Azden SMX-10 Review
Stereo Microphone for DSLR, mirrorless cameras and other applications
- Directional Stereo Shotgun Microphone
- For DSLR and Mirrorless Cameras
- 3.5mm TRS Connector
- Low-Cut Frequency Filter
- SMH-X Universal Shockmount, Windscreen
- Powered by AAA Battery or Plug-In Power
Introduction
In this article, we delve into a detailed analysis of 3,707 user reviews from various languages worldwide to examine the Azden SMX-10. This analysis is performed by the RR artificial intelligence and updated daily with newly submitted reviews. The RR AI utilizes a complex algorithm to first scrutinize user reviews for credibility, filtering out unreliable ones. It then proceeds to dissect and evaluate the valuable insights within these reviews, providing users with ratings regarding the features of this product. Based on these assessments, users can make informed decisions about whether this product is suitable for them or not.
Ratings Based on Features
These results are a summary of user reviews of the Azden SMX-10. For example, 68% of 179 users who have commented on the Sound quality of the Azden SMX-10 have given positive feedback.
Highlighted Customer Reviews
Showing 1 to 20 of 211 Reviews
Great Mic for the money
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I replaced my Rode VideoMic with the Azden SMX-10 for use onthe pair of SONY HC7's I shoot with. The Rode VideoMic wasjust too big to work with on these small cameras and theSMX-10 has surprised me with the audio quality that can comefrom the mic when properly set up.It may not have all the glitz and glam of other mics, but itdoes a good job when mounted on the camera and I also use itfor voice overs and haven't been disappointed. The shockmount works well enough - I appreciate the compact size ofthis mic as I work solo and use a photo backpack to carryall my gear so small, compact gear with professional qualityis crucial for my work.It's not perfect, nor a high end mic, but the Azden SMX-10is a solid mic for the price. Expertise: Professional Solo Video Journalist Problems Encountered: I wish Azden had put a right angle mic jack on this mic -the standard one that sticks straight out could damage themic jack if hit incorrectly. Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Rode VideoMic ... More
Good Value
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Jazzman on B&H Photo Video
This Mic works well with my camera and Camcorder's. It has a Hotshoe Plate to attach to the Hotshoe on my gear. The Hotshoe plate has damping to isolate bumps and viabrations. The sound is not that much louder than the mics in my camera/camcorder, but the sound is cleaner and fuller. It isolates sounds well from the sides and from behind that my built in mics pickup. There's a low frequency cutoff switch for low frequency distortion, and coiled cord to keep the cord from hanging down in the way. There's no power on/off light as has been mentioned, but I monitor the mic's sound with headphones plugged into my Camcorder. If the battery starts to get low I can hear the volume drop, and switch over to my built in mic,or my spare AAA battery. I use rechargeable AAA batteries and keep a spare on hand at all times. This mic will be better or worst depending on how good your built in mics are...it will vary from brand to brand, model to model. It's better for me than the Mic in my Canon G20 Camcorder because this Azden Mic isolates unwanted sounds from the sides and behind, and noises from the auto focus and zoom motor, that my built in Mics pickup. This is not a professional Mic but a good one for the price. This is the 3rd Azden Mic I've owned over the years (also 2 sets of wireless)and none have disappointed. There's better Mics for a lot more money, but this Mic is light on my budget and gets the job done. Azden Mics have been reliable for me over the years and I have no problem depending on them. ... More
Not Good for Canon DSLRS
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Will on B&H Photo Video
I was excited to get this cheaper alternative to the Rode Video Mic Pro, however, the internal mic on my Canon T3i records better audio than this microphone. The problem with it is that if the audio recording level is turned down low (such as 1/4 on the T3i), barely any sound is recorded, but if the recording level is turned up to, say, 3/4, audio is recorded well but so is an annoying contant hiss (search YouTube for my review and you can see how the audio sounds at different recording levels: Azden SMX-10 Microphone Test With the Canon T3i). I tested this with many different audio recording levels on my T3i (8 notches from off, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, and auto) and still got the same issues: either recordings were barely audible or there was intrusive background noise that got louder the higher the recording level was. In short, I would not waste your money or time on this microphone if you are hoping to use it to record professional-quality sound with a DSLR, although I doubt the sound quality would be much better if it were used with a camcorder instead. Since this is one of the most expensive microphones you can get for a DSLR without getting a Rode, if you want good sound with your camera, it looks like you will have to either get a huge Rode Video Mic or spend even more and get a Rode Video Mic Pro, but for now I'm just going to get by with my T3i's internal microphone since trying this one made me realize that its sound quality isn't that bad after all. ... More
Exceeded my expectations
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Charles on B&H Photo Video
