Starting at $69.99
Thanks in large part to the pandemic, the demand for budget conference, streaming and podcasting equipment has driven prices down enough to create a buyers market where customers are greeted by sub $100 microphones that perform well above their asking price such as the Maono PD200X.
Pricing and availability
The MAONO XL/USB Dynamic Microphone with RBG lighting can be found at the official MAONA website starting at $79.99 for just the microphone unit or for $85.99 with XLR cable bundle and, $84.99 for the PD200X with 3PCS pack of foam covers.
MAONO also offers the PD200X in both white and black color options.
However, Amazon is also a listed seller on Google and the PD200X is priced at $69.99 for the microphone unit in black or $72.99 in white by itself or suggested BA92 Boom Arm bundle for $129.99.
Specs
| Maono PD200X Dynamic XLR/USB | |
| Element Type | Dynamic microphone |
| Polar Pattern | Cardioid |
| Connectivity | XLR & USB-C |
| Bit Depth/Sample Rate: | 24-bit/48kHz |
| Frequency Response | 40Hz-16kHz |
| Adjustable Gain Range | 0 to +42dB |
| Sensitivity | XLR: -52dBV |
| Max.SPL | > 130dB SPL |
| Compatible Devices | Desktop/Laptop/Computer/Mixer/Audio Interface/PS4/PS5/MAC OS/WINDOWS |
| Recommended Uses For Product | Podcasting, Recording, Streaming, Gaming, Video Conference |
Design and Features
Out of the box, the PD200X is cool to the touch thanks in part to its all metal construction. While being made mostly out of metal, the materials are still light enough to offer a surprisingly airy feel in hand.
The included shock mount also feels metal in construction while adhering to the same weightless principles of the main microphone design.
In all black, color accents powered by the RGB lighting rings around the mid point of the microphone and the gain controls really stand out, almost floating in mid air depending on how dark of a room you may stream or podcast from.
The PD200X host connections support for USB-C, XLR, and 3.5mm audio in/out, at the bottom of the microphone. The positioning of the port selection begs for the microphone to be positioned horizontally and face level of speaker to prevent any possible cable coiling damage.
However, with the 8-foot long USB-C or XLR cables provided, there should be plenty of slack to orientate the microphone in any position to capture ideal audio.
Above the manual gain control is a convenient mute button, but for some odd reason, the mute button on the microphone itself can only be operated when the USB-C connector is applied.
Other buttons on the PD200X include power and RGB color cycling that operate with long presses.
Aside from the RGB lighting, other peripheral features of the PD200X come in the form of MAONO Link software that can be downloaded to both Windows and Mac PCs or applied from the App or Google Play Stores for mobile.
The MAONO Link software is free to download and offers a few more equalizing tweaks to the audio of the PD200X that include digital mic gain, headphone volume, tone, mute, and RGB lighting. Advance settings in the Link Software are just a tab away and allow users access to EQ modes, compressor limiter settings.
The Link software layout and UI feels pretty intuitive with clearly identifiable settings headers, knobs and gradual gauges.
Audio Quality
The unadulterated sound of the PD200X is good, and can be made better through some EQ adjustments in the Link software. There is nice level of clarity for most of the sound picked up by the mic with highs being capped at -52db of gain for a higher level of sensitivity.
High end frequencies are handled pretty well with the PD200X and the range on the low end is pleasantly wide for people with deeper voices.
However, for anyone with higher pitched voices can supplement with audio processing on the PD200X through XLR connectivity and get a nice bass foundation.
Out of the box, the plosive performance is only ok but often times mushes words behind equalization efforts depending on how quickly someone is speaking.
The PDX200X also struggles to reject bump noises despite the included shock mount, especially near the base of the microphone.
Lastly, the manual controls are very clicky and can get caught during recordings if one tries to mute on the fly using the actual button.
Summary
The MAONO PD200X lives in very competitive market but for the price, it provides an all inclusive recording experience from the include cables, dynamic connectivity, manual controls, shock mount, and accompanying software to the RGB lighting and foam speaker cover.
For under $80, users get a lot of features and recording basics from the PD200X. The audio quality is comparable to other mics in the same category or above including the cosMik uCast, FDUCE SL40, RIDE Pod mic and the Shure (SM7B).
For the average content creator, it’s hard to go wrong with grabbing the MAONOPD200X at $69.00 or $79.00. Aside from the omission of a stand or the bundling of a boom arm, the MAONO stands as a colorful recommend for anyone transitioning from simple plug and play microphones to ones with a bit more advance controls.
