Maono DM30 USB Microphone Review 2023

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Maono DM30 is an ideal microphone who are looking for a value for money, good-looking USB Condenser microphone in an affordable price range. DM30 checks everything that you might be looking for in an ideal microphone, be it real-time mic monitoring, mic gain and volume knobs, mute controls, RGB, durable & premium build quality, and compact design. Whether it is Youtube video, gaming, podcast, or sound recording, Maono DM30 is ready for all.

Here in the hands-on review of the Maono DM30 USB Microphone where we are going to talk deeper about all the aspects of this Microphone that will make your buying decision easier.

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Maono DM30 Microphone Review 2023

I have been personally testing this Microphone for the last 7-8 days and I am going to share everything in this hands-on review of the Maono DM30 USB Condenser Microphone.

What’s in the Box

The Maono DM30 experience starts with unboxing. It comes in a cardboard box having a soft finish all over it. You will get all the features mentioned in the box. The most important thing you get on the box is the QR Code to check the authenticity of the Maono DM30. Make sure you scan it before unboxing.

In the box, you get DM30 Microphone, USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable with a Type-A adapter built-in on the cable, a Manual and a Thank you card. I got the black microphone but there 3 other color options that include Pink, Purple & White.

The cable is really interesting here. You don’t need to buy USB Type-C to Type-A adapter for USB 2.0 devices. It is built-in with cable and you can remove and connect it anytime. Maono’s design team even took care USB 2.0 adapter and connected it to a rubberized leash so that it doesn’t get misplaced when not in use. That is a thoughtful design.

For the price of under $50, I am really impressed by the unboxing experience and the initial impression of DM30 Microphone.

Maono DM30 Design & Build

Talking about the design of DM30, it is a compact design having a 3-in-1 knob at the front. You can press and hold the knob to switch the volume controller from the Microphone to the headphones. With a single press of the knob, you can also mute the microphone.

The 2 LED indicators beneath the knob help you find whether you are modifying the microphone’s or headphone’s volume. The LED indicator turns red when the Microphone is muted.

At the bottom of the mic, there is RGB lighting that comes in 7 colors. You can also turn the RGB off using a dedicated button at the bottom of the microphone. Along with that switch, there is a USB Type-C connector and a 3.5mm headphone jack for mic monitoring. The whole idea of placing the connectivity ports at the bottom is a well thought idea. The connected cables do not make the clutter.

The stand of the DM30 is well-built and you can easily adjust the microphone at your convenience. You can even remove the microphone stand and attach a boom arm stand if you want. The boom arm is not included in the box. The Built-in stand is made of metal with a soft finish over it. It is pretty heavy in weight and gives it a firm grip on any desk. However, if you have sweaty hands, the stand will easily attract the fingerprints but that is super easy to clean as well.

Moving on to the build quality of the Maono DM30 microphone, it is made up of metal and plastic with a smooth silky finish all over it. The microphone grill is also made of metal which feels premium and doesn’t flex or make a crackling sound when putting pressure on it.

With a continuous rotary knob, you can easily adjust the volume of the microphone and headphones. The L-shaped USB Type-C to Type-A cable is also made of high-quality material. It is pretty thick and I have never seen a USB Type-C cable with this thickness.

The overall design and build quality of the DM30 Microphone is very impressive. It doesn’t take up much space on the desk and gets fit in every space. It also gives that gaming room kinda vibes that will definitely lure the gamers. For under $50, it is a well-built and designed microphone that also looks and feels premium. There is nothing significant to pinpoint against it.

Maono DM30 Connectivity & Setup

DM30 is compatible with Windows, Mac as well as Android and is pretty easy to connect to any compatible device. It is plug and play microphone and doesn’t require any driver or initial settings. Your PC/Laptop will automatically pick the mic as the external microphone and be shown as ‘DM30 USB Microphone’ in the sound settings.

To connect, simply plug the USB Type-C cable at the bottom of the microphone and the other side of the cable to the PC/Laptop or smartphone. The mic is ready to use. If your PC doesn’t have a USB Type-C port, you can use the USB Type-A adapter which is built-in on the cable.

For monitoring, you can connect any headphones with a 3.5mm jack at the bottom of the microphone. The mic gain can be changed using the knob. For headphones volume, simply press and hold the knob until you see a Blue LED indicator. Once it turned blue, rotate the knob to adjust the headphone volume for mic monitoring.

