Rode Wireless GO II

The Rode Wireless GO II is a compact and versatile wireless microphone system consisting of a dual-channel receiver and two transmitters, rated to work for up to 7 hours.

Depending on what you ordered, you will most likely get your package in this form. What I have here is the 2 transmitters to 1 receiver package. They all come in this neatly designed carrying porch. Inside, we get 1 receiver, 2 transmitters, a USB type C charging cable, a 3.5 to 3.5mm TRS audio cable and 2 furry wind filters which are surprisingly easy to install. Simply align it on the microphone and twist it counterclockwise. There are other compatible accessories you can purchase separately too.

Taking a closer look at them all with the transmitter being first on the list. At the top of each transmitter is the onboard microphone, a 3.5mm audio input port and light indicators for pairing and powering on. No ports on the left, the power/mute button at the bottom, the USB type C charging port on the right and a clip at the back. For the receiver, the power button is at the top, with the USC type C and 3.5mm audio output port on the left, no ports on the right, the mute and pair button at the bottom and the clothing clip at the back.

The bottom, mute and pair buttons allow you to initiate pairing with transmitters, change the audio gains, and even select and mute individual sounds from individual transmitters.

The Wireless GO II is an ultra-compact and extremely versatile wireless microphone system consisting of a dual-channel receiver and two transmitters. It weighs 30g for each transmitter and 32g for the receiver. But they all have similar lengths, widths and heights (TX Length: 44 Width: 45.3 Height: 18.3, RX Length: 44 Width: 45.5 Height: 18.3)

It has an In-built rechargeable lithium-ion battery which charges via USB 5V, 0.3A. it is rated to work for up to 7 hours. We’ve used this for Traditional Weddings closed to 4 hours long and still had more than half of the battery life still remaining. So, the 7 hours, kind of seems accurate.

Powering on the transmitters and receiver is as simple as pressing and holding the power button for about 2 seconds. Then you would get an indication that they’re on and pairing is initiated. I have these 2 transmitters connected in stereo mode for dual audio recording, but you can easily switch to mono if that’s what you’re into. Once the receiver is on, you would be able to see the audio level, battery life of itself and the transmitters as well.

The receiver connects via 3.5mm TRS for both input and output. Note that lapel or lavalier microphones would also need to have a 3.5mm TRS connected to work on any of the transmitters. A TRRS connector which is for smartphones, would not work. Besides the 3.5mm TRS analogue output, we have the option for a USB-C and iOS digital output as well. This makes it universally compatible with cameras, mobile devices and computers. Unfortunately, you would need to purchase these cables separately, because they don’t come with the microphone in the box.

If you have a DSLR camera, you would connect one end of the audio cable to the receiver and the other end to the microphone jack on the camera, which will most likely be on the left side. Don’t worry, the audio cable is the same on both ends, so you wouldn’t mess it up. The receiver doesn’t come with an audio output port. So, for cameras, like my Canon 600D and M50 which do not come with headphone ports, there’s no way to monitor your audio. So, the recommendation is to get a camera that supports audio monitoring with headphones. This was not even a problem on the much cheaper Andoer Wireless microphone.

Fortunately, the transmission Range is 200m, for a clear line of sight. That is 110m farther than the Andoer Wireless Microphone I reviewed a while back. But unlike the Andoer Microphone, the Rode doesn’t just charge when connected to a computer. This is because the Rode transmitters have storage for internal recording. Paired with the Rode Central App, you can transfer files from transmitters directly to your computer just in case there was some oversight during connection to the camera couldn’t capture audio from the Rode Microphone. You would need MacOS 10.11, Windows 10 or above to be able to use this feature though.

When onboard recording is activated, there are two different recording modes available, which can be changed via the RØDE Central App. In this mode, the Wireless GO II transmitter records audio in a compressed format. Each transmitter can store over 40 hours of compressed audio. For uncompressed recording, the Wireless GO II transmitters record in a WAV format and can store up to 7 hours of pure uncompressed audio. In Uncompressed recording mode, the Wireless GO II records audio in blocks that are 30 minutes and 44 seconds in length. When the internal storage is full, the unit will continue to record, overwriting the oldest recorded block so you always have the most recent audio available, with no need to delete files or format the storage.

Download Rode Central App

Alright, let’s check out the audio quality in an output situation.

And in an enclosed area as well, here’s how the Rode Wireless Go II sounds.

At the time of recording this video, it will cost you GHc 3,800 ($300) for a single transmitter-receiver combo and GHc 5,400 ($400) if you want 2 transmitters. I feel I should be mentioning all prices in dollars now cos the dollar rate keeps changing and I look like a liar. There are obviously better deals which I’ll drop links to in the description below. All other accessories compatible with the Rode Wireless Go II will also be linked below.