EXCLUSIVE TEST: Hollyland Solidcom M1 Intercom System posted: 25/11/2021
by Sven Kubeile
For any live production that requires a larger crew communication is key. Usually a reliable intercom system will take care of that. Especially with larger productions, these systems are often complex. But there are also solutions for smaller teams, such as from. We were able to test Hollyland's latest top-of-the-range system Solidcom M1 in a real production environment.
Solidcom M1 is a digital intercom system for small to medium-sized applications and basically an intercom system in which, depending on the version, up to four or eight people can talk to each other independently. It is not a system in which the beltpacks can be used to create a complex wired intercom solution. The beltpacks do not contact each other directly, the connection is established via a base station. The individual units can also be configured and assigned to groups via the integrated display and the control options. The base has to be powered with a dedicated power supply unit via an Ethernet port. Multiple systems can be cascaded with one another or connected to a third-party system using additional connections. Compatible manufacturers are Clear-Com, Hanson, Altair and Datavideo. A directional antenna is integrated in the base to ensure a secure radio connection, a feature which is particularly useful for stage applications. When placed on a tripod a range of 400 meters can be achieved. For applications in which users of the beltpack have to be mobile, the use of the supplied rod antennas ist recommended. They enable an omnidirectional range of 300 meters.
Beltpacks
The beltpacks are very well made and look neither too small nor too big. There is a battery compartment on the side. For charging the devices can either be placed in the supplied charging cradle or batteries can be removed individually and charged separately, allowing the batteries to be exchanged quickly during production. On the bottom of the bealtpacks there are LEMO sockets to plug in the headsets that come with the beltpack. The talk switch can be found easily on the top of the device. A few settings can be made via a display and three buttons, but these do not go into much depth so that the user is prevented to change anything essential. The volume can be adjusted as required using two buttons on the side
Headsets
The supplied headsets are open on one side and allow good speech intelligibility as well in noisy environments. A tally is attached to the foldable microphone, shows that a sound signal is being transmitted. The headband is comfortable and the quality of the connectors will most likely allow for a long service.
On set
We used the Solidcom M1 system in a production enviromment to find out the systems capabilities and its potential limits. It was used as the main intercom for two small Live-TV productions taking place in large churches. The architecture of those caused the only problem that we came across. Due to the massive outer walls the signal range was sometimes in the range of only 10 metres which made it difficult to connect to the system's base station in the outside broadcast vehicle. This would normally have called for either using a second base station or careful readjusting of the existing base station - which was the route we went down.
Everything being set up well you can enjoy very good voice quality, which simplifies production both on air and during assembly and dismantling. A clean reception and transmission quality was possible at all times, even when speaking in a low voice like you have to during a production in a church. We especially liked the integrated audio processing that prevents noise from all open beltpacks from adding up and thereby reducing speech intelligibility. External providers who were included in the intercom were also enthusiastic about the intelligibility of speech and how comfortably the headsets could be worn.
The dismantling of the system was as quick and easy as the setup before. Thanks to the perfectly provided cutouts in the case, everything could be packed quickly and securely. The trolley has integrated rollers and can be easily transported over long distances.
Conclusion
If you decide to buy a Hollyland Solidcom M1, you get a very capable, well-functioning and simple intercom system. Being in a price range of under 8,000 euros for eight transmitter / receiver units, the system can't be compared with significantly more scalable systems such as a Riedel's Bolero. For small to medium-sized and less complex productions, small live streams and TV broadcasts, theaters, film productions and event companies, the Solidcom M1 offers almost everything you can possibly need. In addition, it can be set up and operated by almost anyone without any particular system training.
What we liked:
High quality and robust construction
Very good voice quality
High quality case tailored to the system
Comfortable headsets
Robust connectors on beltpacks and headsets
Long battery life
Everything you need in one case
No training necessary
What we didnt like:
Low range through walls - in that case the use of two bases is advisable
No push-to-talk , just continuous on or off
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
06/12/2025
In a live broadcast from the Reagan National Defense Forum, L3Harris Chair and CEO Christopher Kubasik joined Morgan Brennan on CNBCs Closing Bell: Overtime. Ku...
06/12/2025
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. A new survey from Pixitmedia by Datacore revealed a major shift in the Media & Entertainment industry in media archiving, with 85% of resp...
06/12/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. LiveU has announced that the national public broadcaster Czech Television has completed one of the largest LiveU live production deployments fo...
06/12/2025
NEW YORK The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) presented the Excellence in Production Technology Emmy Award to NASA+ and Dr. Tom Leight...
05/12/2025
2025 Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame: Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nati...
05/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Veritone's Sean King on the Power of Mining Video, Audio DataThe company's Data Refinery offers users total control and governance over da...
05/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: Inside the Nashville Predators' Unified, Flexible, Sca...
05/12/2025
Netflix Reaches Agreement To Acquire Warner Bros. Following Planned WBD SplitThe deal does not include WBDs sports assets like TNT Sports (US, UK, LatAm), Euros...
