BOYA BY-MM1+ vs. BY-MM1 Pro

The Boya BY-MM1+ has gotten a lot of buzz last year. Mainly because a lot of people compared it to the Røde Videomicro. In my opinion, the Boya BY-MM1+ is a good budget shotgun microphone, but like a lot of budget microphone it still has some flaws. Late 2020 Boya decided to put out the newest edition to the BY-MM1 series, the BY-MM1 Pro. Of course I had to compare it to the BY-MM1+. The two questions that I want to answer are: is there any difference between the two microphones and should you ditch the Plus for the Pro?

At the time of writing this blog the price on Amazon for the BY-MM1+ is $49,95 and the BY-MM1 Pro goes for $62,50. So, a difference in price of around $12,50.

The main difference between these two microphones is that BY-MM1+ is a normal shotgun condenser microphone and the BY-MM1 Pro is Dual-Capsule condenser microphone. This means that the BY-MM1 Pro has two microphones in one. One pointing forward and one pointing backwards. We’ll circle back to that.

Boya BY-MM1+

Let’s look at what you get in the box of both microphones. With the BY-MM1+ you get the microphone, a shock mount, a furry windshield, one TRRS to TRS cable and one TRRS to TRRS cable. You also get a pouch.

Boya BY-MM1+ Box

BOYA BY-MM1+ (What's in the box?)

BOYA BY-MM1+ cables

TRRS to TRRS cable & TRS to TRRS cable.

BOYA BY-MM1+ Windscreen

BOYA BY-MM1+ setup

Boya BY-MM1 Pro

In the BY-MM1 Pro box you get the BY-MM1 Pro mic and a shock mount. You also get two furry windshields, two foam pop filters and a case.

Differences & similarities

The shock mount of the Pro is pretty much the same as the Plus. So, no upgrade there. The furry windshield of the Plus is bigger than the two furry windshields of the Pro. The BY-MM1+ has two separate cables, one for recording on smartphones and another for recording on DSLRs or other cameras. The Pro on the other hand comes with one cable already attached to microphone. You can set which device you’re recording on with a switch on the microphone.

Like I said earlier, the BY-MM1 Pro is a dual-capsule condenser microphone. Which comes in handy when doing interviews for example. You can record two people simultaneously with using just one microphone. You also have the possibility to use only the front or only the rear microphone if you want. If you want to record two people interview style with BY-MM1+ you would need two microphones and a splitter.

If we compare sizes we can see that the BY-MM1+ is slightly bigger than the BY-MM1 Pro. They both aluminum design which gives them a premium quality feel. I didn’t notice much difference in audio quality between the two microphones. However, I did notice that the Boya BY-MM1 Pro is little louder than the Boya BY-MM1+. But don't take my word for it. Click here to listen to the audio from both microphones.

Both microphones have a headphone output. Sadly this feature is only available for playback and when using the microphones with a smartphone. So, no upgrade on that spec either. After some extensive research and tests I did find a way that you can monitor the audio while you're recording. If you wanna know how to do that check out this blog post. And finally, you don’t need batteries to use them so it’s basically plug and play.

Conclusion: should you ditch the BY-MM1+ for the BY-MM1 Pro?

Now that we know the differences and similarities, should you ditch the Plus for the Pro? Honestly, I think the audio quality from both microphones is good. However, the BY-MM1 Pro does have some nice new features. Dual-capsule, one cable for every device and a nice case. If you don’t have the BY-MM1+ and you have the extra $12,50 my advice is to go with the BY-MM1 Pro. Make sure you also get a good furry windshield, because the ones that come with the Pro… sh*t! If you DO have the Plus and you don’t really have use for a dual-capsule microphone I’d say you can skip this one and just wait for a… Pro Plus? (or whatever they decide to name the next one).