MAONO Podcast Equipment Bundle with Audio Interface and XLR Condenser Microphone, MaonoCaster with 48V Phantom Power, Bluetooth for Podcast, Streaming, Voice Over, Youtube, PC, Guitar (AME2A)

After weeks of research, reading reviews, watching YouTube videos (even the longer ones), I chose to purchase the: MAONO Podcast Equipment Bundle with Audio Interface and XLR Condenser Microphone, MaonoCaster (AME2A) - The reviews were all very positive for this podcast equipment bundle - Once I opened it, I was extremely happy because it was exactly what I needed and what the many reviews described (re: functionality, quality, ease of use, etc.) - I did have a problem initially that I needed assistance with - This is usually where a customer's experience starts going bad - That is NOT the case with MAONO - I contacted the company expecting this to go into a days and possibly weeks long aggravating experience - Their "after sales" team contacted me within hours with several solutions to try - Their reply was friendly, upbeat and very clear for me to understand - They asked me to record a short video to demonstrate the problem so that they could give me the best solution - I made a short video on my phone, sent it to them and within hours they replied that THEY preferred to send me a new unit - The new unit was sent out immediately the day I gave them my mailing information - I have NEVER had an experience like this - I was ready for a back and forth tussle, but that was not what I got, and these days this is beyond rare - This kind of service is more or less extinct now - The best word I can think of to describe my whole experience with MAONO is "Astonished" - That may sound "over the top", but it is true - Their "after sales" team is "over the top" in a fantastic way! If I need any additional equipment they will be the first company I go to, no question about it! You can seriously buy with confidence with this company. Below is the exact unit I purchased: MAONO Podcast Equipment Bundle with Audio Interface and XLR Condenser Microphone, MaonoCaster with 48V Phantom Power, Bluetooth for Podcast, Streaming, Voice Over, Youtube, PC, Guitar (AME2A)

The MAONO Audio Interface, specifically the MaonoCaster 10-Channel Podcast Mixer (AME2), has been a fantastic addition to my recording setup. From the moment I unboxed it, I was impressed by its robust build quality and intuitive design, which is perfect for both beginners and experienced podcasters. The 10-channel mixer offers incredible flexibility, allowing me to manage multiple audio sources effortlessly. The professional preamp and 48V phantom power deliver crystal-clear sound quality, which makes a noticeable difference in my recordings and live streams. Whether I’m using dynamic or condenser microphones, the audio always comes through clear and sharp. One of my favorite features is the Bluetooth connectivity, which adds a whole new level of convenience. I can easily connect my phone or other devices to play background music or take calls directly through the mixer. The 11 customizable sound pads are a game-changer, too — they’re perfect for adding effects, jingles, or sound bites during live sessions, and the customization options make it easy to tailor them to my needs. The MaonoCaster also integrates seamlessly with my PC and is compatible with popular platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and streaming software, making it versatile for all types of content creation. Plus, the ability to plug in a guitar means it doubles as a great tool for music recording. Overall, the MAONO Audio Interface has exceeded my expectations in every way. It’s packed with features, easy to use, and provides excellent sound quality, making it an essential piece of gear for any podcaster or streamer looking to elevate their content. Highly recommended!

