Maonocaster G1 NEO & PD100X Bundle Review

The Maonocaster G1 NEO and PD100X bundle is Maono’s attempt at packaging everything you need to stream higher-quality audio in an affordable bundle without skimping on style. For those thinking about getting into streaming, this could be a great entry point. Here’s my review.

G1 NEO

Looking first at the G1 NEO, the audio interface, I’ve been impressed by the included preamp and 48V Phantom Power. It powers the included PD100X just fine, which is obviously a good start, but it also gives enough clean gain to my daily driver Earthworks Ethos. The available noise reduction also works well to combat the fan noise from my PC during a hot, humid week. The RGB, while not on the same level as the PD100X, is pleasing and will look the part in a typical streamer’s setup.

My main disappointment with the G1 NEO is the lag in microphone monitoring. The delay is distracting and makes it very difficult to listen to myself speaking. This is unfortunate as it also impacts the effectiveness of the voice changer. I ultimately resorted to just ignoring the monitoring, which isn’t a great solution.

Maono has its own software that users can install to fine-tune the RGB and some advanced audio settings. It’s pretty barebones but worked for what I needed.

PD100X

As for the PD100X microphone, this thing took some tuning to get right. Initially, I found it very difficult to avoid overloading it, leading to distortion and unusable audio. Thankfully, I got the settings ironed out and was ultimately pretty happy with the quality. It’s just a shame that the out-of-the-box experience required troubleshooting to get right, which newcomers won’t be thrilled about.

The presence of both an XLR and USB connection is nice, allowing some flexibility. I’m also a big fan of the RGB lighting, which is satisfyingly diffused. It also looks great on camera and will surely be a talking point for those watching a stream.