Maono Wave T5 Review: The Best in Class

Just a few days ago, I got to use and test the Maono Wave T5 wireless microphone. To be honest, this was the first time I heard Maono in the wireless mic section as I only knew that they make great podcasting mics, so the entire testing part was quite interesting.

For this comprehensive review, I tested the microphone over a week across different scenarios near a highway, in an interview, near my kitchen, and many other places. So, let’s dive right in and see what the Maono Wave T5 has to offer. 

Some Context

Before we dive into the review, I must give you some context into who I am and what I do. This will help you understand how I tested the Maono Wave T5 mic. I am a research scholar in the field of psychology and I am also a videography enthusiast. 

Some of my research work involves taking interviews and recoding them to make transcripts for data analysis. Hence, I need a good quality mic that can capture my and the participant’s voice clearly. 

I also make some videos for psychology creators for educational purposes and that also involves recording voices clearly. Then there is the routine videography as well. So overall, you can say that clear voice recording is a priority for me. 

Testing Conditions and Comparisons 

I tested the Maono Wave T5 wireless mic (combo version) in the following conditions:

• I tested it in an interview room at my home during an interview with a participant.
• I tested it for recording a video for my college department and took some interviews with it. 
• I tested it near my kitchen while my friend was cooking in the kitchen. 
• I tested the mic near a highway while making a video for Instagram. 

For all testing, I recorded all videos and audio files on my iPhone 13.

I also compared the recording from Maono Wave T5 with the recordings taken from the GRENARO J13 wireless mic and my boAT Airdopes 91 TWS earbuds which I generally use for recording audio.

Now that we have all the details and context, we can start the review.

Maono Wave T5 Wireless Review

Unboxing and First Impressions 

The unboxing experience was quite cool as the Wave T5 wireless comes in good packaging. Upon unboxing, you get a black pouch that has the charging cable as well as two lockets to attach the wireless mics. Then you have the user manual, packing list, some stickers, and the main carrying case for the Wave T5 wireless mic setup. 

In the main carrying case, you have two dongles that plug into the phone, one is lightning and one is Type C. This acts as a receiver.

Then you have two back clips that you can use to stick the mics in case you do not want to use the magnetic clips they come with. Then there are two windscreens and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable.

Finally, there is a charging case that has two transmitters(mics) and a receiver(for cameras). These are all the parts you get in the Wave T5 combo version. 

Since I only had my iPhone to test the microphone, I immediately took out the transmitters from the carrying case and they are little button-like transmitters that look cool when you wear them. 

With a minimal and simple design, these transmitters can be easily put up on anybody without making them overwhelmed.

During my interviews, many participants have reported that they sometimes feel overwhelmed when I put a mic near them. However, with this one, the setup is quite clean. 

Hence, I will give a 4.5/5 in the unboxing and first impressions area. 

Design

I will be talking about the design of the transmitters exclusively. These are some of the coolest-looking transmitters I have seen in a while.

They are like little buttons that can clip easily onto any clothing. I tried to clip them on heavy winter clothing as well as light summer clothing, there was never any issue. Then there are multiple options to attach the mic.

There are magnetic clips that stick on the back of the mic and you can easily mount the mic with these clips. 

There is a necklace as well that has a magnetic clip so if someone doesn’t want to wear the mic, you can clip the mic on the necklace and simply give them to wear the necklace.

This was very useful for me as I had to interview many people around the campus, so instead of taking out the mic every time from the participants, I just offered them the mic with the necklace. 

In terms of design, these microphones get a solid 4.5/5

Build Quality 

Because mics are for everyday use and are worn by different people, build quality becomes an important factor in deciding the product. In terms of build quality, Maono has done solid work in all areas. 

In my opinion, the dongles that plug into the phone are the most vulnerable as they can easily break if the phone falls. However, the dongles provided with the Maono Wave T5 are sturdy and do not flex much. 

Then coming to the mics, they also have a solid design and build. In my testing, I accidentally dropped the mics a couple of times and nothing happened to them.

The magnetic clips are quite strong and hold the mics in place even when running. Then, there are the clips that you can attach to the mics and then you won’t have to worry about clipping the mics. 

Other than the build quality of dongles and mics, the charging case is also quite solid and the outer carrying case is also good for carrying the mics and using them daily. 

In terms of build quality, I would again rate them 4.5/5

Setup, Connectivity, and Compatibility 

I have used many other wireless microphones with my iPhone for recording and my experience is mostly pleasant. It is safe to say that the Maono Wave T5 was no exception.

