Maono PD400X Microphone Review: The Complete Package

Maono PD400X

The Maono PD400X is a USB/XLR dynamic microphone created with podcasters and streamers in mind, and can be used on a variety of platforms.

Maono may not be a household name when it comes to audio equipment, but the Chinese manufacturer should not be underestimated. I’ve been using the Maono PD400X dynamic microphone for about two weeks now, and while it doesn't have the sound quality of a top-of-the-range Shure, it performs far better than a similarly-priced Blue Yeti. With great sound quality, near-perfect noise cancelling software, and a host of accessories, the PD400X punches well above its weight and delivers great bang for your buck.

We’ll start with the mic itself. The sound quality is clean, even when plugged in via USB-C rather than XLRed to the Maonocaster AM100 mixer (more on that later), and everything you need to adjust your audio is on the mic itself. The sole dial adjusts your microphone gain, headphone volume, and monitor mix. Clicking the dial switches between these modes, and tactile feedback tells you when you’ve turned it up or down a notch. This does result in some noise if you’re switching things up mid-recording, but it’s otherwise perfect for shifting your levels on the fly. Maono also brings back its best feature, a mute button that’s a glassy, smartphone-like surface so that it doesn’t produce that audible click when you mute or unmute yourself.

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I recorded myself talking from a number of angles, with the mic various distances from my mouth, and with increasing levels of background noise, and the PD400X kept pace with all of them. Keyboard clicks were minimal (and you all know I love a clicky keyboard by now) and sound from my PC speakers only bled into my audio when I turned it up far louder than necessary.

The PD400X comes with a sturdy, solid base for your desktop, but I opted for the BA90 boom arm to keep any noise to a minimum. I found that nudging or moving the base could be heard in recorded audio and, while the same is true for the boom arm, I was much less likely to knock that as I talked. The arm itself feels sturdy and can reach most angles, including over the top of a monitor. I opted not to drill through my lovely desk as suggested, and it still feels solid.

The one downside to the PD400X is that plosives can sound quite aggressive, even when using the supplied wind foam. A pop filter, either in-built or external, would resolve this issue. However, as a $130 mic, I’m struggling to find a competitor that performs better.

Then you add in the Maonocaster AM100, a streaming or podcasting console mixer that takes this microphone to the next level. It does everything you’d expect, from mixing two microphone inputs, to adjusting the levels with your PC audio. It’s got XLR inputs for cleaner audio from your mic, monitor outputs to check your levels, and a host of playful options to customise your stream. These are more gimmicky than anything else, but they’re there if you want them.

The first of these are voice changers, which adjust the pitch of your voice to four preset options: male, female, baby, and robot. You know, the four genders. These all sound terrible, so unless you want to send a ransom note or pretend to be a member of online hacktivist group Anonymous, you probably won’t touch these. Next, there are eight sound effect buttons with preset functions that range from Spongebob memes, to bleeps for swear words. These are probably more geared towards streamers than the interviews I use my microphone for, but they’re fully programmable, so I might find some use for them yet. There’s also varying levels of reverb and autotune if you need them.

The best function on the AM100 is a denoise switch, that turns the noise cancelling capabilities from great to perfect. I feel like I could have had Rage Against The Machine playing live in my office and my voice would have still come through crystal clear. It also has an internal battery, which I haven’t seen in a mixer before, meaning you can take your podcasts on the go or conduct interviews from the pub if you so wish.

The biggest downside, however, is that any audio level adjustments apply to both microphones equally. You can adjust the gain and volume to each individually, but the levels dial applies every change to both. Considering the mixer costs an additional $200, it’s ultimately unnecessary; you can do most of the important audio tweaking using software or on the mic itself, especially if you’re streaming solo. But if you’re getting serious about your podcast, then it seems like a no-brainer to pick up for a beginner.

Maono gives you great value from top to bottom, and even the accompanying Maono Link software works great. It’s easy to install and use, which is emblematic of the whole Maono kit. You can do most of the tweaks on the mic itself, but it’s easier through the software. You can adjust the levels using the mic’s dial, but it’s more intuitive using the mixer. If you’re after a budget microphone, then the Maono PD400X is hard to beat, and most people will be happy with that. But if you want to take your streams to the next level, the Maonocaster AM100 is a great deal, too. Maono may not be a household name just yet, but in the budget audio sphere, maybe it should be.

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