05/12/2025
FOX Sports Returns to Indianapolis for Primetime Broadcast of Big Ten Championsh...
05/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Digital Engagement & Monetization Workshop Tackles the ...
05/12/2025
Atlanta United Lights Up New Emory Healthcare Studio With First Live Broadcast f...
05/12/2025
As Messi Takes the Pitch, MLS, Apple, NEP Roll Out Largest MLS Cup Production Ev...
05/12/2025
ESPN Enters College Football's Most Intense Month With Elevated Workflows fo...
05/12/2025
It's about that time! Awards season is in full swing, and the Film Independe...
05/12/2025
Every year, Spotify Wrapped offers a personalized look back at the audio that defined your year. It's a snapshot of your listening habits, designed to tell ...
05/12/2025
In 2025, Spotify's EQUAL, GLOW, and RADAR programs celebrated women, LGBTQIA , and emerging artists who turned moments into milestones. From breaking record...
05/12/2025
In our latest blog, we explain how Wi-Fi 7 rollouts can drive consumer loyalty with value-add services such as consumer cybersecurity. We also explore how this ...
05/12/2025
LOS ANGELES Netflix announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Nielsens Gracenote has launched Gracenote Content Connect, a new ad platform that provides agencies, brands, supply-side platforms (SSPs) and demand-si...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK In an most important update to the workings of deal-based programmatic advertising, IAB Tech Lab has released version 1.0 of its Deals API for public c...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Pass the turkey. Pass the stuffing. Pass the cranberry sauce. All are common requests of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving Day with family and f...
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. Netflix announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Warner Bros. for $82.7 billion....
05/12/2025
NEW YORK Iris, the new cloud-connected camera control platform, has officially launched with features that turn virtually any PTZ camera into a software-connect...
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has approved AT&T's $1.02 billion acquisition of spectrum from UScellular in a decision that was issued sho...
05/12/2025
The Best Coldplay Songs: 21 Tracks That Shoot for the Stars From Yellow to Viva La Vida, Fix You to Paradise, this playlist goes back to the start.
December ...
05/12/2025
Zafris Lecture Series Brings Nabil Ayers to Berklee The 32nd annual James G. Zafris Distinguished Lecture series was held on Thursday, November 13, with guest...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the First Look for Land of Sin' - Premier...
05/12/2025
Introducing New Perks to Help You Get Even More from LinkedIn Premium Published on Dec 5, 2025 Categories: Company News, Product News
LinkedIn Corporate Co...
05/12/2025
Friday 5 December 2025
A new Game of Thrones Tale: Official trailer for Sky Exc...
05/12/2025
Back to All News
Don Lee, Lee Jin-uk, and Lalisa Manobal to Star in Netflix Act...
05/12/2025
Tis the season of giving once again and this year we've taken our Give Back Fridays' concept and turned it on its head.
In the autumn we were approach...
05/12/2025
Brayden Gogis doesn't remember a time when he wasn't completely fixated on games in all forms. In preschool, when they asked us to dress up as what we ...
05/12/2025
The Grinch steals the spotlight as the theme for The Late Late Toy Show 2025
Tune in tonight at 9:35pm on RT One and worldwide on RT Player
#LateLateToyShow...
05/12/2025
RT Announces New Presenters of Flagship News Programmes
New RT Six One News co-presenter Tommy Meskill
Sarah McInerney & Justin McCarthy join Morning Ir...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir Blackmagic Design HyperDeck Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & ...
04/12/2025
ToolsOnAir AJA Ki Pro Event Presets for just:in mac pro 2025 & just:in linux
More Details:Starting with version 5.5, both just:in mac pro and just:in linux sol...
04/12/2025
Wangu Kanuri from Kenya and Godwin Asediba from Ghana are two of this years finalists for Thomsons Young Journalist of the Year Award. The pair are runners-up i...
04/12/2025
SVG Sit-Down: ProximaVision's Claudio Lisman on Why Tethered Drones Could Be...
04/12/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Imry Halevi, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Co...
04/12/2025
Platinum White Paper: LiveU Lightweight Sports Production: A Step Change in Spor...
04/12/2025
London to Riyadh: DAZN brings the boxing glamour to new production levels for Be...
04/12/2025
Analysis: Paramount bets on the battering ram' with Champions League play By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - 10:12
Print ...
04/12/2025
Space City Home Network Launches SCHN DTC App for Astros and RocketsThe Rockets and Astros were previously the lone NBA and MLB teams without a DTC appBy Jason...
04/12/2025
SVG Summit 2025 Preview: Content Workflows Workshop Spotlights Evolution of Spor...
04/12/2025
New Sponsor Spotlight: Geotech's Patrick Wambold On the Unreal Engine Revolu...
04/12/2025
Curt Gowdy Jr. - Master Storyteller, Nationally and RegionallyBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 - 1:52 pm
Print This Sto...
04/12/2025
(L-R) Rebecca Lichtenfeld, Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, and Judith Helfand att...
EXCLUSIVE TEST: Hollyland Solidcom M1 Intercom System posted: 25/11/2021 
