Maono DM30 RGB condenser microphone full review

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Customers are spoiled for choice when it comes to buying microphones in 2023. There are so many options available that combing through them and researching each one is a chore, especially at the budget end of the market. Today however, we’re going to highlight one of our favorite mics that we’ve seen so far, the Maono DM30 RGB Condenser Microphone, in a full review.

Today, we’ll be giving you the full breakdown of what makes it such an excellent mic. At the mere price of $50 from most retailers, it’s a standout product. We found it quite impressive overall, so if you’re curious why that is, keep reading to find out!

Specifications

The Maono DM30 has a standard specification list for a microphone of its price tag, though with some standout features. Regarding connectivity, you get the option for USB 2.0 or USB-C. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack for real-time audio monitoring. The front button also doubles up as a knob, allowing you to control all of the mic’s settings from one spot. We’ve listed the specs down below for easy viewing.

Connectivity Technology: USB 2.0, USB-C
Microphone Type: Condenser
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Controls: 1-Touch front button + knob combo
Connector Type: USB, 3.5 mm Jack
Compatible Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS
Real Monitoring: 3.5mm headphone jack real-time monitor output
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20kHz
RGB Light: 8 modes of RGB lighting
Software: Maono Link software

Design and build quality

Build quality and design is one area where budget microphones tend to skimp out, but that’s not the case with the Maono DM30. Just looking at the mic, it’s practically impossible to tell that it’s a budget microphone at all. Its overall fit and finish compare perfectly next to premium studio microphones, and that’s no overstatement.

Design-wise, the microphone is sleek and professional looking. Maono understands that keeping things simple and clean is a winning formula for products like this. Of course, there’s also the RGB lighting system, which is the part of the Maono DM30 that really makes it pop. It’s definitely a gamer aesthetic, but it’s tasteful and relatively tame next to most gaming peripherals.

As for the build quality, the Maono DM30 is made almost entirely of metal. The only exception is the small plastic cap on the top, which still feels solidly made and blends in quite well with the rest of the design. With the microphone in your hand, it’s just hefty enough to make it feel like a solid and rigid product without sacrificing portability. In this regard, it stands head and shoulders above the competition.

The base of the mic is the heaviest part of the device, making it sit stably on your table. If you’re planning on using a boom arm, you’ll be happy to know that the microphone can rotate up to 300 degrees. Overall, it’s difficult for any budget microphone to match up to the Maono DM30 in terms of build quality. All the metal makes it feel top-notch, and it’s impressively solid for its price.

Maono DM30 features and connectivity

Over on the front of the Maono DM30, you’ll find a three-way knob that also functions as a button. Turning it left and right allows you to scroll the volume and gain of the mic up and down. Pressing it down will enable it to act as a quick mute button if needed. Underneath the knob are a pair of LED lights, showing you whether the microphone is on and whether any headphones are connected.

Another nice touch is how the RGB light underneath the microphone serves a functional purpose while adding to the aesthetic. When your mic is unmuted, the RGB light stays green, but once you do mute it, the RGB light shifts to red, giving you simple visual affirmation that the mic has, in fact, been muted. No more double-checking and second-guessing here.

Looking at the bottom of the mic, we have a few inputs for connectivity and an extra button for switching the color of the RGB light on the bottom of the mic. It cycles between seven different solid colors, and the last option is a scrolling rainbow option. That about wraps up the features section, since the Maono DM30 is relatively straightforward in most ways.

For connectivity options, you get a USB-C port on the bottom of the microphone and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The provided cable adapter allows you to use USB 2.0 cables if you so desire. The Maono DM30 is a plug-and-play microphone, so connectivity is as simple as plugging the mic into your PC or audio setup and getting straight into using it.

The same goes for the 3.5mm headphone jack, which allows you to do real-time audio monitoring. The knob allows you to control the audio gain while you have headphones on, as is indicated by a small blue LED below the knob. Simplicity is the key when it comes to the Maono DM30’s functions and connectivity. It’s easy to use, functional, and doesn’t throw a ton of useless features at you, keeping only the essentials and some nice touches.

Audio quality of the Maono DM30

Now, features and build quality are nice and all, but the crux of a great microphone is how it sounds, so how does the Maono DM30 fare in this department? Well, continuing the running trend, the microphone punches well above its weight in terms of sound quality, putting it in a class of its own amongst its similarly priced peers.

First things first, as a cardioid microphone, it’s important to note that the microphone is direction sensitive. It will blur out most background details, only really picking up sounds from the front of the mic. This is good if you’re planning on using the mic for things like gaming, as you get to more effectively isolate the sound of your voice from things like background chatter and keyboard noises.

