MAONO Microphone with Studio Headphone Set 192kHz/24Bit Vocal Condenser Cardioid Podcast Mic Compatible with Mac and Windows, YouTube, Gaming, Live Streaming, Voice-Over (AU-A04H)

This microphone kit from Maono is the complete setup for gaming, recording or streaming. The microphone is extremely easy to set up, compatible across most devices, and produces a great sound that is suitable for any situation. The headphones aren’t anything special, but that’s not what you’re buying this for anyways.

Microphone Sound Quality
I will have included a voice recording in this review so you can hear for yourself. It is impressively clear, presents a full and rich sound and has almost no audible background noise whatsoever. Side by side with a Blue Snowball iCE, a comparable USB microphone for ~$70, the Maono has a fuller, heartier sound and is less tinny and sibilant (“s” sounds are less sharp and pronounced.)

Setup and compatibility
Plug in the USB and you’re good to go. It’s that simple. It’s compatible with pretty much anything with a full sized USB port out of the box. It doesn’t feature a headphone or XLR output, but very few people will find use in those anyways.

Build Quality & Adjustable Arm Stand
The adjustable arm stand makes this a better option for professional use than the regular desktop microphones that just sit on your desk. It allows you to place the microphone much closer to your mouth, thus reducing the relative volume of peripheral sounds such as the clicks of your keyboard and mouse. The suspension mount also dampens out vibration noises from your desk. The scissor stand is sturdy and has smooth movements in its joints. It is easily adjustable, and there hasn’t been any creaking so far. All the joints are metal, so it should be able to undergo some heavy use without falling apart. The included pop filter is high quality, and I’m actually a fan of Maono’s logo.

Headphones
The headphones are clearly a secondary item to this kit. That being said, they are certainly better than I was expecting. They have decent sound and are reasonably well built. I would compare the sound quality to some of the big-brand gaming headsets in the $50-100 range. They have a V-shaped sound signature and a wide soundstage that will please most ears, despite coming up short in terms of detail and extension. Considering that these are a secondary item in an already inexpensive combo, I wouldn’t complain about the sound on these at all. The headphones are light, which saves the headphones from being uncomfortable due to the thin padding on the headband and the terrible earcups. The ear cups are by far my biggest complaint about this package as a whole; they’re thin, cheap and too small to fit fully around my ears. Had they gone with a better set of ear cups, the headphones would have been much more comfortable, and I suspect that the sound quality would have improved substantially from having a better seal around the ears. I have never been a fan of coiled cables and a detachable cable would have been preferred, but I do appreciate the inclusion of a quarter-inch adapter. Overall, the headphones are perfectly reasonable so long as you do a ~$20 pad swap (and yes, the pads are removable.)

So when comparing this microphone to other microphones in my kit I look at it like I look at cameras. Every one has their own job. What I compaired this to was my Yeti and my Shotgun mic. What is this mic good for? Well this is a singular cardiod mic which makes it great for a single close up user. For me that means a situation where I am the only person talking and I am right in from of the microphone so for example when I am recording a podcast or a voice over of a video or even on occasion when I am gaming and don’t want my audio distracted by other noises in the background. Because of the single directionality that means less outside distractions of say a noisy car going by outside or my neighbor mowing his lawn or even my noisy upstairs neighbours. In this way this microphone is far better than the Yeti which has multi directionality cardiod that is better suited for a room filled conversation of multiple people for different angles that would pick up more of those ambient noises not allowing for the voice isolation. Next how does this compare to a shot gun mic? Well again we will go back to the directional range. With a shotgun mic like a rode you are targeting sound from one specific direction and that includes background noises so where that differs is that you would want that when recording audio for an event or a crowd with a specific target like an interview where you are not the focus of the audio but are controlling the movement of the action. In the event of a targetted speaker recording this microphone allows for more precision in what you pick up. Allowing for sound isolation based more on proximity than direction. Now on to the hardware: the arm is sturdy and clamps easily to my desk, the movement is smooth yet still rigid enough to support the microphone without slipping, the pop shield does an amazing job and I have to do very little pop correction if any in edit, the microphone does an excellent job of isolating so very little post recording noise reduction is needed, the headphones offer a crisp clear sound and the band is comfortable, the only reason I didn’t give a 5 for comfort is that I have been spoiled by the softness of the foam in my Skull Candy headphones. I have needed a mic kit of this caliber for a long time and the fact that I waited is lost time in post work that I will never get back. Do yourself a favor if you do any isolated audio work and don’t wait the time you save is worth it’s weight in gold.

Pretty good for everything it brings, the microphone filter foam thingy’s clip that you out in the arm cod be better, the spring on the arm get in the way of the clip that holds it in place and I’m afraid it might ruin it over time, it’s pretty good haha I use it for the PS4,

If you use it with a usb Bluetooth headset connect the headset first, and then the microphone, if not you’ll have to go to setting > devices > audio devices > and then press the option “input device” and then select Realtek and you should see the microphone and headset connected on the notifications.

Now I use the Strike pack with this for the back paddles, which requires me to have the controller connected through usb and it detects it as a headset, if you have it, connect your usb headset first, then your microphone and then the strike pack, the PS4 will then tell you CANNOT CONNECT ANOTHER AUDIO DEVICE, it’s okay the paddles still work, but it doesn’t detect it as a headset and you should be good, it’s not complicated but it did frustrate me at first because I thought I wasn’t going to be able to use it.
I use a usb extender with 4 usb port and it all works