In the world of compter microphones, there are basically two major worlds: USB powered and XLR microphones. Both have their use cases, their strong points, and their weaknesses. USB microphones are usually less expensive and easier to set up, but are more difficult to adjust to your liking, whereas XLR microphones often have a higher upfront cost (especially including the mixer and XLR cables) but allow for easier on-the-fly adjustment and they also tend to sport higher audio fidelity overall. Last year I reviewed the Maono PD200X, a combination USB/XLR microphone. And to that end I come to you with a very similar offering from Maono, specifcially their ‘Gaming Gear’ streaming bundle, featuring their PD100X microphone, the smaller cousin to the PD200X, as well as their new G1 NEO preamp and mixer. They say the bundle is “all-in-one”, but it does miss one key component, which we’ll get to later.
The PD100X is a dynamic cardioid microphone which means it’s most sensitive to sounds coming in directly from the front, which actually makes it perfect for use as a streaming microphone as it’s very good at noise isolation. When testing the microphone, I found it sported roughly the same minimum and maximum sensitivity as the previous Maono microphone I tested, as well as similar fidelity. It features a multi-function knob that controls the gain – the microphone’s sensitivity to sound – and it’s output volume. It also has a mute button directly on the microphone. These functions are color coded: green for adjusting gain, blue for adjusting output volume, and red for when the microphone has been muted.
The microphone features an RGB function, adjustable either through a single button on the rear of the microphone or through the Maono app. There’s the standard ROY G BIV colors, white, and a rainbow pattern. Each of these selections makes the entire back half of the microphone light up, and it casts a decent amount of light. The microphone needs to use the USB jack to power the RGB, so if you’re using the microphone with the XLR connector you’ll need to plug it into a 5volt power supply to also get RGB. Finishing out the ports on the back are the USB and XLR outputs, as well as a 3.5mm headphone monitor jack for real time feedback should you need it. On the physical amenities, the microphone come with a built-in (though removable) windscreen, an adjustable arm that can be attached to a boom arm or to a microphone base, and a microphone base, as well as a USB C to A or C cable to connect to your computer. The PD100X is definitely a budget option at $60 before shipping, but it’s not a bad microphone at the price. I don’t think I’ll be using it to replace the PD200X, but it’s definitely staying on standby just in case.
The G1 NEO is intended as an introductory mixer for someone new to XLR mixers to use and stream with, and this is reflected in the ease of set up. In fact, the hardest part of setup was making space on my desk to set up the mixer. Setting the mixer up to work with my computer was as simple as plugging the USB cable in at both ends, plugging the XLR cable into the mixer and the microphone, and then turning the mixer on. It was immediately picked up by my computer and I was recording straightaway. There are two USB-C ports on the back, one of these is used purely for power with a 5V power supply and is there for situations where you are using the other USB-C port to connect to a phone or for an auxiliary input of some sort.
Most of the functions of the mixer are fairly straightforward. There is a gain knob, a microphone volume adjuster and a mute button. These controls specifically are for an XLR or a 3.5mm microphone (or headset). Next to the microphone audio slider is the auxiliary input slider and mute button. This slider controls the output levels from the secondary input, which can either be from a USB-C device like a smartphone or other audio source, from the 3.5mm aux in port on the back of the mixer, or from the Bluetooth connection. There’s also a headphone jack for real-time feedback that has it’s own dedicated volume knob. The last jack on the back of the mixer is a dedicated 3.5mm output jack, primarily used for immediate output to a speaker or secondary recording computer.
Back on the front of the mixer, in between gain and headphone volume knobs, is the reverb knob, which controls the level of reverb in the audio signal. In the upper left of the mixer is the Phantom 48 Volt power button, which drives power to XLR condenser microphones for clearer inputs. As the PD100X is a dynamic microphone, I left this off as it would have no effect and it can even be negatively affected by turning phantom power on. The noise reducer provides two levels of ambient noise reduction to make sure the audio input is laser focused on your voice and the aux input with no noise leakage at all. The sidechain reduces the volume of other audio sources when you speak so that things like background music and game noises don’t drown you out. The Direct Monitor button has two functions: Direct Monitor, allowing you to hear your own microphone audio, and Loopback, allowing you to take system audio from the connected computer and also export it back to the same computer or another.
Four buttons on the mixer have no text on them. These are used to record audio samples that can be replayed at any point. Making new recordings was a fairly straightforward process, but this is something I wish could also be loaded in some other way, such as through the Maono app, which the mixer does not communicate with – at least at the moment. There’s also a four-function voice changer, which worked, but I found it to be underwhelming, as the four presets are not quite as dramatic as I would like. Maybe these too could be adjusted by an App? Lastly, there’s RGB. This is a standard seven color RGB, much like the one on the microphone. It runs off the same power as the mixer does so you can always have it on if you want.
I did mention that the system is called an All-In-One but isn’t quite one. And that’s because the bundle lacks a key component, that of an XLR cable, so you do need to remember to manually add one to your cart to actually use this XLR microphone and XLR mixer together. Maono was kind enough to ship me one of theirs, and their XLR cables are fairly high quality, with easy-to-operate latches that don’t hurt the thumb to press and very sturdy connectors that have stood up to my admittedly basic stress tests without any damage or loss in audio quality. That Maono doesn’t include a version of the bundle with the cable as well seems like an odd oversight, perhaps they’ll realize the mistake and offer one soon.
At $120 (plus an additional $12 for the XLR cable), this is still an extremely cost effective bundle, comparable to many other single source mixers alone. If you already have a boom arm you might want to swap out the 100X for the 200X, but given that this is intended for streamers just starting out, it makes perfect sense to go for the microphone that actually has, you know, a stand. If you want to get into streaming or just want a relatively budget conscious way to experiment with XLR microphones without having to commit to them full-time, the Maonocaster G1 NEO & PD100X All In One Gaming Gear Bundle For Game Streamers is certainly more than up for the job.
Tim was provided the Maonocaster G1 NEO & PD100X All In One Gaming Gear Bundle For Game Streamers free of charge for this review.
