DPA d:vice MMA-A

This is the only device (sorry!) I've found that gives high-quality stereo/dual mono input into an iPhone and can power condenser lavs and small. The lack of cables and battery paraphernalia is a joy. Two 4060s and this d:vice fit easily into a pocket. For long days of interviewing (eg at events, roaming an expo hall) I will use a headset mic for me and just clip a lav to my interviewee.

The build is jewel-like. Not merely "high quality" - it's like a Leica.

The operation could not be simpler - just a few settings in the app. I normally use a Mix-pre in the field and while the sound on that is excellent it's overkill for 2-person voice interviews, and the batteries, cables etc are a higher level of commitment and organisation than a handy recorder (eg an H5 or a 100MkIII). To get this level of sound quality in something so small is therefore a total delight.

It's a pity that there's no headset monitoring from the device. There's no way around it - it's a loss. However, I now use my Bose Soundsports (bluetooth, iPhone 11) to monitor the levels initially, lock them, and then record away. I keep half an eye on the levels in Hindenberg as I record, but the headroom is insane and I record at a lower level than normal due to the low self-noise. The bluetooth lag is not too bad when you're just setting levels, and does make things very portable. However this setup is not good enough for doing field recordings since there's too much noise in these headphones to allow accurate setting of gain for low soundpressure environments.

Note that the d:vice does not work through an adaptor (eg the Apple Lightning splitter). It needs to be connected directly to the lightning port. If you need to charge during recording then a wireless charger on a newer iPhone is your only option.

This has displaced my other portable/ENG setups for interviews.