The mic’s pick-up is also quite good, being able to detect your voice from a fair distance without too much loss in volume or quality. As long as you aren’t literally sitting across the room, the Maono DM30 will do an admirable job of presenting your voice. You’ll want a pop filter if you’re sitting close to it, but that applies to basically any mic setup.

Audio-wise, perhaps the essential characteristic of the microphone is that it’s quite bright sounding. It picks up on a lot of details in vocals, which is excellent for activities like podcasts and singing. It allows your voice to really pop, standing out during bits that include background noise like recording music or gaming. We’re also big fans of how well it portrays tone and warmth.

Getting into more technical detail, the high end of the microphone is great, not being too shrill but still levying the benefits. The mid-range pick-up is good, giving vocals a sense of fullness that’s, once again, pleasant for music and vocal recording. When it comes to the low end, things aren’t nearly as pronounced, meaning you aren’t going to be getting too much bass on your recordings. Put together; you’ll find your voice will come across as pretty neutral but with bright overtones instead of sounding flat.

Another way the Maono DM30 excels is in terms of clarity, outperforming many microphones around its price range. The loudness is acceptable, especially when using the mic with a boom arm. Bringing the mic closer to you lets it scope out those minute details in your voice, and it’s hard to argue with the results.

Perhaps the best part about the Maono DM30 is that it’s not at all dull or flat. With so much flavor and character to recordings, the only possible issue is that sometimes, it can be a bit too bright. Even then, this issue is quite easy to rectify when considering Maono’s software solution, allowing you to tinker with the mic’s sound until it fits your needs. Speaking of which…

Software

In case you prefer having complete control over all the granular parts of your microphone, Maono have you covered. The Maono Link software system is installable on all Windows and macOS-powered devices, with the client being readily available on the company’s website. Installation is as simple as downloading and running the installer, after which you’re good to go.

From inside the software, you get access to basically all the controls you could hope for from a microphone. Everything from microphone gain to monitoring volume can is available can be changed here. There’s even an adjustable toggle for the tone of your voice, which can be quite helpful when you’re trying to make quick adjustments as you’re using the mic.

Maono DM30 exclusive microphone software

There’s a limiter in these settings, allowing you to reduce the mic’s loudness if you’d like. A compressor slider makes dampening your sound as simple as possible, and there’s even an equalizer to help you really extract the best sound possible out of your microphone. While it’s a bit of a shame that the equalizer comes only in presets, it’s still a standout feature, especially considering the price of the microphone.

Using the software is also kept pretty simple, upholding the philosophy of the microphone itself. Every option available is clearly displayed and controlled with simple sliders and buttons that are easy to understand. The effects are also instantaneous, meaning you can efficiently change and test out settings to your liking until you find a configuration that you like.

Of course, we should also note that you can completely control the RGB lighting from Maono Link. You can select any color you like, on top of the already-mentioned rainbow LED pattern. What’s exclusive to the software, however, is the ability to customize the RGB light’s brightness, making it helpful for late-night gaming when you don’t want the device’s lights searing your eyes.

Maono Link is also surprisingly well-optimized, which we didn’t expect. Most of the time, microphone software suites are buggy and perform poorly, so seeing one with actual effort put into it has been quite the revelation to us. All this, in the context of the $50 price tag, is especially impressive. A lot of more expensive microphones could take a few notes here and include good software with their products.

Conclusion

So, overall, you can probably tell that we were pleasantly surprised with how well the Maono DM30 turned out to be. It impresses from the start with sleek and svelte build quality and design, really giving off the impression that it’s much more expensive than it seems. While the RGB lighting does give it a gamer aesthetic, it’s done quite tastefully and even serves a functional purpose.

It’s hard not to be impressed with the sound quality of the Maono DM30 condenser mic. It blasts past any expectations you might have for it by sounding bright while still retaining a more neutral, natural feel on vocals. Clarity is impressive as well, and audio pick-up is excellent here. What this all results in is a microphone that’s multi-capable, handling things like podcasts, gaming, music and more reasonably well.

Finally, you get a good amount of granular control through the microphone’s simple knob and button control scheme and the Maono Link software companion. Using the physical button and knob is fantastic for making minor changes to sound on the fly, while more significant changes can be easily made through Maono Link itself. Combine all of this with the $50 price tag, and you can see why the Maono DM30 is a real winner in our books.

If you’re on the fence about purchasing it, we’d advise you to take the plunge. If you’re browsing through, then do consider it, since the Maono DM30 is quite phenomenal at its price bracket. It isn’t easy to contend with the Maono DM30 as a complete package. With so many different strengths going for it on top of its ease of use, it’s a no-brainer.

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