Sony ECM-CS3 VS JK 004 Lavalier Microphone comparison

After getting into YouTube like anything else you want to improve the quality of  your work, and there are a couple of ways to do this.
One is the content
One is the equipment you use.
This blog is about some of the equipment, in particular microphones and not just any microphones, yes lavalier microphones.
The audio of your videos is so important in fact just as important as the visuals and it is consistently overlooked.
I decided to put in the effort and improve my audio quality and one way was the microphone I was using.
First I started using very cheap lav mics, probably around £5-£10 for a pack of 5 which was great value and it certainly did the job and improved the audio tremendously.

After a while of using very cheap microphones once again the urge to step things up was needed so I turned to YouTube to research my needs, I wanted something that was around £20 and a step up in audio quality.

YouTube gave me a choice of the Sony ECM-CS3 and the JK044 two very capable microphones and in my price range.

A decision had to be made and after much deliberation I opted for the Sony ECM.

The one thing that swayed me was that the Sony was stereo and the JK 044 was mono which meant if I chose the JK 044 I would have to take the audio into software and create another channel otherwise the audio would only come through one ear and even though this isn't hard its still annoying and time consuming.

Decision made, Sony purchased and a happy YouTuber was born, until a problem arose.

I started filming outside and with outside audio you really need a deadcat better known as a windshield.

If you don't use a deadcat the microphone will pick up all the wind noise ruining your audio to the point of making your video unusable.

So what's the problem? 

Why not just buy a deadcat ?

Well I tried but the Sony ECM is a peculiar shape and after looking and looking I could not find a deadcat for this mic, I even bought improvised deadcat's and cut them up and tried sticking them together to make my own Frankenstein windshield but they just fell off, I even tweeted Sony asking them if they made one but they didn't reply, great customer service Sony (NOT).

Defeated and frustrated I decided to look around again for another lav mic that I could use a deadcat with.

After much research again I came across the JK 004, I almost skipped past this mic as I thought it was exactly the same as my previous searches but the model number was slightly different the new one was 004 and not 044.

So what was the difference, well would you Adam and Eve it the new version was not only stereo but specifically designed for audio recorders like the Tascam DR-05 which was the very model I use for my audio.

I quickly put the JK 004 in my Amazon basket then waited for this modern miracle to drop onto my door mat.

Once unwrapped and plugged into my Tascam audio recorder I was like a kid in a candy store watching both the left and right channels jumping up and down quicker than a toilet seat in a curry house.

I am very impressed with the JK 004 which is not only stereo but is very very small and takes a deadcat all for the measly sum of £22 so great value as well, I would even go to say the audio quality is better than my Sony.

Below is a video I made doing a little comparison

     

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