Disclaimer: Godox sent the Virso Wireless Microphone system for an unbiased review. Some links may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission for qualifying sales. There is no additional cost to you.
Godox has recently released a new wireless microphone system that is pretty impressive, the Virso series! It’s available in two options: the Virso and the Virso S.
What’s the major difference between the Virso and Virso S? The Virso S receiver connects directly to the hot shoe on Sony cameras, so there is no need for any cable connecting the Virso receiver to a Sony camera body! That’s convenient if you want a simple and clean setup. The Virso S Sony receiver can also double as a microphone too! Keep in mind that if you buy the Virso unit, it can be used with all cameras, including Sony cameras, but will require a cable going from the receiver unit to the camera body.
Before we get into the review, I’d like to mention that I have received a reviewer unit, which may not be representative of the public retail version as there may be firmware updates that are applied later. Godox has generously sent out the Virso system along with a single Virso S Receiver for Sony cameras to allow for detailed testing using both receivers.
Virso Package Contents
In the box, you get a generous complement, which includes:
- 1X Wireless Receiver
- 2X Wireless Transmitters
- 2X Lavalier Microphones
- 2X Windshield Muffs
- USB A to USB Type C Charging Connector (3 Heads)
- 3.5 mm TRS Cable
- 3.5 mm TRRS Cable
- Carrying & Charging Case
- Lanyard For Charging Case
- Manual
Technical Specs
| Virso & Virso S Receiver Unit | Virso & Virso S Receiver Unit |
| ✅ Battery Capacity: 400 mAh battery ✅ Polar Pattern: Omnidirectional ✅ Frequency Response: 50Hz – 18KHz ✅ Sensitivity: -32dB ± 2dB ✅ Maximum SPL: 100dB ✅ S/N Ratio: ≥70dB ✅ Working Temp: -10℃ ~ 50℃ ✅ Wireless Range: Up to 200 meters (clear line of sight) ✅ Dimensions: 50mm × 50mm × 16mm ✅ Weight: ~ 33 grams | ✅ Battery Capacity: 600 mAh battery ✅ Dimensions: 52mm × 50mm × 16mm ✅ Weight: ~ 39 to 40 grams Charging & Carrying Case ✅ Battery Capacity: 3500 mAh battery ✅ Type C Input: 5V/1A ✅ Dimensions: 174mm × 71mm × 42mm ✅ Weight: 264 grams |
Price & Value
Pricing starts at $179 USD for a single Receiver and Transmitter without the charging case, which is a great price when compared to the $199 USD for the Rode Wireless GO II system.
If you’d like to buy the Virso with one receiver, two transmitters, and the charging case, the price is $249 USD. If you opt for the Virso S to take advantage of the cableless connection, the price is $299 USD for one Sony receiver, two transmitters and the charging case.
The link above is a referral link, which means that I earn a small commission for each qualifying sale. However, there is no additional cost to you.
Buttons & Ports – Transmitter Unit
The Virso transmitter unit has a depressable power button at the top, which is used to turn the unit on and off and mute it. There is also a microphone port for the optional Lavalier microphone. The rear of the unit has a spring-loaded clip and four metal contacts that interface with the charging case. The top of the unit has LED indicator lights, which flow into the front of the unit.
One side of the unit contains a USB Type C charging port if you do not want to carry around the charging case. There is also a microSD card slot for optional onboard recordings. The other side contains a recessed recording button and a reset port.
Buttons & Ports – Virso Receiver
The M receiver can be used with any camera brand, phone, computer, etc., as long as it has a 3.5mm audio input.
The top of the M receiver has a rotatable knob to cycle through the menu settings, an audio port and a headphone monitoring port. The front has a color LED display and LED indicator lights.
One side of the unit has a USB Type C port for charging, along with a reset port. The other side of the unit has a recessed power button and a menu button. The rear has a spring-loaded clip and metal contacts for charging.
Buttons & Ports – Virso S Receiver
The S receiver for Sony cameras can be used exactly the same way as the M receiver, but it has a unique benefit that the M receiver does not have. As seen in the photos below, the Sony receiver has a hot shoe contact that interfaces with Sony camera bodies negating the need for an audio cable going into the camera body.
As well the Virso S Receiver has a built-in microphone at the top of the unit, which faces the rear of the camera, making it perfect for commentary from the camera operator. In fact, the Virso S receiver can be used as either a transmitter, receiver or as both a transmitter and receiver at the same time! So you could actually just buy a single Virso S receiver and use it without ever buying a transmitter if you own a Sony camera and you like to provide narration or commentary while shooting videos. Shooting walking tour-style videos comes to mind right away.
Build Quality
The build quality is great on the Virso mic series, considering that a balance must be struck between quality and weight. While the exterior is mostly all plastic build, there is no discernable creaking or flexing to the body when force is applied. However, you’ll want to be careful to avoid dropping the units, especially in cold environments, to prevent the plastic from cracking.
The rear clip is quite tight and requires intentional effort to remove it from where ever it’s clipped to, so you won’t have to worry about it becoming loose.
Setting Up The Microphones
Getting up and running is quite simple because the transmitters can be paired with the receiver in seconds via the charging case. Simply place the transmitters and receivers in the charging case, press the yellow pair button, and wait one or two seconds until the LEDs light up blue for the A & B channels.
If you do not want to carry around the charging case, the microphones can be quickly paired via the menu settings on the receiver screen as well, which I ended up doing when pairing the Virso S receiver. You can also press the pair button on the charging case with both transmitters in the charging case and keep the Virso S nearby during the pairing process.
