Best Podcasting Kit For Beginners – Maono AU404 Review

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June 2, 2023

2020 was a devastating year for humanity and we all will agree to this. Nothing was in place at the start of 2020 and we are nearing the end of 2021 now and things still aren’t back to absolute normal. But as they say that there are two sides to a coin, the pandemic that forced us to stay indoors also helped us rediscover ourselves. Many took up a new hobby or did something they always wanted to. I focused more on my health during the pandemic and that certainly was the best decision I ever took. What I also did during that time was I started the Socialmaharaj Podcast. The goal was to be consistent, however, you know I haven’t been. (For quite sometime now).

Why wasn’t I consistent with the podcast?

Well, you may want to listen to this episode to know exactly why. In a nutshell, I just got busy with work and a tad lazy to record episodes. I had all the things to start the podcast. I bought my first mic the Boya BY M1 mic which was a collar mic. Upgraded to a Fifine K670 podcasting mic later too. While they were good podcasting mics for beginners, I always wanted a podcasting kit for myself. A desk stand most importantly.

Why get a podcasting kit?

Many of you would argue why one should need a podcasting kit, especially for beginners. Well, you’re right, you don’t absolutely need it to start podcasting. However, having it would be good. A good podcasting kit for beginners comes with just the things that you need to have a good quality sound. I always wanted a podcasting kit as it had everything I wanted. A desk stand would ensure my mic is right in front of me so that I can record it whenever I want. So a few weeks ago the team from Maono reached out to me to review their podcasting kit, the famous Maono AU404 and this is going to be my review of Maono AU 404.

Maono AU404 Podcasting Kit

Maono tech is a Chinese company that has a vast array of products mostly in the audio space. They have mics, headphones, speakers and other acoustic products. Though they are a Chinese company, their products are quite popular in the US, UK and even India. In fact, if you are looking for a good budget podcasting kit, chances are high you’ll come across this brand.

The AU 404 is their podcasting kit for beginners. It’s not one of the cheapest on the block, but it’s surely one of the best podcasting kits especially for beginners.

Packaging and box contents

The Maono AU 404 podcasting kit is one of the most popular podcasting kits for beginners in India. It contains everything one needs to start podcasting with the best available products in the market. It comes with a table clamp, a flexible arm, a shock absorber, a mic and a pop filter along with the cables.

The mic is nicely packed inside a well-cushioned box. The first thing you’ll notice is the pop filter and the mic cover. Once you take that out, you see the arm, clamp and the mic along with the cables. It does have some documents for you to setup up the Maono AU 404 and start using it.

Maono AU 404 setup

Setting up the Maono AU 404 podcasting kit is quite easy. All you need to do is find a flat surface like a tabletop where you can fix the clap. Next, take the mic and put it in the shock absorber. If you are using the shock absorber for the first time, note that there are 2 clamps that you need to press so that there’s some room for the mic to fit it. Once that is done, attach the mic mount to one end of the arm.

The other end of the arm fits inside the hole of the table clamp. This will ensure that the mic stand along with the mic is sturdy. On to the difficult part now, fitting the pop filter. The clamp of the pop filter is awkwardly designed and will take some effort to fix it. The last step is the attach one end of the cable to the mic and the other one into the USB port of your laptop. That’s it, your Maono AU 404 is ready for use.

Maono AU 404 Review – Is it good?

I earlier already had a podcasting mic, so is Maono Au 404 podcasting kit any better? Well, since it’s a podcasting kit, you get everything with it. From clamps, stands, filters and the mic, there’s everything one would need to start a podcast. From the setup and the quality of the material used, I’d say the Maono AU 404 is pretty good. However, a few things that I’d like to point out is that the mic stand doesn’t fit in the clamp properly. Even after a month, I don’t know if it’s only me or this is a concern for others. It simply doesn’t go into the clamp completely.

Talking about the audio quality of the mic, I’d say I’m impressed. It’s a cardioid microphone which means that it will not pick up sound from all directions. Hence it captures very less ambient noise. With the pop filter, the mic does a pretty good job recording crisp audio. I use it not only for my podcasts but also for my team meetings and no one ever complained to me about the audio yet.

One thing that I do want to point out is that the mic here doesn’t have a gain control knob, so you need software like Audacity to control it. If you want a podcasting kit with a mic that has a gain control, look for the Maono AU-PM421. Nonetheless, if you use audacity, you can do some minor tweaks and get some quality audio output.

Final Verdict: Maono AU 404 is a good podcasting kit

Priced at Rs 3999 on Amazon in India, I won’t say it is the cheapest podcasting mic in India. However, I would term it as one of the most value for money podcasting kits for beginners. It has got everything from good build quality to nice sound reproduction. All that you need to start a podcast. I loved the quality materials used in this kit and the setup is easy – plug and play. The audio quality is pretty good and might be the best in the segment too. My only wish was if it had a gain control knob.

Nonetheless, the Maono AU 404 podcasting kit is what I’d certainly recommend. If you are looking to start podcasting or do a lot of audio-related stuff, this might just be the thing you would want. Keep an eye on the Amazon sale, you might get a good deal too.

That’s all I had to say about the Maono Au 404 podcasting kit based on my experience. If you have any questions, queries or suggestions, put them in the comments below. You can also tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM me on Instagram or Get In Touch.