Overview
The Sony ECM-CS10 is a compact and versatile microphone ideal for various recording needs. Here’s a comprehensive review highlighting its features, performance, pros, and cons.
Design and Build
- Compact, lightweight design
- Clip-on style for easy attachment
- Long cord for flexible usage
Performance
- Clear and crisp audio quality
- Omni-directional pickup pattern for capturing sound from all angles
- Suitable for lectures, interviews, and dictation
Compatibility
- Works seamlessly with various devices – smartphones, cameras, laptops
- No batteries required, powered through the connected device
Pros
- Exceptional audio clarity
- Convenient clip-on design
- Versatile compatibility
- No need for batteries
Cons
- Sensitive to handling noise
- Lack of volume control
Conclusion
The Sony ECM-CS10 excels in delivering top-notch audio quality in a compact design, making it a valuable tool for different recording needs. Despite some minor drawbacks, its performance and compatibility make it a worthwhile investment.
Cliente de Amazon –
La calidad está muy bien pero si lo quieres usar como micrófono en un iPhone no funciona bien, tienes que conectarlo “a la mitad”
Parkhouse –
This is an outstanding and well made headphone. Whilst its certainly not going to compete with the premium £100+ class of microphone for people looking at this against cheaper and similarly sized microphones it absolutely blows them out of the water. It is very well made and incredibly solid, the wire is fairly thin but reinforced and hasn’t been damaged at all for the few years I’ve used it. It will pick up sound with good clarity, far better than required for a clear telecommunications or conference, amateur youtube video (again not competitive against £100+ mics) and ultimately you will be hard pressed to find errors with its recording. It is useful as anything from a backup mic for high end users to primary every day mic for the regular user, The only downside, whilst it is a stereo mic as it claims quite frankly it is useless to have. The mics are so close together, the directionality of the mics reflects that, and the recording environment of a user looking at this price point will very regularly have reflected sound ultimately making the stereo aspect just a mirrored recording. However I am very pleased I bought this mic which is a long way above and beyond what I need it for. It has lasted me somewhere in the region of 6+ years and shows no signs of wear. Certainly a job well done by Sony.
krakadile –
This mic is a great bargain for the price, producing excellent sound reproduction. I use it with my Sony IC recorder SX 700. This gives me a “wireless” mic for actors without the need of an expensive wireless mic system costing several hundred dollars as well as saves me from problems of RF interference and the bulk of a wireless mic transmitter pack on the actor. All I have to do then is drop the sound take from the IC SX700 audio track on to my Sony Vegas Pro time line and sync with the ‘reference’ track from my Sony EX 3 media material. This mic hides well on actors. The only problem I have encountered is excessive scratching noise if not properly clipped to clothing. This is a great backup sound source if you are working in a high noise traffic location.
Jace –
excelente captura, muy practico, construcción robusta, el unico punto negativo es el clip, se siente muy frágil, fuera de eso es muy bueno.
QK Shopper –
Sound quality just doesn’t cut it. Will not be using this.
Anonymonsieur –
We bought this mic to use for taping messages during a revival tent meeting – it worked great! We set the mic and little Sony recorder on the podium for the singers and then later the minister wore it on his shirt – it picked up the singing and the preaching very well. This was outside under a tent – sometimes the flaps of the tent were down and sometimes they were up. but the outside noise that come through on the mic was minimum. We are very happy with this mic.
Becky –
I bought this ECM-CS10 to use with a Zoom H1. I also bought, to compare, the ECMCS3, which is less than half the cost. While the 10 may have some features that are better than the 3, I cannot discern them. As a notable downside, the recording level at the same gain setting in the H1 for the 10 is just far lower. I am planning to use the lapel mic system with the Zoom H1 when I give talks that I want to record my voice in a consistent manner rather than having the zoom H1 mic recording from table top. So, I will put the Zoom H1 in my pocket and use the lapel mic. The sound on the ECMCS3 seems really superb to me, and the sound level is so much lower on the 10 that I think it’s inadequate. I don’t want to turn the gain up to 90 something on the H1 just to get a decent level to work with. So, better deal and better performance to me seems to the ECMCS3.
Army Vet 4444 –
This is suppose to be a bad azz microphone but in reality, I do not know what to say because when I used it, it makes a weird noise in the background, similar to the noise of a microphone when it is used close to a speaker. It is not a constant noise but it happens when someone is talking and along with people voices, including me. Perhaps a way for the recording device to reduce noise I guess. I did try to use it in a meeting and different environments and different settings, low, medium and high sensitivity, but the results are the same. I did try to use it on Skype to chat with my dad but he could barely hear me, so when I took it off of the laptop to use the default one, then he could hear me loud and clear. It is weird because my Sony recorder device recommends this item for best quality sound but did not work for me. I will not recommend it. but yes, do more research before buying this item if you have a mono sound recording device. I am guessing it is meant for stereo recording devices only. But when it comes to item construction, I can say it is very strong and I like the design as well as the type of wire with the clip to hang it on your shirt or simply put it on your desk. Good luck.
S. Power –
I use my digital voice recorder to make relaxation CDs for my patients so that they can practice the skills I teach them. This microphone definitely helped improve the quality of the sound; however, it still comes across somewhat distorted. One of my patients mentioned that it sounds a step up from the bootleg CDs you can get on the streets, which he believes was an improvement from the CD I made him before (without the microphone)- but it’s still not great.
Kabir Suman –
Very good quality and has accurate recording ability, does require a power box or device similar to work and will not work properly with out one.
William Mims –
After having recently decided to make some videos for Youtube, I bought this clip-mic along with some extra stuff for my camcorder… I read a lot of the other reviews about this thing, and was hesitant to buy it, but ultimately it looked better than the other mics I checked out.
I’ve been using this mic with my iPod for the audio, and in a nutshell, it sounds just as good as if I was simply talking into the iPod itself. In this way, the mic is fine since I can’t just talk into my iPod when the camera’s rolling. However, I think $35 with the taxes is a little steep for something that simply affords me the same quality as my iPod: Both pick up a significant amount of white noise.
Also, if the mic’s wire rubs on itself or on your clothes too hard, it makes a louder sound than the actual voice recording. I didn’t get a sense of stereo sound either, which I tested out several times.
Since I don’t intend to be too far from the camera when I record my videos, I now think the camcorder’s built-in mic would’ve been just fine–so ultimately, this was $35 down the drain imo.
Army Vet 4444 –
This is a REALLY good mic. I was a little apprehensive when I purchased it, because it’s almost the same cost as the little audio recorder that I purchased, but I just shrugged it off thinking, “well… I guess it will be a good mic for that price then” And didn’t think anything more about it until I started using it. PRIMARILY I use this to record business meetings, and conversations I have with banks etc. (Yes, I know all the laws involved in this) So it didn’t have to be just fantastically sensitive, because the mic is right next to the ear where the speaker to the phone is also. Occasionally, I would leave the recorder running after I was done with a conversation, forgetting I had it on. This is when I noticed how incredibly sensitive it is. It will pick up sounds and voices I can’t even hear anywhere in the house. It really is incredible. So I’m glad I spent the money to get this one, as opposed to any other one.
The tiny cable running down my shirt is the cable to the mic. The headset is RF so doesn’t have a cable to it. This is how I get both sides of the conversation with crystal clarity.
Marvolo –
Very good stereo lapel with TRS male plug. I used it with a TRS to TRRS adapter for my android phone and the recorded sound was weak. Perhaps the adapter was not okay. However it’s very good when used with a digital recorder. It’s a SONY after all.