I researched microphones for weeks looking for the one with the best reviews. I was willing to pay upwards of $200.00. It was clear from all the reviews I had read this was exactly what I was looking for in size, quality and features. As a bonus, the price was much lower than I thought I would have to pay. I was looking for a directional stereo mic and this was perfect. I tested this inside my home recording sounds of doors opening, latches, foot steps and so on. The recordings of the sounds are very accurate and crisp with no noticable noise. My house has hardwood floors and 17 foot ceilings so when recording my children at play the sound was somewhat harse and I think that is due to all the hard surfaces, but I was able to adjust the mic settings within the camcorder to account for this and was able to produce lifelike audio. Out of doors I was able to pick up sounds of a high altitude jet clearly where it was barely audible to my ears alone. The mic is very good at picking up distant sounds when the mic is pointed in their direction and sound immediately to the sides and behind the mic are suppressed. Stereo separation is pretty good although not as good as the built-in 5.1 dolby mic on my camcorder, but the sound quality and clairity of this mic far exceed that of the camcorder. My primary purpose is for outdoor nature video where I need to pick up and target distance sounds but I still want the ambient sounds to produce a rich audio experience. This is going to fit the bill perfectly. ... More
Decent Mic, Good Value, But With Shortcomings
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Jon on B&H Photo Video
I've had this for quite a while, probably 10+ years. It holds up! And it works. In terms of audio quality, when properly set up, this mic performs very adequately. It is a little noisy, but not terribly so. It is a dramatic upgrade to built-in camera mics. Build is solid and the fit-and-finish is quite nice. The super-common battery is a great touch. The biggest cons here are minor design issues. The biggest qualm for me is that there is no power indication of any kind, just a switch, so you can't tell a dead battery apart from a good one by looking at it. In use, this is not awful- the battery life is good and it is a nice, common battery, so you start each shoot with a new battery and check the levels. A single LED would be a tremendous improvement to this product, though, and would give me a lot more confidence that my mic was on. The pattern selection switch is buried under the windscreen, so care must be taken not to accidentally change it as you take the windscreen on and off. The shockmount is quite rigid and therefore minimally effective, though it is quite robust. The rear cable is captive, part of the unit, so if you use it a lot you need to take care of this cable- if it gets damaged in any way, the mic is junk. I would much prefer a 1/8 jack at both ends. But then again, mine has lasted a long time, so your milage may vary. There is also no factory dead cat fuzzy windscreen option that I can find, which this really needs for use outdoors in any kind of a breeze. All that said, this is about 40% of the price of a Rode VideoMicPro, so if you are buying gear out of pocket and are interested in value, this is a pretty solid choice. ... More
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Affordable prosumer audio improvement
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Santa Cruz Mountain Dreamer on B&H Photo Video
I bought this mike to improve audio on the video of our daughter's wedding. A friend actually did the filming using my Pana GS500 with the mike mounted in the hot shoe on top. In limited initial testing, the mike was clearly way above the built-in mikes on the GS500, both in quality of sound and in its ability to pick up audio from some distance. I used the automatic gain control on the GS500 to manage recording levels, as the GS500 does not have a headset jack. I've just now captured two hours of the wedding video into Final Cut Express for post-production, and will have a real good picture of the audio as I go through that process. I've looked at some clips and noted that the quality seemed to be much better, but in closer up use the levels seemed high (probably a reflection of the GS500's AGC performance ). I will normalize at -6db, then work with levels on a clip and sequence basis and will really know how well it works. Unlike some people, we didn't find the power switch to be a big inconvenience. It's just another step in the camera power-up/down process. I rate this as a very cost-effective way for the prosumer to improve your audio. You would have to spend a lot more money to get to the next level (wireless mike, boom, separate recording of ambient sound, etc.). And that also implies a lot more work to really reap the rewards. ... More
Great sound
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Paul on B&H Photo Video
I bought this microphone to film student presentations in class. I use a Canon vixia HF200 for recording. Although the camcorder microphone is OK for general use, it behaved more like a noise collector in the classroom. To improve the sound quality of the recordings, I first tried a wireless Lavalier type microphone, but this was too much trouble. I looked on the internet for an affordable yet at least OK microphone that could be fixed to the camcorder. The Azden SMX-10 kept coming out of the search results...for the right reasons. This little thing works just fine. It is light, and provides a clear and nice stereo sound, with barely no noise from the back of the class. ... More
***Great Mic***
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Read The Bible on B&H Photo Video
I am No Professional I guess! But I will tell you that I shoot some killer video with my Canon 6d and 70d and t3i and other cameras I have! I have this mic mounted on every camera I own! I even use this for my GoPro camera with the wired mic kit! Is this the best mic out there? Well I am sure you can buy a higher quality mic but for $$thousands$$ more! You can't go wrong with a mic for this price and get the sound that this mic gives. And the rubberized shock mount is perfect for run and gun video shooting and vibration! This mic uses a triple A battery but on any Canon DSLR you don't need a battery in the mic! It runs even without the battery! And it runs without a battery with my GoPro! If you are looking for a mic you can afford and get great results you better try this mic! if you want to take out the hiss noise which I hardly ever have then use a zoom h1 and run your SMX-10 mic through the zoom h1 and Done! Go ahead get the mic and get to filming and you will be glad you did not unless your just going to try to make millions off your videos! ... More
Mic works well, having trouble booming.
