I just tested the perfect mic for content creators — and there's a reason why you see it in so many TikTok videos
Yes, it's true: the Go Gen 3 definitely deserves its place as one of the most iconic wireless mics. While there are still a few little annoyances (for example, opening the Rode Central app stops recordings midway and the high-pass filter isn't super adept at noise cancellation), the Wireless Go Gen 3 is a fantastic set of compact mics.
So is it worth the $329 price? It depends who you are — if you're a content creator looking for the best of the best without dropping $$$, then it's certainly for you. Keep reading to find out the full story in this Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 microphone review.
Price
$329 / £279
Connectivity
USB-C, TRS, lightning
On-board storage
32GB (40 hours)
Range
850 feet / 260 meters
Max SPL
123.5
Audio resolution
196kHz, 32-bit
Frequency response
20 Hz – 20 kHz
Microphone type
Condenser
Battery life
7 hours
Polar pattern
Omnidirectional
Weight
1.2 ounces (RX and TX), 3.6 ounces altogether
Dimensions
1.8 x 1.7 x 0.8 inches
Colors
Various: I tested black
The Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 costs a pretty hefty $329 from Amazon U.S., making it $20 pricier than its predecessor the Wireless Go Gen 2. Surprisingly, the Gen 3 comes in a huge range of colors: I tested black, but it also comes in white, red, purple, blue, and more. I've never seen a mic with this much range before, so it's a welcome departure from mundanity.
On Amazon U.K., the Wireless Go Gen 3 has an RRP of £279, but has been around £230 since April. Right now, I'm unsure why there's such a price difference between the U.S. and U.K. However, I think $329 is still a pretty decent price for a microphone of this quality.
If you want the most basic Rode wireless mic, I'd suggest the $149 Wireless Micro. It's basically just the Wireless Go Gen 3 but with a much more beginner-friendly usage and slightly reduced quality audio. Even so, for amateurs or beginners, there's nothing better. Conversely, if you need a fully professional mic, then check out the Rode Wireless Pro ($399).
The Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 looks pretty much like every other wireless RX and TX set, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the design. The transmitters and receiver are the same size: just 1.7 x 1.8 inches. The microphones also come with a soft pouch for easy transportation, which is also roomy enough to fit the USB-C, lightning, TRS cables, and dead cats.
On the receiver, the controls are as follows: Volume (mic gain) buttons, channel buttons, and the Ø button for connection. The transmitters have one button for pairing or recording, and an Ø button for muting and marking (which I struggled to get working — more on that in the 'Features' section below). Both transmitters and the receiver also have a clip, which I found incredibly useful for on-the-fly recording. There's also a 3.5mm output on the RX for live monitoring and 3.5mm inputs on each TX for additional lav mics.
I quite like the RX's bright LED screen. It's a little brighter than the Shure MoveMic 88+'s screen (which I still liked), but a decent amount smaller. In future versions (I know the Gen 3 has literally just been released), I'd like to see this screen even bigger, and maybe even controllable via touch for even easier usability.
There's also a dead cat for wind resistance. I found this really efficient for pop reduction when carrying out my plosive testing, so I'd recommend using it to mitigate pops with interviewees who perhaps don't have the best microphone etiquette. Unlike the Sennheiser Profile Wireless, the dead cat didn't distort audio clarity.
First off, one of the most impressive features is the 850-foot wireless range. This makes it a touch longer than the Sennheiser Profile Wireless' ($299) 800 feet. The Rode Wireless Go Gen 2 ($299) has a max range of around 650 feet, so this is a major improvement on the previous iteration.
Another major improvement is the massive 32GB onboard storage — 40 hours of 32-bit recording. On the Gen 2, this is 40 hours of 24-bit float recording, which means the Gen 3 has higher memory. You can still export at 32-bit on the Gen 2, though.
While the Gen 3 has improved range and memory over the Gen 2, it also carries over one of the Gen 2's most helpful features: Safety Channel mode. This mode automatically records a second track at -10dB, so if your first recording is too loud or distorted, you've got a backup. Enabling this feature is easy: simply activate it in the Rode Central app.
