- The Handy Starter Bundle is a simple plug and play affair.
- Easy to use and very portable
- This is not the most important requirement if you are not a streamer.
Today’s peripherals make it easier than ever to create purely gaming-oriented content, and with gear on the rise for newcomers and audiophiles alike, it looks like Maono has the edge on this market. have set their sights on dominating a good segment.
The Maono PD100X and G1 Neo bundle is easy to use and perfect for anyone looking to create content in any capacity, along with loud sound and proud RGB lighting that proves Maono’s Knows the audience well. But do they really add value to a gamer’s everyday kit?
See and feel the Maono mic and mixer.
Like its predecessors, the Maono PD100X flies the flag of gamer geekdom with its extraordinary RGB lighting. This time, Maono has opted to throw subtleties out the window, instead coating the entire body of the USB/XLR dynamic microphone with frosted RGB lights that you can toggle via a small button on the bottom. . Compared to the detachable mic from the PD200X, the rest of the mic is held together by a built-in wind foam, which is a nice touch given how easily wind foam often comes off on older models.
The mute option, however, has, in my experience, been replaced with a touch button that’s prone to accidental touches, which is why I still prefer the tactical feel of the original button on previous models. The rest of the controls are still as simple as they should be, with a 2-in-1 knob that controls both mic gain and headphone volume, as well as a convenient 3.5mm headphone jack along with a USB-C port below the mic. phone Jack.
I also really appreciated the fact that the PD100X now comes with its own stand that you can use as a desktop accessory or mount on a boom arm depending on your setup. Due to space constraints, I often prefer to mount my mics on a boom arm, but I also appreciate the flexibility of using my mics placed on a table if needed.
As for the G1 Neo audio mixer, it’s a fascinating piece of equipment that offers all the basic needs a content creator could have in a no-nonsense package. The buttons are nice and big and each one tells you exactly what it does, plus volume sliders and gain/reverb knobs and of course, all the RGB lights a gamer could ever want. It may not have its own battery pack, but its portable size and simple USB-C connectivity still make it easy to plug in on the go.
The size of the buttons makes it feel a bit like a toy, to be honest, but I think it’s a design choice so you don’t accidentally mute yourself during a match or while you’re listening to a podcast documentary. Avoid pressing the voice changer while narrating. The grips on the bottom of the mixer are also nice and stable, and while the buttons aren’t the most comfortable to press in my opinion, the sliders are nice and smooth, and they glide with a satisfying feel.
Maono PD100X Mic and G1 Neo Audio Mixer Performance
Now, a mic is a mic, and Maono is known for delivering value for money with their products. Its lineup of microphones proves that you really don’t have to break the bank to get professional-sounding audio quality, and when you’re using the mic on your mobile device, its typ- C connectivity makes it painless.
The same goes for the PD100X, and I like that it’s back to having your mouth once again placed in front of the mic instead of the Maono DM30RGB. It’s light enough to take with you but bulky enough to keep it stable on your desk, and you don’t need any complicated setup or installation to get it up and running.
Still, despite switching to different devices and cables, I couldn’t get the Maono Link mobile app to work with my phone. The program works perfectly on my laptop though, which is weird how the phone can detect the mic but the app won’t start.
For the G1 Neo Audio Mixer, however, not everyone can avoid how these things work, so let me walk you through the rear ports for a bit.
Basically, Mixer lets you tinker with your voice, music and audio output with the simple touch of a button. With the G1 Neo, you can plug in your own XLR mic, or you can choose to use headphones with a built-in mic as your audio input. There’s another dedicated port for stand-alone headphones without a mic if you want to use both separately. The AUX IN port is for plugging in an external mobile phone source for background music, which you can also connect to the mixer via Bluetooth. Additionally, audio output can be connected via speakers.
As for the streaming itself, you can use the USB-C port to connect your phone, and finally, the power source is also via a separate USB-C port. With all of these, you can stream to your phone or your PC, and use another phone as an input source for background music.
The mixer itself has four preset buttons that you can customize to add personalized tracks – for example, you can program a laugh track, or your own canned voice prompt or intro. Can record and play it back with the tap of a button. Other mixer buttons let you reduce background noise, change your volume, monitor your mic input, and control RGB lighting.
What I like is that you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to use these buttons, as the easy-to-use manual tells you everything you need to do in a jiffy. Need to know. What’s worth noting here is that you can use all of these effects without the need for any additional software – just pick your streaming platform, then plug, play, and podcast (or stream ) do. that’s it.
What is the appeal?
Now, you might be thinking that you don’t really have much use for an audio mixer if you don’t want to create content, do live streams, or record podcasts – and you’d be right. For me, as a non-streamer, an audio mixer isn’t necessary – it wouldn’t make voice chat any easier or more convenient for me during multiplayer matches, and in fact, it would only take up the limited real estate around me. will take Desk While a mic is certainly essential, a mixer is not.
Still, having it around offers a great option for quick voiceovers or creating content privately or even for friends, which is certainly welcome given how easy the G1 Neo is to use. I especially like how the sidechain option automatically lowers the volume of the background music every time I speak, although I have a bit of a problem with the direct monitor and loopback options. They let me reduce unwanted echoes and still hear myself speak, but the monitoring definitely left room for improvement as I could still hear.
The stars of the show, however, are the RGB lights, which – given my easily distracted lights nature – is already a huge plus. Of course, now that the PD100X wears its RGB lighting all over its body, it might be too loud for some, and if you don’t want to blind everyone around you with all the brilliant colors, more so. The PD400X may be your best bet when opting for a subtle look.
If all this sounds like it’s exactly your cup of tea, the Maono PD100X and G1 Neo bundle is now available for purchase. Official website $119.99 or your local equivalent.