While the charging case is super handy to have, an area for improvement could be increasing the charging case height to allow the Virso S body to also fit in there to be charged via metal contacts like the Virso receiver. It’s not a huge deal, but the Virso S model has to be charged via USB Type C cable only.
Virso Receiver Menu Settings
The receiver screen shows the battery levels, audio track, signal strength of the microphones and live audio level readouts.
The menu settings allow adjusting the Backlight timeout between 10, 30 and 60 seconds.
The audio tracks can be switched between Mono, Stereo and Safety to prevent audio clipping.
Volume settings can be adjusted up to level 20 and independently for each channel. Pairing can also be done manually if needed.
There is a denoise setting, which can be toggled on or off if needed in a pinch, but I prefer to do this via software when I need it.
A really handy feature is the ability to flip the receiver screen readout, which is done by quickly short-pressing the power button.
The Virso S receiver has unique settings that are not available on the Virso receiver. The Virso S receiver can be set to Transmitter, Receiver or Transmitter and Receiver.
Setting the Virso S to Transmitter and Receiver allows you to use the Virso S as a standalone unit without the use of another transmitter if you like. Another scenario for this is to record scenery for a walking tour video or to record a subject speaking while you offer commentary or ask questions from behind the camera.
If you use the Virso S with two other transmitters, you have a three-person interview-style video
Godox Virso Settings Video
Check out this quick video, which goes through the menu settings and features.
Audio Quality
The audio sounds clean and clean using the built-in microphones on the transmitters. I prefer the sound quality using the built-in microphones versus using the supplied Lavalier microphones.
I didn’t think the audio quality would be as good as it was using the Virso S receiver’s microphone by itself without using a transmitter, but I was quite surprised with the quality. Because of my proximity to the Virso S mic standing behind the camera, the audio pickup was quite clear and sharp. It isn’t just a marketing gimmick.
The microphone can be quickly muted by quickly pressing the power button on top of the transmitters. This is convenient, but at the same time, it’s easy to hit that button and mute yourself mistakenly. A better implementation would be to double or triple-click the power button quickly. The receiver display does show when the microphone is muted, but depending on how the receiver display is oriented, that display may not be visible at all times. You’ll also know the microphone is muted because the LED will turn solid red instead of flashing red.
Here are some audio samples. There were taken while connected to my Sony A7III camera. The camera’s recording level was set to 13, and the Virso Receiver volume was set to 10 for both A & B.
The Virso system can also be used with a phone, computer, tablet, etc., as long as there is a 3.5 mm audio jack.
Wind Shield
I normally don’t ever cover windshields or wind muffs, but I like the way Godox has implemented theirs. It plugs into the 3.5 mm audio port, and because it has a notch, it stays firmly in place, unlike other windshields I’ve used that pop off with the slight brush of the hand.
Onboard Recording via microSD Card
Optional onboard recording is also available with each transmitter unit through the use of a microSD card. The units accept up to a 256 GB microSD card, which allows for up to 400 hours of recording! The recordings are in .WAV format, with a bitrate of 1536 kbps and 48 kHz.
Recordings can be accessed directly from the transmitter by plugging the transmitter into your computer and pressing the power button to switch the transmitter from charging mode to disk read mode.
Battery Life
The Virso receiver is rated for up to 17 hours of battery life, while the Virso transmitter is rated for up to 13 hours on a single charge, thanks to the 600 mAh and 400 mAh batteries. When the charging case is used, the battery life extends to 40 hours.
Virso Charging Case
There’s a supplied lanyard cable that threads into the charging case so it can be hung or carried easily. I was a bit hesitant about letting the charging case hang from the lanyard, but the charging case has a magnetic lid, which is strong enough to allow the case to be held upside down without coming open.
Recording Distance
The Virso system is rated for up to 200 meters of recording distance, providing that there is a clear line of sight. I’ve tested the recording distance up to 30 meters without any issues, which is already such a long distance, which means I have up to 170 meters more to go if I ever need it.
What I’d Like To See Changed
While the system performs well on the audio and feature-set end, there is some room for improvement.
I didn’t find a way to change the backlight brightness, only the backlight timer. The rotating know can rotate in perpetuity. However, it doesn’t cycle through a menu setting in a cyclical way. It must be rotated to the right or left side, but this could be changed to allow settings to cycle through if you choose to only rotate it in one direction.
Lastly, I’d prefer to double-click or triple-click the power button to mute it instead of just pressing the power button once.
Summing Up
If you’re in the market for a full-featured wireless microphone system, this has pretty much all the bases covered. You won’t find yourself wanting more recording distance with 200 meters. The 13 hours of transmitter battery life offers a half day of recording, which should satisfy most use cases, but the charging case is also there if needed.
The audio quality is great, and I didn’t experience any dropouts or signal interference. The option to pop in an optional microSD card for redundancy and peace of mind is great to have. It can also be used to record quick voice-over clips without connecting the system to a recording device, which is such a time saver for me because I often need to record voice-overs for YouTube videos.
The Virso system is compatible with all devices which can accommodate a 3.5 mm audio jack. If you own a Sony camera, I highly recommend getting the Virso S because you can use it without any cables, and you can also use it as a transmitter, receiver or both!
Using the Virso wireless mic system has been great so far for my workflow, and it saves me time being able to take manual recordings using a single transmitter whenever I like. If you need a wireless mic system just for yourself, you can start small and scale up your system as needed. It’s a well-thought-out system and worth considering in lieu of other mainstream offerings!
If there is anything that I missed in the review, or if you have any questions that I did not cover, please leave a comment below.
The link above is a referral link, which means that I earn a small commission for each qualifying sale. However, there is no additional cost to you.