I needed something compact and portable to provide better audio quality for the Zoom broadcast of the spiritual community (I hesitate to call it a "church") meetings I attend each Sunday. I did some research and decided to take the plunge with the MAONO MaonoCaster AME2A. After a few months of use, I'm pleased with the results I get with this mixer. As long as your expectations are realistic, for the price, it does the job. I worked for 20+ years in broadcast television as a studio/remote director for news and entertainment events (largest music event I did had over 65,000 in attendance), so I'm well familiar with high-end professional equipment. Needless to say, this ain't that, but it checks the boxes for what I need. Some feel that being battery-powered only is a flaw, but if you make sure the device is charged and bring along an extra power bank or two, you'd be surprised how long it will last. The audio sample tracks are a feature I didn't think I'd use, but it turns out I have. Recording samples is easy. If you plan ahead (and you should ALWAYS plan ahead; poor execution is usually the result of poor planning), use small stickers: the reusable kind that are easy to peel off, and label what each sample button does, it's a nice addition. It's been said elsewhere in these reviews that making adjustments results in an audio prompt - such as "noise canceling off" when you turn that feature off - that overlays your audio, but I haven't found that to be true. You do hear the prompts in your audio return, but on test recordings/meetings I made prior to first use, I don't hear them in the final product, nor did the person connected to the test Zoom meeting. It always pays to understand fully what your device is capable of or not before using it in the field; it can save a lot of headaches. To sum it up: if you're creative, you understand what this device is and is not, and you're accustomed to problem-solving on the fly, you can squeeze a lot of functionality from this inexpensive little mixer.

One of the best audio upgrades I’ve ever did at the price it’s unbeatable and it sounds amazing for everything. I need to be done for as studio recording, live streaming, and just acting a fool on the mic.

Had a USB cable fail. Contacted Maono, and within a week I had a free replacement cable. Great service.

never got it to work correctly echo you name it it just doesnt work or I'm in compitant and i'm pretty sure its not me. When I finnally got it to work while I was streaming my game it6 was full of echo's. Oh this part is important i never got their mic to work I only got it to work with the mic on my camera. I messed with this thing for two weeks and finnally it was a waiste of my money on into the junk box it went. I was cleaning out the junk box today and thought give it a try and its the same oldn nthing nothing burger worth streaming thats for sure

I had a small issue with the product and contacted Maono’s customer support. The response was quick, friendly, and very professional. They guided me through the entire process and provided a clear and effective solution. It’s reassuring to know that the brand stands behind its products and has a support team that genuinely cares about its customers, it really makes a difference. I’ll be using the AME2 for my livestreams, and being able to manually control the EQ in real-time is a big plus. The pitch and reverb buttons add a fun dynamic to my content, and make interactions more entertaining for my audience. Also, the dual headphone outputs on the front are a perfect fit for my setup. I don’t use the same headphones when streaming as I do when editing or casually using my PC, and this interface lets me switch between them without needing to unplug or rewire anything, I just pick the ones I want to use, and the audio is right there, ready to go. Highly recommended, both for the quality of the product and the outstanding customer support after purchase.

