Maono PD300X Review – Punching Way Above Its Price Class

Unboxing the Maono PD300X

Kicking off the Maono PD300X review with the unboxing, the packaging is a rather large box for a product of its size, clad in Maono’s black and yellow colorway. There’s quite a bit of product details listed around the box for those who may be interested in its features and technical details. Inside the box, we found the following items:

• Documentations
• USB-A & USB-C to USB-C 2-in-1 Cable
• 5/8″ to 3/8″ Thread Adapter
• Shock mount
• The Maono PD300X microphone itself

Maono PD300X Overview

The Maono PD300X is a value-centric microphone for studio, podcasters, and content creators. It’s not cheap but it certainly isn’t expensive, focusing instead on adding a boatload of features to make it worth the money spent. It’s also rather versatile given that it has both USB and XLR inputs, along with a headphone monitoring jack, so it can cater to both beginners who don’t have a dedicated audio mixer as well as the intermediate-to-advanced users who do own one. It doesn’t even need a mixer with high gain or any kind of cloudlifter / gain booster, which makes it easier to invest in this microphone.

The reason I brought up that last part of the previous paragraph is because it’s a dynamic microphone, and some of the most popular dynamic microphones like the Shure SM7B and Samson Q9U are very gain-hungry. This results in a need for an expensive mixer like the Rode Procaster II or additional accessories like the cloudlifter / gain booster, otherwise the audio will be too soft or too noisy.

Given that the Maono PD300X is a dynamic microphone, it’s ideal for those who don’t have a studio or a treated room to use it in. With condensers, it can sound hollow and echoey if used in an untreated room. Furthermore, dynamic microphones with cardioid polar patterns have strong rear noise rejection and usually decent side noise rejection as well since the focus will be audio right in front of it (or on top of it if you position it like a typical condenser microphone), but we will find out how well it performs in a later section.

While this shouldn’t be a surprise for those who are familiar with these kinds of microphones, it doesn’t come with a built-in stand nor a detachable desktop stand. You will need to get a separate stand but Maono does bundle it with a cost-effective scissor arm that you can attach to most desks. You can always opt to get a cheap one elsewhere if you want to save cost, but Maono’s cheapest arm is definitely quieter than the average scissor arm you can find online for cheap. A USB cable and shock mount are included in the box, so the only other accessory you might need is an XLR cable if you’re using it with a mixer.

The all-metal construction is certainly impressive as it feels durable and solid to hold. The metal mesh is constructed solidly as well, hiding the capsule and adding a layer of protection as well as wind noise rejection. To further boost wind noise rejection, a Flocked Pop Filter Foam is included and already pre-installed. It’s also worth pointing out that it comes with EMI shielding to protect against electromagnetic interference.

Lastly, the Maono PD300X has a mic mute button and a multi-function knob on the front of the microphone for added convenience. Both are incredibly satisfying to press, and you can access a custom function by holding down the mute button for 2 seconds while the knob can be used to adjust the mic gain, headphone volume, and monitor ratio adjustment.

Speaking of adjustments, there is an optional Maono Link software for USB users in case you want to fine-tune the microphone to your liking but it’s only for Windows users, though Mac users can still use it without the software via plug-and-play. The UI is easy to navigate with and it does come with some important functions, with the Noise Gate in particular being the thing everyone should tinker with first. If you’re familiar with sound technology, you can go to the Scene tab and tailor your experience accordingly.

Specifications

Frequency Response	40Hz to 16KHz
Sample Rate	192 KHz
Bitrate	24-bit
Capsules	Dynamic
Polar Pattern	Cardioid
Adjustable Gain Range	0 to+42dB
Sensitivity	XLR: -52dBV USB: -10.5dBFS/Pa(Max)
Max SPL	＞130dB SPL
Dimensions	Unmeasured 187.9 x 156.9 x 121.9 mm (package)
Weight	780g
RGB	No
Connection Type	USB, USB-C, XLR

Mic Test

Controlled Test

The above are just recordings using the RODE Procaster dynamic microphone so you guys have something to directly compare it with. In case you’re wondering, this microphone is connected to the RODECaster Pro II audio interface, and it’s the only audio interface we’ll be using for this review to maintain consistency.

USB-C

On USB-C, the Maono PD300X actually sounds pretty good. At 30% gain, which the Maono Link software lists for distances from 0 to 10cm, has a very clean, neutral sound with side and rear sounds practically being filtered out completely. At 66% gain, which is for 11 to 30cm away, still produces clean audio, with audio from left and right still being captured at a softer volume while rear is non-existent. Lastly at 100% gain, which is for 31 to 50cm away and a level that no one should use, digital noise is present and you can actually hear my voice coming from the rear this time.

For the last recording, we set the microphone to 72% gain as I feel like this is the sweet spot (your mileage may vary depending on room and voice profile) and we have music playing loudly in the background via speakers. You can only hear a little bit of the music when I speak, though that’s because I have Noise Gate enabled, but it’s great that it rejects rear noise well at that gain level. If you want to use a microphone with speakers, this will work well but do tinker around with the gain and Noise Gate settings for the best experience possible.

It’s worth pointing out that you do get quite a bit of handling noise here if you were to move the Maono PD300X around by hand so make sure to use it with a scissor arm or a desktop mic stand at the very least.

XLR

On XLR with the RODECaster Pro II, audio sounds richer with more depth while still being free from any form of digital noise. What I find interesting here is that the right side is more sensitive than the left side but rear noise rejection is still excellent here. From 12 inches away, it doesn’t capture my voice well but then again, dynamic microphones aren’t meant to be used from longer distances. If you still plan on doing this, you will need to crank up the gain but results may not be ideal depending on the audio interface that you are using.

Another interesting point here is that with background music playing, it captures the mids and highs more while the RODE Procaster mic captures more of the song’s bass. It does a good job of blocking out sound from the rear and I’m genuinely surprised that it manages to be on par with the Procaster at half the price. Handling noise is still present here so regardless of whether you go USB-C or XLR, holding the microphone isn’t a good idea.

If you prefer headsets with good microphone instead of a standalone microphone, check out our Corsair Virtuoso Max review by clicking right here.

Maono PD300X Verdict

The Maono PD300X certainly punches above its price class as it sounds comparable to dynamic microphones that cost $100 / RM450 more. At $139, it may not be superbly cheap but it’s hard to find a dynamic microphone that offers this much value and performance, especially since it works well in both USB and XLR. It may not do side and rear noise rejections as good as something like the Rode Procaster or Samson Q9U but unless you’re blasting speakers at high volumes while using this, it’s not even going to be a problem for most people. In fact, this would be a good starter kit for those unfamiliar with dynamic microphones or just starting to look into content creation without breaking the bank.

At the end of our Maono PD300X review, I award this microphone with our coveted Gold Pokdeward.

Big thanks to Maono for sending us this microphone for the purpose of this review. If you’re interested in the microphone, click right here.