After plugging the receiver(lightning dongle) in my iPhone and taking out the transmitter, the pairing was smooth and there were indicator lights on both the transmitter and receiver to be sure that both were working fine. 

However, there was a problem in pairing one time and I had to pair them manually but it was no big deal. In everyday use, the pairing was consistently smooth.

The good thing is that Maono also offers an app called the Maono Link app(Android | iOS) and it can be used to customize noise reduction and also for firmware updates which is a cool thing. 

In terms of compatibility, there is a USB C dongle as well as a lightning dongle. That means you can use the mics with all Apple and Android smartphones and tablets with ease. In my testing, I never had any compatibility issues with the Maono Wave T5.

I will give it a 4/5 rating here. 

Performance and Audio Quality

Now let’s talk about the main thing that is the performance and audio quality of the Maono Wave T5. So for testing this, I compared the recordings of the Maono Wave T5 with the recordings taken from my boAt Airdopes 91 TWS earbuds, GRENARO J13 wireless mic, and the stock iPhone mic. 

In most testing scenarios, the Maono Wave T5 outperformed its competitors by significant margins. However, there are a few things to note here. First, without the noise reduction mode, the Maono Wave T5 was as vulnerable as the GRENARO J13 to environmental noises. 

The Maono Wave T5 was constantly capturing environmental noises like the sound of the chimney far away in the kitchen, water running from a tap far away from me, the horn sounds of vehicles passing on the highway, and more.

Interestingly, my cheap TWS earbuds were able to shut these sounds out more efficiently and they only captured what I spoke. However, the audio clarity was not as good and original as compared to the Maono Wave T5.  

On the other hand, as soon as I turned on the noise reduction mode on the Maono Wave T5, the game completely changed. The mics were about to filter out a lot of environmental noise very efficiently and my voice was crisp and clear in the recordings.

Overall, the Maono Wave T5 performed excellent in indoor and outdoor environments. However, it only performed well in noisy areas when the noise reduction mode was on.

An important thing to note is that turning on the noise reduction is seamless as you can simply press the noise reduction button on either the mic or the receiver to turn it on/off. 

The thing that I liked the most was the two transmitters and both with noise reduction on. It allowed me to take interviews with clear voice recordings and the transcription was very easy. 

In terms of performance, the bottom line is that these are like other mics but with noise reduction, they become exceptional. 

So I would give it a 4/5 in this area. 

Charging and Battery Life

I would need a little more time with the Maono Wave T5 to conclusively form my opinion about the battery life of the mics. However, I can comment on the charging and battery life that I experienced.

The charging is very efficient and I used to charge the mics for half an hour or one hour every day while I was testing. The battery never drained out completely in my testing. There is also the charging indicator in the charging case that helps. 

In my case, my phone died out every time before the mics could run out of battery. So I would say that these mics have more than good battery life and can be used in professional settings. 

I would give it a solid 4.5/5

Portability

Since it is a wireless mic setup and meant to be used on the go, it is important to assess its portability as well. The entire carrying case easily fits in the palm of my hand and then the charging case is twice as big as my TWS earbuds charging case. 

Now the catch is that you simply can’t take the charging case that has the transmitters in it. You need to carry the entire carrying case, which is no big deal as it is quite compact.

But still, it would have been better if Maono included the receiver dongles inside the charging case. Then, it would have been more compact. 

But overall, it is very portable as you can easily fit the carrying case inside your bag and carry it everywhere. 

Here, I would give it a 4/5 rating. 

Summing Up 

So that is my review of the Maono Wave T5 wireless mic. After thorough testing across multiple scenarios, I am very impressed with what Maono has done with this product. From the design to the performance, everything about the microphone is on point. 

To better sum up the entire thing, I have divided the section into two parts:

Things I am Impressed by:

• The design of the microphones is minimal, appealing, and easily blends in with the person wearing them. 
• The build quality of the entire product is solid from the inside out. 
• It offers seamless wireless connectivity for both Android and iPhones. 
• The audio performance with noise reduction is phenomenal on this one. 
• The battery life and charging features are excellent. 

Things that can be Improved:

• They have different receiver dongles for iPhone and Android smartphones (lightning and USB Type-C).
• The charging case only houses the transmitters and camera receiver. So you have to carry the entire carrying case instead of the charging case. 
• The audio performance with no noise reduction is average. 

Overall, the Maono Wave T5 excels as a solid wireless microphone setup with professional-grade results. It’s a great investment for content creators, researchers, and anyone seeking crisp, reliable audio recordings across different settings.