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by B on B&H Photo Video
So far I've tested this mic in an interview setting and the quality I am getting is great compared to the external plug-in mic for my Olympus Pen camera. I also recorded audio from a gig my band did with the mic and it picks everything up, bass, drums, vocals, all pretty clean. To record the live band I used the straight-line setting because it says it works better for low ends, and it picked up the bass pretty well, (haven't listened to it on great speakers yet, but I can tell it's all there). My biggest problem with this mic is finding a place to hold it. My Olympus Pen EPL-1 (I think that's the model) requires an external gadget that goes on the hot shoe mount in order to plug in a 3.5mm mini mic input, so the input gadget takes my hot-shoe space. I ordered the Rode micro-boom pole to attach the mic to it, but they don't seem to be compatible. I've set it on a basic microphone stand, like for a singer, and it doesn't fit, but with the wind sock I can get it to stay put if I angle it right. Sound: 4 stars Price: 5 stars Ability to attach to boom pole: 0 stars if you can help me figure out a way to boom this thing I'd love to know. It's all comparable and a better price than the Rode, which I've used before. ... More
Unusable due to HISS
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Amateur video. Great stereo pick up, good price Annoying Hiss makes the recordings almost unusable. I just bought this microphone 2 weeks ago with hopes to use it in personal and semi-professional projects. The first time I used the microphone was to record my friend play some music on an acoustic guitar. The sounds were pretty good, although the volume was pretty weak. In addition to that there is a noticable hissing sound throughout the recordings. Fortunately I had a second mic to capture vocals so it all worked out in the end, but I may return the microphone if I can't find a solution. I may want to use this to record sound effects and other music in the future but I don't want the hissing. Only a few people on the reviews mentioned the hiss so I thought I would take a chance that it was only a fluke for them. I guess not. ... More
Excellent Microphone!
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Invertalon on B&H Photo Video
Bought this for my 7D and have been very happy with my purchase. One flaw although not with the microphone itself, is that the 7D raises the gain so high with external microphones causing hissing in lower volume situations. I am able to remove it with software, but it will be a problem with ANY external mic with the 7D until they update firmware like they did with the 5DII allowing manual gain control. The hissing is not that loud though, and does not hinder the excellent quality of the microphone. It sounds great and does not pick up the IS sounds of my lenses no longer, which was my main goal. Construction is good and the isolation mount is high quality. The whole package is compact and looks great mounted to the camera. Wind noise is controlled pretty well, however I have doubled my wind-screens to prevent it even more. I wish there was a dead-cat cover available for this microphone. Overall, very happy with my purchase. I just hope Canon will release the gain controls with a future 7D firmware update. ... More
Beats the in-built mic!
