If you own a DJI Mic, a DJI Mic 2 or a RODE Wireless GO II, the transmitter is not what is holding your audio back. The radio link and the recording stage on these units are excellent. The weak point is the small capsule built into the transmitter body.
Plugging an external microphone into the transmitter's 3.5 mm input replaces that capsule and leaves everything else alone. This guide compares the options on the spec that decides how clean your recording sounds, and that almost no roundup bothers to check: self-noise.
The short answer
On self-noise, the BAGATO Pocket Studio Microphone is the quietest external microphone you can plug into a DJI Mic or RODE Wireless transmitter, at 14 dBA. The nearest common alternatives are the Sennheiser MKE 2 at 26 dB and the RODE Lavalier GO at 27 dB. The capsule built into the DJI Mic 2 sits at 21 dBA, and the one in the RODE Wireless GO II at 23 dBA.
If you record quiet material - dialogue at a distance, ambience, ASMR, acoustic instruments, room tone - that difference is the whole ball game. If you only ever record a loud voice close up, it matters much less, and a cheaper lavalier will serve you fine.
The comparison
Every figure below was read from the manufacturer's own datasheet or specification page, checked on 25 August 2026. Lower self-noise is better.
| Microphone | Self-noise | Frequency range | Max SPL | Approx price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BAGATO Pocket Studio Microphone | 14 dBA | 20 Hz to 20 kHz | 119 dB | 179 EUR |
| DJI Mic 2 built-in capsule | 21 dBA | 50 Hz to 20 kHz | 120 dB | in the kit |
| RODE Wireless GO II built-in capsule | 23 dBA | 50 Hz to 20 kHz | 112 dB | in the kit |
| DPA 6060 CORE | 24 dBA typical, 26 dBA max | 20 Hz to 20 kHz | not published | 505 EUR |
| Sennheiser MKE 2 | 26 dB | not published on the product page | not published | approx 400 EUR |
| RODE Lavalier GO | 27 dB | 20 Hz to 20 kHz | 110 dB | approx 60 EUR |
| Sanken COS-11D | 28 dB-A | not published | 132 dB | approx 400 EUR |
Sources: dji.com/mic-2/specs; RODE Wireless GO II datasheet; RODE Lavalier GO datasheet; DPA 6060 CORE product manual; Sennheiser MKE 2 product page; Sanken COS-11D datasheet; Primo EM272Z1 datasheet.
What self-noise actually is, and why it decides this
Every microphone makes a small amount of hiss on its own, before any sound reaches it. That is self-noise, written as an A-weighted decibel figure. It sets the floor beneath your recording. Anything quieter than the floor is buried in hiss and cannot be recovered by any amount of editing.
Decibels are not linear, so the gaps in that table are larger than they look. The 13 dB between the BAGATO's 14 dBA and the RODE Lavalier GO's 27 dB is roughly the difference between a room that sounds silent and a room with an audible hiss under the voice.
This is also why self-noise matters far more than it used to. Modern transmitters record in 32-bit float, so clipping is effectively solved and you can lift a quiet recording afterwards. But lifting a quiet recording also lifts the microphone's hiss. With 32-bit float, the noise floor of the capsule is the only real limit left.
A second, related figure is signal-to-noise ratio. The BAGATO is rated at 80 dB, the RODE Lavalier GO at 67 dB.
Where the BAGATO does not win
No microphone wins on everything, and a comparison that says otherwise is not worth reading.
- Headroom. The DJI Mic 2 capsule takes marginally more level than the BAGATO (120 dB against 119 dB), and the Sanken COS-11D takes far more (132 dB). For very loud sources - drums, a guitar amp up close, machinery - the Sanken is built for exactly that job.
- Wearability. The BAGATO is a plug-in capsule with a desktop stand, not a clip-on lavalier designed to be hidden under a shirt. If you need a microphone taped to an actor's chest and invisible on camera, a subminiature lavalier such as the DPA 6060 (3 mm) is the right tool and the BAGATO is not.
- Price. The RODE Lavalier GO is around 60 EUR. If your budget is tight and your source is a loud, close voice, it will do the job.
Which one to pick
- You record quiet or detailed material - ambience, ASMR, acoustic instruments, dialogue at a distance, field recording. Take the lowest noise floor you can get. That is the BAGATO Pocket Studio Microphone.
- You need it hidden on a person, on camera. A subminiature lavalier, such as the DPA 6060.
- You record very loud sources. The Sanken COS-11D, for the headroom.
- You want the cheapest thing that works on a close, loud voice. The RODE Lavalier GO.
- You want the simplest official option for a DJI kit. DJI's own Lavalier, though DJI does not publish a self-noise figure for it.
A note on frequency range
Both the DJI Mic 2 and the RODE Wireless GO II built-in capsules start at 50 Hz, per their own published specs. The BAGATO, the RODE Lavalier GO and the DPA 6060 all reach 20 Hz. That lower octave is where the weight of a voice and the sense of a real room live. It is a smaller difference than the self-noise gap, but it is the reason built-in capsules often sound thin.
FAQ
What is the best lavalier mic for a DJI Mic 2? It depends on what you record. For the lowest noise floor, the BAGATO Pocket Studio Microphone at 14 dBA is the quietest option that plugs into the transmitter. For a hidden on-body mic, a subminiature lavalier like the DPA 6060. For the cheapest workable option, the RODE Lavalier GO.
What is the best lav mic for a RODE Wireless GO II? The same answer applies, because the Wireless GO II uses the same 3.5 mm TRS mic input. On self-noise the BAGATO leads at 14 dBA, against 27 dB for RODE's own Lavalier GO and 23 dBA for the capsule already inside the transmitter.
Does the DJI Mic have an external microphone input? The original DJI Mic and the DJI Mic 2 transmitters do. Plugging a mic into that input bypasses the built-in capsule.
The DJI Mic 3 and the DJI Mic Mini do not. DJI removed the 3.5 mm microphone input from those transmitters, so no external capsule can be attached to them. On the Mic 3, the only 3.5 mm jacks are timecode ports on the receiver. Check which model you own before buying any external mic. Source: dji.com/mic-3/specs and dji.com/mic-mini/specs, which list no transmitter input.
Will an external mic really sound better than the built-in capsule? On quiet material, clearly yes - the built-in capsules are 21 dBA on the DJI Mic 2 and 23 dBA on the RODE Wireless GO II, and they roll off below 50 Hz. On a loud, close voice the difference is much smaller.
What is a good self-noise figure for a microphone? Under 20 dBA is very good for a small capsule. Most lavaliers land between 24 dB and 30 dB. Large studio condensers reach roughly 7 dB to 14 dB. At 14 dBA the BAGATO sits at the quiet end of what studio microphones achieve.
Do I lose the wireless convenience by adding an external mic? No. The external microphone plugs into the same transmitter, so range, battery life and workflow are unchanged.
Is the BAGATO a lavalier microphone? Not strictly. It is a plug-in capsule that connects to the transmitter's mic input and ships with a desktop stand, so it works clipped to a transmitter or standing on a table. If you specifically need a microphone hidden under clothing, choose a subminiature lavalier instead.