The JBL Quantum Stream Wireless Microphone is a reliable, no-fuss clip-on microphone well-suited to individual content creators. What it lacks in sophisticated features it more than makes up for in ease-of-use and dependability, making it an excellent, affordable option for someone looking to upgrade the sound quality of their social videos.
For budding creators, there’s no shortage of wireless lapel or lavalier microphones on the market, at a wide range of price points. It’s hard to know what the right mic is; skimping on price might hurt quality, but if you’re just making TikToks, spending more than $200 or $300 dollars feels unjustifiable.
At just $150, the JBL Quantum Stream Wireless is a very sensible option. There’s just the one microphone included, but that’s all you need if you’re going solo or happy to hold it in your hands as an interview mic, as so many creators do nowadays.
The sound quality is commendable given the price. For my purposes, making the occasional TikTok/Instagram Reel, it is more than sufficient and a substantial upgrade as opposed to relying on the in-built iPhone mic or a pair of Airpods. My only qualm, even at max gain, was that it was a little insensitive and required close proximity to my mouth.
The benefit of that is that you don’t pick up a tonne of background noise. Using it outside with the windscreen attached, it does a decent job of prioritising your voice over the background, even without the available noise-cancellation setting enabled.
It’s dead easy to use too. The receiver with a single USC-C connection, plugs straight into your device and connects to the microphone upon pulling it out of the charging case. The versatility of USB-C is welcome too, meaning it’s compatible with newer iPhone 15s, but also most Android phones, Macs, and PCs.
With the JBL Headphones app, you can manage gain, noise cancellation, mic effect, LED brightness and auto power off. True to form for the microphone, it’s just enough without being too much and inflating the price unnecessarily.
It’s a robust package including the clip-on microphone, USB-C receiver, charging case and detachable windscreen, which is admittedly a little finicky to attach to the mic. The mic and receiver drop into the charging case much like a pair of earbuds, whilst the windscreen you’ll need to carry separately. To nitpick, the receiver needs to be inserted just the right way (for charging purposes) and I never got it right the first time.
Everything’s plastic but feels reasonably durable; I did not hesitate to lob it into my backpack and the advertised 24 hours of battery life seemed to live up to its promise. A week would go by and I’d pull it out, plug it in, and be recording in seconds with plenty of battery life.
For the price, there’s little I can critique about the mic. Sure, with just the one included microphone, it mightn’t suit every creator looking to feature multiple people on camera. The clip, as opposed to a magnetic attachment that goes through clothes, does mean you have to consider your wardrobe ahead of shooting content.