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Trogladyte on B&H Photo Video
I was actually looking round for a proper shotgun mic for our Sony HDR-11 camcorder. I wanted the zoom/tele feature that most have. Unfortunately, I didn't look hard enough at the specs, as the SMX-10 doesn't have this feature. BUT!!! I have to say that, despite the lack of this feature, the mic really does perform very well. The difference between the in-built mic (all sounds from everywhere - don't let the camera operator sneeze or cough!) versus the SMX-10 was dramatic. It really did focus on frontal sound (ie. where the camera is pointing) though not exclusively. You still get some ambient sounds, but they're at very acceptable levels. Flick on the hi/low switch and it's less dramatic than the inbuilt v SMX-10 change, but it does help cut out a little in the way of wind noise and low freq sounds. For the price (that was a real clincher to me), and the fact that it really wasn't intended to be a full shotgun mic, this little device is a vast improvement on the in-built. ... More
Bang for Buck
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by ThisisVIC on B&H Photo Video
I am a photographer with a 5D MK II. I primarily shoot stills but the video is so amazing I wanted just a bit more in terms of sound than the on board mic offers. This buy was perfect. Cheap but sound is great compared to the on board mic. If i were to spend more I'd have to get the top of the line with both left and right channels for stereo. This seems to have a form of stereo but I don't think it's true stereo. Used it at a HS graduation ceremony and picked up announcers speakers well with little cross sound and crowd interference. This is a great buy if you want to do some light video on the side. Plus I did not want to keep track of yet another battery as other mics require with a 9v. I have tons of triple A's so another plus. Only major flaw is lack of battery light. I always leave it on and don't know if the battery is dead or not. Seems to work either way. ... More
Awesome microphone, inexpensive
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I have a miniDV video camera that i use to make my videos. i got sick of hearing the tape motor running and other things i didnt want to hear. So i looked into buying an external mic for my next project, and i found this one. its great it increases the quality and i cant hear the motor running. another cool thing is that i cant hear stuff behind the camera, so if the camera operator shuffles his feet a little, it wont wreck the shot. it comes with a nice wind screen that helps stop the wind from wrecking the project. Overall its a great deal. if you want a nice good quality but inexpensive external mic than this is for you!!! ... More
Convenient & Reliable Stereo Mic
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Robert Marcos Studios on B&H Photo Video
I spent a year filming off-road drivers as they navigated rocky terrain. To call them "run and gun" would be an understatement. I went through a myriad of audio recording gear, but ultimately this little Azden (not quite a shotgun), mic worked the best. It fits snugly in my Canon 6D's hotshoe AND It can snap out of it's attachment and be held BY HAND during on-camera interviews. In fact it has better frequency response than any of my other mics, and most-importantly it records in stereo - so when you get into FinalCut you don't have to change EVERY CLIP to mono. That is a major headache when editing 200-plus clips. ... More
Must-have for guerrilla shooting.
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I do a lot of multi-camera shooting of events like rock concerts for my company, and also guerrilla, nature, talking head interviews, etc. This mic is unbelievable in clarity and stereo imaging, and is a must-have on any guerrilla shoot. I am also using it for the next rock concert. What disappoints me is its side and near pickup. The pattern could and should be more forward-focused; it looks like a gun but doesn't sound like one. Nevertheless, great when applied carefully.
A huge leap over integrated camera mics
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by Overfocused on B&H Photo Video
For the price you can't beat what you get here: A reliable mic with settings and features that really give some flexibility and quality. One battery lasts 400+ hours and the stereo pickup is fairly sensitive. When there is no sound there is a whisper of white noise that is neither disturbing or distracting. This is perfect for the 5D Mark II. It mounts on with the short coil cable and doesn't get in the way, and also has vibration dampeners and does not pick up IS vibration or hands pressing buttons. I'd recommend this for concerts as it has a high pass filter switch for omitting bass frequencies as well. ... More
Great Value and easy to use.
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by native2010 on B&H Photo Video
Don't knock the 4 star rating, this microphone IS a considerable upgrade from the built in mic of just about any camcorder/DSLR. I recently got a Canon Rebel T2i, and my first few tests so far have been very surprising. The microphone is nice and clear indoors and the separation is clear as well. The bass pickup is not all that great honestly, but at this range it shouldn't be a concern. I'm very happy with this purchase, it was a definite must to have with my upgraded rig. It will pick up the sound of a click-dial or the auto-focus of a lens if it's mounted on the camera, you can't help that really. I actually have a DIY rig I built that keeps it off the camera and it works great that way, virtually no camera noise and crystal clear audio all around. ... More
HISS issue
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by AVP on B&H Photo Video
I understand that this is an inexpensive mic but that's not an excuse regarding the low cost. I bought a Samson LAV which is not even an XLR balanced, it is a regular mini stereo consumer plug just like this one. The samson costs less than 30 Dollars and the sound is pristine, nice bass, mids and treble and NO HISS. I tested both items on a Canon 5D Mark II, a Canon HV-20 and a professional Sony Z1-u and Z-7u and i believe this is enough testing to safely say here about the hiss problem. Not enough low frequency even having the mic set no full (no wind cut) The Canon 5D mark II INTERNAL mic of course detects the noise from the lens's stabilizer but the audio fidelity from it besides unwanted noises from camera lens is much better coming from just that tiny cell phone style opening in the camera ... More
Decent improvement over camcorder mic
Azden SMX-10 Stereo Microphone
Reviewed by cnagappa on B&H Photo Video
I used this with my Canon Vixia R300 camcorder in my recent trip to Tofino, British Columbia. It was able to pick up the nice sounds of waves on the beach, gulls, etc. The windscreen did seem to have a clear effect over the camcorder's built in mic in dramatically reducing wind noise. Conversations were picked up clearly, especially noticeable back home when I replay videos on my computer. I like the fact that the left and right hand side of the mic are marked clearly, and I was able to pick up a decent stereo sound image. The build quality of this microphone is quite good. It's made in Japan, if that's important to some people. It seemed to be slightly smaller than I expected, but that's a good thing. ... More
