I’ve come to the point where I need a few extra UHF wireless microphones systems around. The Sennhieser G2 wireless system I use right now works great and most of the time the two sets I use are plenty, but lately I’ve run into situations where it would be nice to have one or 2 extra for a second camera. So I started looking around on ebay for a set of used G2 Ew100’s in a different frequency. It seems that they’ve become so popular that the used price is almost the same as the new price.

I was about to give up and order a new set from B&H when I came across the Samson Airline Micro wireless system. I vaguely remember hearing something about them last year, but I never actually followed up to see if they’d been released. I found a refurbished set on Amazon for $245 and thought I’d give them a try.

You might recognize the name Samson, they happen to be the parent company that brought us the Zoom h4n and Zoom h1, not to be confused with Samsung. When you opened the box you find a very nice hard shell case, with pockets and form fitting sections for everything included with the system. I wish more wireless setups came packaged like this. It makes it a lot easier to keep track of all of the little parts and peaces.

When I open the case I was taken back by how small the Airline micro is. I know the title says micro, but the transmitter and receiver stacked end to end are no bigger then a Manfrotto  501pl quick release plate.  I’ve never actually seen a wireless transmitter this small, and yet Samson claims 6 to 8 hours of battery life which seems incredible.

Here is the Airline Micro wireless receiver sitting next to one of my Sennheiser G2 receivers. It might be a little hard to tell from the picture but the Sennheiser G2 is almost twice the size of the Samson Airline.  I still have trouble believing that a proper UHF system fits in such a small package. One thing you’ll notice is that the G2 has a compartment which houses 2 AA batteries, while the Airline Micro has a built in Lithium Ion battery, which could be a negative over the long term.

You might also notice the lack of buttons on these little guys. That’s because all of the adjustments on Airline Micro are done with a single button and a combination of long presses and blinking led lights to guide you through setup. I’m really not sure how easy that kind of configuration will work. You’ll also notice the nice little USB charger slash docking station. This gives you the ability to charge the receiver and connect to it’s audio output at the same time.

The included cables and parts are very similar to what’s included with a Sennheiser G2, but the added bonus is the cold shoe adapter. Where as the G2 cold shoe adapter is sold separately for an extra $20. I’m very interested in testing out the battery life, audio quality, and the reach of this guy. So look forward to more on the Samson Airline Micro Wireless adapter over the next few weeks.

Update: Full video review is up. I also did a quick audio test with the Rode VideoMic.


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