MAONO T5 Wave AI Wireless Lavalier Microphone Kit Review – Talking Loud And Clear
The Maono T5 Wave was provided unsolicited by the company for my review and I thank them for that. You can get it from maono.com.
Executive Summary
The $99 Maono T5 Wave, a set of two transmitting lavalier microphones and three receivers, delivers very good sound quality, haptic, and user-friendliness, surpassing its predecessors, the WM620 and WM820.
PROS
- Pairs automatically
- Free app avoids playing with the small buttons
- Very good sound quality
- Decent noise cancelling
- Great range
- USB-C, Lightning, and camera receivers included
- Super build and haptic
- Ease of use with magnets
- Generous accessories included
- Good value
CONS
- Batteries are not user serviceable (planned obsolescence)
In this Article
Introduction
Although you might not have heard of Maono, they claim to be the world’s leading internet microphone company. Since 2017, Maono has been offering a diverse range of microphones, audio interfaces, accessories, and software, primarily targeting YouTubers and streamers. In fact, the company has already received a few Red Dot design awards for their innovative products.
We are primarily concerned with lavalier microphones in this note, that is small clip-ons commonly used in any TV show. I tend to make fun of YouTube influencers who frequently have monster microphones in front of their powdered noses, while pop divas get away with near invisible miniature designs on large-stadium stages. Large condenser microphones for YouTube is show, near invisible lavaliers are pragmatic.
I had tested Maono’s previous lavalier microphone kits, the WM820, which was essentially a ripped off Rhøde model, and the newer WM620, which was smaller than the WM820, fit in a large charge case, but was still made of polycarbonate. The microphones in both kits have a decent sound, but the company also included 3.5 mm headphone jacks for connecting higher-quality wired lavaliers.
Their latest T5 Wave microphone is so good that it no longer requires (and therefore also lacks) such sockets. The kit comes in a large zippered soft storage case that contains some utensils and a charge case with the three battery operated modules (two microphones and a camera receiver). What’s also in the box are two receivers, one with a lightning plug and the other with a USB-C plug. and lots more. These receivers can be attached to phones and computers which host the recording or streaming software).
In the box:
- 2 transmitters (microphones)
- 1 camera receiver
- 1 USB-C receiver (computers, android devices, iPhone 16)
- 1 Lightning receiver (older iPhones)
- 2 back clips
- 4 magnetic sheets
- 2 magnetic sheet necklaces
- 2 windscreens
- USB-A to USB-C charging cable
- 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm audio cable
- charging box
- storage bag
- large storage box
- user manual
- stickers for customizing the looks of the mics
The quality and haptic of the microphones and the battery-operated camera receiver including their storage case is excellent: all metal. The two receivers for phones and computers don’t have a battery, they draw current from their hosts, and are made of sturdy polycarbonate.
What You can do with the T5 Wave Kit
Two people can use the microphones to communicate with one of the 3 receivers that is attached either to a phone, a computer, or a camera. The two people can record video sound, do a simple voice recording, or talk to remote partners via video software such as Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Facetime, or pure audio with Skype or other internet phone services.
The microphones have an omnidirectional polar pattern, transmit on the 2.4 GHz band and have a transmission range of up to 300 m. You can use the mics for a whole business days before re-charging.
Specifications Maono T5 Wave
| Name | Transmitter | Receiver (Lightning/Type-C) | Receiver (Camera) | Charging Case (Phone/Camera) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission Type | 2.4 GHz Digital Frequency Hopping Technology | 2.4 GHz Digital Frequency Hopping Technology | 2.4 GHz Digital Frequency Hopping Technology | |
| Polar Pattern Frequency Response | omnidirectional | |||
| Max. Sound Pressure Level | 120 dBSPL | |||
| Dynamic Range | 93 dB | |||
| S/N | >80 DB | |||
| Flexibility | -2.5 dBFS at 1 kHz 94 dB | |||
| Max. Transmission Range | 300 m (viewing range), 100 m (rotation) | 300 m (viewing range), 100 m (rotation) | 300 m (viewing range), 60 m (rotation) | |
| Lithium Battery Parameters | 3.8 V, 97 mAh | 3.8 V, 145 mAh | 3.8 V, 750 mAh | 3.8 V, 950 mAh |
| Battery Life | approx. 10 h | approx. 9 h | ||
| Charging Time | approx. 1.5 h | approx. 1.5 h | approx. 2 h | approx. 2 h |
| Work Environment Temperature | -10 to 50°C | -10 to 50°C | -10 to 50°C | -10 to 50°C |
| Charging Environment Temperature | 0 to 45 °C | 0 to 45 °C | 0 to 45 °C | 0 to 45 °C |
| Size | 27*27*13 mm | 41*32*8 mm | 44*26*19 mm | 81*37*51 mm / 78*36*57 mm |
| Weight | 9.0 g | 5.1 g | 13.6 g | 79.6 g / 107.6 g |
| Tested At | ||||
| Product APage | maono.com | |||
| Purchase Link |
Functionality and Operation
What delighted me most was the ease of use of the T5 Wave. The mics automatically pair with the receivers when pulled out of their case. Each mic has two buttons: one for muting/remote camera operation and the other for power/pairing/switching noise reduction on and off. You don’t even need these buttons when using the free Maono Link app (Google Play Store; Apple App Store); you can control the mics from your phone. You can also adjust the microphones’ gain from the app.
There are LEDs on each mic and receiver: blue means noise reduction is off, and green…well you got it.
The two microphones are small magnetic pucks which you can attach to your body in several ways: (1) with another magnet under your shirt, (2) a shirt clip (that is magnetically attached to the mic), or (3) magnetically to a lanyard around your neck. All of these are included. I prefer the lanyard as it keeps the mic at exactly the right distance from your mouth for optimal sound quality.
Sound Samples
| Equipment/people used for testing: T5 Wave kit, MacBook Air 2022, iPhone SE (1st gen.), male and female voices. |
The most import feature of this microphone set is its sound quality. Check it out here. I used the preset gain level 12 on both mics.
Male and female voice in conference:
Applying noise reduction outside the house:
I’m impressed with the sound quality. The solid bass adds richness and authority to my voice. The noise reduction is also quite effective. Compare it to the sound samples of the WM620 and WM820.
Concluding Remarks
The Maono T5 Wave is a great wireless lavalier microphone kit. It delivers excellent sound quality, feels comfortable to wear, functions reliably, is user-friendly, and outperforms its predecessors significantly. What more could I possibly say?
However, as with most modern devices, the batteries are not user-serviceable, which limits the kit’s shelf life to 4-5 years. But you knew that from the beginning.
Until next time…keep on listening!
Disclaimer
Our generic standard disclaimer.