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Maono DM30 RGB

A lot of users like RGB on their peripherals and DM30 will contribute enough. It got the RGB at the bottom of the microphone all around it. You can customize the RGB using the Maono Link Software and there is also a dedicated button to change the color and to turn it off. It got 7 colors and you can also choose single solid color light if you want.

You can even change the brightness of the RGB using Link Software. There is no way to change the brightness from the mic itself. Talking about the quality and luminance of RGB, it is satisfactory and doesn’t look cheap at all. The RGBs look really cool in a dark-lit room.

Maono DM30 Peformance

Maono DM30 is a condenser Microphone with a Cardioid Polar pattern that supports a frequency response of 20hz – 20kHz and 48kHz Sampling rate which is much better than any other affordable USB microphone.

In terms of performance, it outperforms almost every other microphone under $50. Whether you are recording vocals, recording podcasts, recording acoustic guitar, voiceover for Youtube videos, music production, or streaming on Twitch, it captures all the sounds gracefully. The mic is super sensitive and it clearly records each and every sound you throw at it.

You can use mic gain if you want to record from a significant distance but due to high sensitivity, it sometimes also captures the ambient sound of birds chirping, desk vibration, AC or fan noise, and keystrokes of the keyboard, especially if you are hardcore gamer who vigorously press keyboard keys.

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Talking about acoustics, I’m amazed by the sound quality it delivers. It captures every minor detail of the sound and it would not be wrong to say that you can easily use this for recording high-quality vocals and to improving vocal quality, the tone of your voice, and more. Mic Monitoring is one of the best features of this microphone.

You can also use the Noise Reduction in the recording software or DAW to minimize the effect of noise around you. Since it is using Cardioid polar pattern, it can easily pick up the sound from the other side of the microphone which you need to be taken care of, especially in open spaces.

I also like the quality of sound it captures. There is no distortion or compression in the sound which is pretty impressive for a $50 mic. I even recorded some guitar samples using Garageband on Macbook and it works brilliantly. The sound quality remains sharp, crispy, and sound genuine.

In a nutshell, Maono DM30 performs really well for its price. If you are looking for the best USB condenser microphone under $50 for recording podcasts, singing, recording guitar, and gaming, it is a great package to go with. Maono Link Software is the cherry on the cake and let’s talk about it in the next section.

Maono Link Software

Maono Link is a proprietary software that can be used to control almost everything. You can adjust the mic gain and headphone volume for mic monitoring. Volumes, when changed from the mic’s knob run the 2 steps but with Maono Link, you can adjust it to the precise percentage you want which is a good thing for advanced users.

In terms of RGB, Maono Link also allows its user to change the RGB color, and adjust the brightness of the RGB which is otherwise not possible to control at the hardware’s end. Users can also turn off the RGB right from the Maono Link.

Those who are looking to record their own voice for a podcast, sampling, and singing can also change the tone of the voice to Deep, Natural, Bright & Legacy. The good part is, it is not merely an option for the sake of it but it actually changes the tonal quality and it makes it better. Maono Link software also offers you limited EQ, Compressor, and Limiter settings for advanced users.

Maono Link software is free to download and available for MacOS, Windows & Android devices. Installation is super easy and the whole software experience is user-friendly and intuitive.

Maono DM30 Condenser Microphone Review: Final Verdict

Pros	Cons
Good Sensitivity Level	Soft finish attracts fingerprints
Records 24-bit high-quality audio
Comes with real-time mic monitoring
Compatible with Windows, MacOS, Android
Durable Metal build quality
Affordable & offers a great value for money
Comes with a USB Type-C port with USB 2.0 adapter built-in
Dedicated button to change and turn off RGB

In my honest opinion, the Maono DM30 mic is a hidden gem. If you are looking for the best USB condenser microphone for recording vocals, podcasts, youtube videos, recording instruments and for any other purpose for that matter, go for Maono DM30. It is totally worth the money. It got a metal build quality, a super compact design, volume knobs, mic monitoring and even RGB for gamers. For more information, you can visit the Maono DM30 product page.

Apart from the physical attributes, the mic itself works brilliantly. It literally records everything without losing the soul of the sound. It remains crispy, and bright that you can enjoy it. On top of that, the mic also got the Maono Link software support which makes this so easy to control. It is a completely programmable condenser microphone that lets you customize each and everything on this mic.

Considering the price of the microphone, I would not think twice to recommend DM30 to anyone who is looking for an affordable yet powerful condenser microphone.