I may be a writer by craft, but I've taken up videography as a hobby lately. In my quest to find the perfect plug-and-play wireless lavalier mic, I tried a few cheap options like the one from Boya. It yielded poor results, so I gave the more expensive Maono T5 Wave Combo Kit a try. The T5 Wave Combo Kit is now a core part of my amateur videography kit.
Maono offers several versions of this wireless lavalier mic kit. You can choose from Camera, USB Type-C, Lightning, and Combo variants. Since I use my Pixel 10 Pro as well as my mirrorless camera when shooting videos, I chose the versatile Combo variant that includes a receiver for cameras, USB-C devices, and Lightning port devices.
What makes the Maono T5 Wave Combo Kit work so well
The Maono T5 Wave Combo set includes two transmitters — the tiny magnetic mics — and three receivers. The USB-C (or Lightning) receiver plugs into your phone's charging port, and it has a passthrough charging port in case you want to charge your phone while recording audio or video.
The mics charge wirelessly inside the charging case, and the case recharges via USB-C. Maono promises up to 30 hours of battery life with the lavalier mic kit. The pairing process is hassle-free; you plug the transmitter into your phone, take the mics out of the charging case, and everything is set up.
Each mic comes with a magnetic back, so you can attach it to clothes, metal surfaces, or any of the accessories in the kit. