Saramonic Air SE: 5-Gram Wireless Mics With AI Noise Cancelling

Saramonic has added the Air SE to its range of miniature wireless microphone systems. It follows the Air, which the company launched the year before, and is aimed at smartphone filmmakers and creators who publish to social media. The set consists of two transmitters, a USB-C receiver and a compact charging bar; a combo version adds a Lightning receiver for iPhones.

Transmitters and AI processing

Each transmitter weighs 5 g. It can be clipped to clothing, held in the hand, or snapped onto the charging bar so the bar works as a handheld microphone. There is no input for an external lavalier, so recording relies on the built-in capsule, rated for 20Hz to 20kHz, 120 dB maximum SPL and an 80 dB signal-to-noise ratio.

The Air SE is the first Saramonic product with its own AI chip. The company says the chip was trained on 700,000 noise samples over more than 20,000 hours of deep learning and can reduce noise by up to 40 dB. The transmitters also provide:

• a limiter with a -12 dB safety track;
• three EQ presets;
• about 6 hours of battery life, or 28 hours in total with the charging bar;
• the ability to keep recording while charging.

Control, receivers and price

Neither the transmitters nor the receivers have a screen, so settings such as noise cancellation, EQ and levels are handled in the Saramonic app. Two LEDs on each receiver show whether the transmitters are connected. The receivers are designed for phones and tablets but can also be used with compatible cameras.

The Air SE is on sale now at $49 with the USB-C receiver, or $69 with both USB-C and Lightning receivers. The box includes a USB-C to USB-A cable, two magnets with magnet clips, two fur windshields and a carry bag.