One word to describe the Maono AU-HD300T. VERSATILE! They come out swinging rocking a cardioid capsule, dual sound outputs, and even a 3.55mm audio jack for ZERO latency monitoring. Another haymaker is the quality of the accessories the mic comes with. If you’re in the market for an excellent beginner-level plug-and-play microphone, the Maono HD300T has everything you need! Are you interested in starting a podcast? Looking for a stand-alone microphone for game night with the squad or to host a no-death speed run of Dark Souls on Twitch? The folks over at Maono have got you covered on all bases and you best believe that includes karaoke! Here’s the thing with Maono, they know what they’re good at and they stick to their guns. That’s something to appreciate with so many brands choosing to dibble dabble with new features and that sometimes results in less than acceptable products. Maono makes microphones, headphones, soundcards, boom arms, and even isolation shields for those of us looking to add that sweet little finishing touch to their personal studio. Before I spend too much time talking about everything Maono does right, let me focus on what we’re all here for, the Maono AU-HD300T!
First things first, with a price tag of only $69.99 they seriously give you everything you’d want with a desktop microphone. You get the microphone, desktop stand, USB A to C cable, an XLR cable, and a shock mount equipped with a pop filter. While the microphone does have a nice heft to it which screams durability, the karaoke aesthetic may not be for everyone though. The mic has both USB/XLR ports conveniently placed on the bottom of the mic. There is only 1 LED light on the mic, the on/off switch, (Sorry RGBros). It does have volume controls on the mic itself but only controls the desktop volume. Considering most modern keyboards have volume controls I don’t see that really necessary; I would rather have a dial to adjust the gain. I was impressed with the build quality of the mic stand as it’s made of heavy metal which is a nice change from the cheap plastic tripods that we’ve seen in the past. You even have the ability to raise/lower the microphone vertically which is a nice touch. The shock mount is pretty basic doing what it’s meant to with no extra frills. The attachment for the pop filter is pretty “meh”, I find myself having to consistently re-tighten the pop filter to keep it secure in one position. Where this microphone really shines is its sound quality. With a Dynamic capsule and a cardioid polar pattern, I noticed a huge increase in vocal clarity and reduction in background noise that was picked up by the microphone coming from my previous headset. The one negative is that the mic can be a little too efficient because it does pick up my keystrokes which is saying a lot considering I use a membrane keyboard.
Whether you’re grinding out another raid with the squad or creating content through Twitch, this microphone is an excellent choice when looking for a beginner-level, plug and play mic application. There aren’t much if any adjustments that need to be done or programs to be downloaded. Discord and Streamlabs OBS immediately detected It. No way does not get any simpler than this. For only $69.99, you get your money’s worth and then some.