If you're new to multitrack audio, this is fine. If you're looking for a way to toss in some fun sounds during Zoom calls and co-op games, this is pretty much perfect. If you're looking to record audio for your podcast or YouTube channel or etc, this is decent. But if you're looking to record really professional, clean, high-quality audio through this, either from instruments or microphones, look elsewhere. The mixer on this is pretty janky, it's rough and has very little "fine" control over the actual audio levels, the sensitivity just isn't very dialed-in. The EQ knobs on the primary line in (for low, mid and high frequencies) have too much overlap to make a significant difference in the timbre of the audio passing through, the frequency ranges aren't isolated enough. The pitch knob doesn't account for Formant at all, so it's just a really cheap-sounding effect reminiscent of a children's Halloween voice-changer. The phantom power causes a noticeable "hiss" in the background, at least for my mic (which does NOT hiss when plugged into a DBX tube channel strip or even through a Shure inline preamp). The Reverb effects are all really similar and all really overbearing, there's no solid difference between them other than their EQ and even applying them subtly sounds really cheap - it works much better as a "joke" effect than anything serious. And the AutoTune feature is really dreadful, it barely works and there's no "soft" way to apply it, it basically just makes your voice warble a bunch and you sound bizarre, but you don't really sound "in tune". Furthermore, the sample buttons are SUPER finicky - the "short" sample buttons can actually play much longer clips than the manual indicates, but they ALL interrupt one another. So if you're playing one sample (short or long) and you hit any other sample button, it cuts the first sample. The buttons also work inconsistently and I can't think why. If you hit a SHORT sample button and then while it's playing you hit it again, it restarts the sample. If you hit a LONG sample button (the three that play 1:10 of audio) and then hit it again mid-play, it stops the audio. If you hit short OR long, and then hit a DIFFERENT sample button (short or long, doesn't matter), it starts playing the new sample. If you hit a long sample, and then double-hit the "repeat" button designed to make the long samples play over, it cuts the sample short. That "repeat" feature by the way? NOT seamless, there's a very noticeable half-second or so when it replays, and if that's gonna be there then there's no reason to have a repeating sample. If you can't make it seamless, why not just have it be LONG? The only reason to make it repeat is for background noise/music, but if there's a big "gap" in it then it's pointless to do that. Maybe the most frustrating thing (besides the hiss in my audio) is that all the samples you put on those buttons have to be RECORDED "live" onto the buttons. You have to route a line into the interface, either via a cable or via Bluetooth, then you have to "clear" the sample button by holding it down until it flashes, then you have to hold down the sample button for THREE SECONDS (with no countdown or anything indicating when it's actually gonna start recording) and when it starts flashing then you have to quickly hit "play" on the audio you're trying to record, then you have to hit the button AGAIN to stop recording (or just let it play out and have a bunch of empty space after your sample, which is sloppy). The problem here is that there's likely going to be a second or so of empty space BEFORE your recording because it actually starts recording just a tiny bit before it starts flashing to tell you it is recording. So between when it starts recording and when you realize it's recording and hit the "play" button on your sound, that empty gap stays in the sample. So, if you're doing LIVE audio and trying to pepper in sound effects off-the-cuff, your little sounds will be on a little DELAY from when you hit the button. It's "minor", but it's such a sloppy problem to have and SUCH an easy fix. What this thing should have done was include a sound-import function. The thing plugs into your computer already, why wouldn't there be the ability to access the device's internal storage via your computer and drag the audio files you want directly into it? They could have made software for it to give you much better control, but if not that, they could have at LEAST just made an internal folder structure with folders labeled "Long1" "Long2" "Short1" etc and then you could drag mp3's and wav's into the folders. I mean, even something like an APP (since the soundboard connects to Bluetooth devices, like your average smartphone) where you could import clips and edit them and assign them to buttons, etc. In that same app, you could adjust the reverb feature to make your own presets instead of their terrible ones, too - why not? Also, minor point, but it's REALLY annoying that you're expected to record pro audio with this... and every time you hit a button that adjusts something (like the autotune, reverb presets, loop back, and DENOISE button) there's a lady's voice that very very loudly declares that you've just hit that button. So you can expect halfway through your recording when you realize that the Denoise isn't on, you'll hear IN YOUR RECORDING some stranger's voice loudly blasting into your microphone "NOISE CANCELLING, ON!" right overtop of your vocals. But here's the kicker that really turned me off - and to be clear, I STILL use this thing, I don't hate it, this just really amazed me - the thing only works with battery power!!! It has an internal battery that has to be charged via USB... and the USB that it plugs into the computer with DOESN'T COUNT!!!!! You have to plug in ONE cable for the data (to actually USE the thing) and a SECOND cable to POWER IT. You can run it for a little bit on battery, but it doesn't last very long and it's a dumb problem either way. This thing so quickly becomes a cable-management headache, between having the power cord, the data cord, the mic cable, and anything else you want to plug into it. You're better off getting an inline preamp for almost all cases, because then in ONE cable connected to your mic, you're sending your mic into the computer and powering it and getting better audio quality all at once with one line. This thing is a glorified toy. I still use it, because it's a fun toy, it livens up Zoom meetings and makes my TTRPG sessions more fun because I can just toss out little joke effects here and there according to what my character is doing. But it's absolutely NOT a professional tool in any way whatsoever, it needs a couple more iterations before anyone should consider it for professional use.