Review: Joby Wavo Plus shotgun microphone

We received the Joby Wavo Plus cardioid shotgun-style microphone for cameras, mobile devices and computers. It’s a video microphone aimed at content creators and vlogging in the field, although it can be used via USB with a laptop or desktop. Here’s what it is and what it sounds like.

Note: Joby sent us the Joby Wavo Plus microphone to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this microphone are our own.

Pros

• Long battery life (30 hours)
• Live monitoring with headphones
• Turns on automatically when camera is turned on
• Lightweight and compact design
• Attractive
• Easy to set up and use

Cons

• No clipping indicator light
• Feels a bit cheap
• Slightly thin sound
• Susceptible to blasts of air when speaking near it (plosives), to say nothing of speaking into it

Joby Wavo Plus — Technical specifications

All of the technical specifications for the Joby Wavo Plus microphone are from the official Joby website.

• Capsule Type: Condenser Electret (line gradient)
• Polar Pattern: Super Cardioid
• Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHZ
• Sensitivity:  -16 dBV/Pa at 1 kHz (+-3db)
• Signal-To-Noise Ratio:  75db
• Maximum SPL: 130 dB SPL(1 kHz, 1% THD, 1-Kilohm Load)
• Dynamic Range: 110 dB
• High-Pass Filter: 100 hz
• Gain Adjustment: -10, 0, +15dB
• Output Impedance: 10 Ohms
• Output Connection: 3.5mm TRS and TRRS connection
• Indicators: Rear power on/off/auto LED, Front battery LED, (Green 100-30%, Amber 30-10%, Red 10-0%)
• Power Source: Lithium-Ion battery
• Battery life: 30 hours
• Mounting Method: 1/4″ screw, 3/8″ universal mount, Cold-shoe
• Bluetooth Ready: No
• Windscreen: Yes
• Material: ABS Plastic
• Product Contents: 1x Wavo PLUS microphone, Foam Windscreen, 3/8″ to 1/4″ thread adapter, TRS to TRS camera cable, TRS to TRRS smartphone cable, 1.5m Type-C to Type-C USB cable, 1.5m Type-C to Type-A USB cable
• Dimensions: 11.5 x 5.8 x 11.2 cm
• Package Weight: 0.24 g

Joby Wavo Plus — Ergonomics and build quality

The Joby Wavo Plus feels a little cheap, as it is plasticky. However, it’s this very same build that also makes it very lightweight and compact. The switches and buttons are small, feel fine and don’t wiggle.The rather large button in the back makes it rather easy to adjust the headphone volume. 

The windscreen is a simple foam windscreen. It works like most foam windscreens, which is to say not very well.

Joby Wavo Plus — In the field

The Joby is extremely easy to mount to either a camera hot-shoe or a tripod. The hot-shoe mount has a 1/4″ opening, allowing you to screw it into a tripod or other stand.

I like that after you attach the microphone to the camera, any time the camera is on, the microphone automatically turns on as well. This lessens the possibility of leaving off the sound when creating video.

The microphone does not automatically turn on if connected to a computer via USB. However, just to be clear, Joby never stated that it would, and I was not expecting it to do it.

Joby Wavo Plus — What those switches and buttons do

The right side of the microphone has two switches. The top switch is a Safe Track switch. This limits the audio to -10dB on the right channel. If the audio is distorted due to audio levels, the right channel will still more likely be undistorted, and therefore be usable.

Underneath the Safe Track switch is the Low-Cut Filter switch. This helps lessen rumble and low-end noise such as machinery, fumbling, plosives or air conditioner noise. For recordings featuring primarily voices, I would keep this activated.

The opposite side of the microphone has a three-position gain switch. The center position is 0 effect, and there is a -10dB and +15dB position. For the recording, since it was rather windy, I kept the microphone in the -10dB position.

The back side of the microphone, the one that would face you, has a power button on the top. IT also has a large red headphone volume knob with white dots. I would love it if the white dots varied from smaller to larger dots to offer a visual cue for whether the volume is set higher or lower.

Joby Wavo Plus — Power/battery level LED

The front side of the microphone has a power/battery level LED. This is extremely handy if you have to get in front of your camera, as it indicates that it’s on as well as tells you how much approximate power you have left. 

The color scheme for remaining power is Green 100-30%, Amber 30-10%, and Red 10-0%. At the risk of being repetitive in many of my reviews, I will say that many of us are red-green colorblind, also known as deuteranomaly. Eight percent of males and 0.5% of females have this. It is challenging or impossible for many of us to differentiate these colors, especially when it is a small dot of light. Despite this, manufacturers keep cranking out chargers, power lights and other indicators that we cannot read.

Joby Wavo Plus — How does it sound?

I compared the Joby Wavo Plus to the in-camera microphone on the Pentax K-1 DSLR. 

I was unable to do a true side-by-side comparison to a Nikon D750 in-camera microphone or an iPhone 14 Pro. However, the microphone sounds noticeably fuller and more present than the built-in camera microphone in the Pentax K-1 or the Nikon D750, as the two DSLRs were similar. 

I was surprised there didn’t seem to be an enormous sonic difference between the iPhone 14 Pro microphone and the Wavo Plus for close-proximity use indoors. The Joby Wavo Plus did sound a bit fuller and more present, owing to its superior rejection of ambient noise because of its super cardioid polar pattern.

I used the Wavo Plus during some adverse conditions. Most likely, almost any microphone with a foam cover would not fare well during a high-wind advisory. That was certainly the case here. However, it did well with light breezes.

You may listen to some comparisons between the in-camera microphone on the Pentax K-1 DSLR and the Joby Wavo Plus in the video above.

Joby Wavo Plus vs. HyperX Quadcast USB Microphone

To compare the Wavo Plus with a HyperX Quadcast, a popular USB microphone, I plugged into my computer via USB. My 2017 iMac and the various software recognized the Wavo Plus immediately, just as it did with any other USB microphone. You can hear the difference in this comparison video below.

The Wavo Plus has considerably higher gain than the HyperX Quadcast. In the second half of this video, I leveled the two microphones so it would be easier for you to evaluate the sonic character of each. 

When recording my voice at the same distance as the HyperX Quadcast, the Wavo Plus sounds thinner, having less bass. During this recording, I used the bass roll-off switch (low-cut)  for both microphones. 

Also, you might notice that the Wavo Plus has noticeably higher self-noise. It is a constant high-pitched electronic sound. In any quiet studio environment, this amount of self-noise would be unacceptable. However, the microphone does have considerably higher gain than the HyperX. If you turn down the Wavo Plus, the self-noise is far less noticeable although still audible.

And finally, the Wavo Plus is considerably more susceptible to pops (plosives) than the Quadcast. For these reasons, I believe this Wavo Plus is far better suited as a location/video microphone than a podcast microphone.