In this day and age, when it comes to PC accessories and especially audio components, there are way too many options out there. But not everything out there is worth your investment of time and money. When you go for peripheral shopping, there’s always the risk of buying something that does not deliver on its promises.
If you are looking for a reliable microphone that delivers solid performance, then you are in luck. In this article, we will take a comprehensive look at the Maono AU-PM421 USB Condenser microphone by Maono Technology, based in Guangdong, China. Wait, another Chinese product? Well, Maono has been gaining serious attention in the audio scene since 2014, and this one can be trusted. The AU-PM421 offers simplicity and excellence without you needing to break your pockets.
What’s in the Box
The Maono AU-PM421 comes as a Microphone kit, thus you get several accessories as well as the main microphone unit in the box. Following is a detailed list of every single item you get out of the box-
A condenser microphone
An adjustable sturdy arm
One desk mount clamp
One full metal shock mount
A twin-layer pop filter
One foam windscreen cap
A 3 meter long USB cable
A user manual
This many components might seem daunting to deal with at first but I assure you that assembling the Maono AU-PM421 is as easy as stacking up a few lego blocks. All you have to do is give a thorough read to the instruction manual and you will be able to easily put everything together in a jiffy. In case you are still finding it difficult to put everything together, here’s a useful link.
Some Pros and Cons of the Maono AU-PM421
There are a lot of good things that can be said about this microphone kit. Let’s start with its Price point. You will be able to pick this one up from Amazon.com at around 6000-7000 INR which is great already, on top of that, this Microphone goes on sale pretty often so if you stay patient and keep an eye out then you can even snag this unit for as low as 4000 INR. At this price, this Microphone rivals premium Mics in terms of audio fidelity and quality.
The Maono AU-PM421 Microphone kit comes with everything you need already included so you don’t have to go through the tedious process of finding and spending extra money on compatible parts. The build quality of the metal arm, mount clamp, and shock mount more than justifies the price and feels very sturdy. After you set up the mic in your desired style, it holds its spade and does not sag.
Another feature of the Maono AU-PM421 has a cardioid pickup pattern which makes it really great for multipurpose usage. This means that the microphone is able to record rich and full-bodied sounds of any source that is directly in front of the microphone. Thus, it is a great choice for instrument recording, podcasting, streaming, etc.
One more quality of life feature of this Microphone is its plug-and-play nature. Being a USB condenser Microphone, it does not require any third-party driver to run. You can just simply plug it into your system and start using it. Although, from our testing, we can say that using a third-party driver can help improve the performance. This Microphone also works across all different platforms like Windows, macOS, and even Linux.
And last but not the least, this Mic has a LED Touch button which can be used to mute or unmute your microphone. This is a great accessibility feature and certainly adds a premium feel to the Microphone.
When it comes to the cons of this Microphone, there are really very few to talk about. Trust us, this Mic is really that good. To start, as it is a USB microphone and does not come with any software, it will not have some necessary software features from the start. It is strongly recommended to use software such as Nvidia Broadcast or similar audio drivers if you want features like background noise cancellation or echo removal. Although, if you are using any physical audio interfaces then it might not be required.
Another downside of this Mic is that it does not have headphone input which means you have to attach your headphone separately to your computer. This is not a very serious issue but especially windows can sometimes have a hard time recognizing and processing multiple audio devices or sources.
Final Verdict
To answer the question if this product is worth your time and hard-earned money, we can confidently say, yes. Of course, you can’t expect this product to surpass the likes of Blue Yeti or something like that but given its price point, it comes close. This mic has been extensively tested by us and it does deliver simplicity and excellence at an affordable price.
Anyone can pick this up and start using it without putting much thought into it. Is it the best option out there when it comes to a microphone? probably not but we can that it is a very safe option. You will be getting everything you need in one place and a 24bit 192kHz audio quality with ease of use without breaking your bank. So what are you waiting for? go grab this Mic now or add it to your wishlist and wait for a sale.
