microphone but I wouldn’t recommend taking the it more than 30- 40m away from the phone at which point the audio starts becoming glitchy and the connection unstable.
The microphone is capable of capturing decent-quality audio and can also get rid of some of lighter background noises with the ENC mode turned on. However, the Clip M01 come with just a single noise reduction option that cannot be customized, unlike many other microphones in this range which come with three levels of noise reduction.
Crossbeats claims a 10 hour battery life with the microphones and 40 hours of overall charge with the case. While I wasn’t able to confirm the exact battery life of the mics, I did notice the battery of supplied case dropping significantly after putting back the mics following 30 minutes of use, which makes me highly sceptical of battery life claims.
Verdict: Should you buy Crossbeats Clip M01?
With a starting price of ₹2,999, the Crossbeats Clip M01 can be a tempting option for someone just starting out on their content creation journey. However, the durability of the supplied case, the lack of customizable noise reduction options, and concerns about battery life prevent me from fully recommending these microphones as a definitive buy.