MAONO PD100X vs MAONO PD200X

The MAONO PD100X takes the PD200X idea down to about $40: a dynamic capsule, a USB-C port and an XLR socket, and a tap-to-mute cap. It sounds thinner than the PD200X and needs to be closer to the mouth, which is the trade at this price, but it still rejects a keyboard in a way no $40 condenser can.

It ships with a desk stand rather than a boom, and the stand is the first thing to replace, because a dynamic wants to be near the mouth and a desk stand puts it near the keyboard. Owners rate it 4.5 across about 1,000 reviews.

Buy it as a first mic, or as the second mic on a two-person stream where the guest does not need the PD200X.

The MAONO PD200X is the mic that made the brand a streaming name. The capsule is dynamic, so a keyboard a foot away and a PC fan across the desk fade into the background in a way no condenser at this price manages. The body carries both a USB-C port and an XLR socket, which means it plugs into a laptop today and into a proper interface later without being replaced.

The tap-to-mute cap on top is the feature owners mention most, because a physical mute you can hit without looking is worth more live than any spec. Maono Link, the desktop software, adds a three-band EQ, a compressor and a limiter that stops a laugh from clipping. The RGB ring switches off in the same app.

The catch is gain over XLR. Like every dynamic, it is quiet, and a cheap interface without 60 dB of gain will leave it hissy; over USB the mic handles it. Owners rate it 4.5 across more than 1,200 reviews, which is where it has sat for two years.