Even when I was trying to shout loudly into the mic and distort it, my recordings were reasonably salvageable thanks to GainAssist. I definitely would place my trust in this mic, even when recording in noisy environments.
Due to the 32-bit float recording, even tracks from loud environments are easy to edit in post. I tested this with both whispered speech and shouted speech. I was able to amplify my whispered recordings without losing any quality.
Incredibly, the recording still sounded clear and crisp. In fact, all the recordings you'll hear in the 'Audio quality' section were amplified in Audacity. Then, I held the mic way too close (think complete microphone newbie) and talked loudly into it. I was, again, able to save this in Audacity.
One of the most interesting features is the customizable 'Ø' button. This button can be configured to mute the mic, or place a 'marker' in the on-board recording. Markers can be used for noting in long audio files where you need to trim, edit, or cut, amongst other reasons. It basically makes your life easier in post.
I was expecting this marker to place a beep sound in the recording, but nothing happened. I've reached out to Rode for assistance, but have yet to receive a response. I'll come back to update this review once I hear back.
Another fantastic feature is the Camera Preset. This is an automatic, premade setting that links up with a number of cameras. You can load these presets into your RX (via Rode Central desktop only) and then enable when the mics are set up with your camera. Unfortunately, this is limited to new and popular cameras: my Canon Rebel T3i is too old now.
Finally, battery life. The Go Gen 3 has 7 hours charge in each TX, and you can buy a charging case (to up the overall charge to 21 hours) for $89 from Amazon U.S.. This is a pretty good battery life, but other wireless mics come with a charging case, like the Sennheiser Profile Wireless.
As with the Rode Wireless Micro, the Wireless Go Gen 3 works with the Rode Central app. This app is very straightforward and easy to use: I had no problems navigating it during testing.
As you can see from the three screenshots above, the camera preset settings has a huge range of cameras, from Canon, to GoPro, to Panasonic and more. You can also customize channel gain and split or merge the TXs, and configure settings like the Ø buttons.
As you can record in 'Split' or 'Merged', be aware that you will need to re-merge the mics if you turn one off. The first time I used the Go Gen 3, I didn't realise this and was left with a stereo recording only on one channel. I had to fix it in post, which was easy, but a little annoying.
Thankfully, due to the 32-bit float recording quality, my recordings were never distorted even with a lot of fiddling in Audacity. The tracks were crisp, clear, and faithful to my voice, even when I had an ambient noise track playing in the background. Here you can listen to all my standardized audio testing clips.
As with all mics I test, I recorded clips of tongue twisters (to analyze plosive and fricative performance), ambient noise clips to test the high-pass filter, alongside generic spoken tests.
Plosives
Here you can listen to the Rode Wireless Go Gen 3's ability to record plosive (B, P, D sounds) sounds without popping. To get the best result, I used the dead cat here.
As you can tell from the audio clip above, the Go Gen 3's quality was pretty excellent. There were no loud pops thanks to the dead cat. A word of warning, though: I would recommend using said dead cat, as when I repeated this test sans-muff the recording was quite poppy.
Fricatives/sibilance
Fricatives are soft, airy sounds like F and Z, and sibilance refers to S sounds (like a snake). I recorded myself saying a couple of S-heavy tongue twisters.
As you can hear above, the sibilance performance was really impressive. There's no unsavory hissing whatsoever, and I was really trying to do my best imitation of an angry snake here. I would have no reservations about interviewing even the most serpentine of guests with this mic.
Ambient noise performance
As with the Wireless Micro, the Wireless Go Gen 3 doesn't really have an 'ambient noise reducer' like some of the best Shure microphones. It's got a high-pass filter, which basically blocks noises below a certain threshold (75Hz or 100Hz). For these clips, I used the 75Hz.
This is with the high-pass filter enabled.
You can still hear quite a decent amount of background noise. Sure, my voice is still audible, but this might require a few hours in post-production if you want it completely silent.
This is the same clip without the high-pass filter.
See, there's not much difference between the two clips. It's definitely because the Wireless Go Gen 3 doesn't have an ambient noise reducing technology like Shure's proprietary 'Denoiser' (which is excellent). It's just a high-pass filter, so better to use for wind and quiet interference.
In the future, I'd like to see Rode release an AI traffic/speech reducer, so post-production would be easier if recording in very loud environments. Still, it's not awful… just not mind-blowing.
The Wireless Go Gen 3 is a worthy upgrade from Gen 2. You get higher quality recordings, more onboard storage, a range of new features like GainAssist, a charging case, and live headphone monitoring.
On top of these extra features, the mic's recording quality is fantastic — of course it is, it's Rode. You'd expect it to be brilliant. My only qualm is that the high-pass filter isn't hugely adept at minimizing ambient noise. For a mic that's so often used as a street interviewing mic, I'd expect it to have much more advanced ambient noise reduction in future.
However, if you're a content creator looking to upgrade your professionalism, of course it has to be the Rode Wireless Go Gen 3. There's a reason this mic is everywhere in TikTok videos.
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These open-earbuds are the most secure I've tried for working out — and they're cheaper than Bose and Beats
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The buds have an IP rating of IP55, so they're dust and sweat resistant, and can cope with rain, so no need to worry if you're caught out by the weather when running or on your way home from the gym. The JLab Epic Open Sport earbuds have both touch and button controls. I love that you get the option between the two: buttons leave less room for error when active, but you can also have effortless touch controls if that's what you prefer. These controls can be customized in the JLab App. The beauty of open-earbuds is that you can stay aware of your surroundings while listening to music, and the JLab Epic Open Sports do a great job of letting in ambient sound. I was able to maintain conversations while still listening to my music, and I didn't need to turn the volume down when I was out for a run in a busy area. One of my favorite times to use open-earbuds is when I'm commuting on the train and need to listen out for announcements about train times and delays. 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The buds have multipoint connection so I was able to connect to my laptop and phone and switch seamlessly between the two without having to disconnect. These earbuds can use SBC, AAC, and LDAC audio codecs, so are able to cope with Hi-Res streaming if you have a compatible device. The sound quality of the JLab Epic Open Sport open-earbuds can be great, at least with the right settings tweaked in the companion app. The JLab App allows you to make quick alterations to the sound profile of the buds via a custom EQ. In the app, there are two presets, JLab Signature and Balanced, and the option to create a custom EQ. I started off by testing out JLab Signature, as this is the default sound. I was immediately impressed by how well balanced the bass and mids sounded, and the profile complemented most of my audio testing songs. For instance, 'Banquet' by Bloc Party felt full and well-rounded, with sharp vocals. 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There are better options if you want bass as the Earfun Clip open-earbuds were able to enhance the bass performance. The custom EQ settings are hard to use in the JLabs App, as the sliders are very jumpy and often don't register my commands precisely. I didn't have this issue when using the Soundcore app while testing the Soundcore Aeroclips, and also has a lot more choice of presets. As well as the two music presets, there is a movie mode button in the app. I used this setting to listen to a podcast and found that the speech was far more pronounced than in music mode. It also works well for enhancing the sound of speech when watching YouTube videos. The JLab Epic Open Sport earbuds have a total rated battery life of 30 hours — 7 hours in the buds and an extra 23 hours with the charging case. I let the buds play for 4 hours at a moderate volume and they had 50% battery remaining. The case has wireless charging, which is useful if you don't have a USB-C cable on hand. 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Unfortunately, the unpredictable sound quality couldn't win me over entirely. These buds are definitely more suited to upbeat music, as opposed to stripped-back acoustic tunes, which isn't great for everyday listening when I enjoy a variety of genres. But if you like listening to upbeat music while you work out this won't be an issue. For a more consistent music experience, I would recommend the EarFun Clips. The environmental noise cancelling for calls isn't very good and the person on the other end of the call could hear all of my paper rustling and typing. And it may be material, but having only one color option really limits the look of these earbuds when compared to the options in the rest of JLabs' audio range. With that said though, these are buds I would definitely reach for again when going out on a run or getting a quick yoga session in. I just won't be reaching them for long-term wear on a daily basis.
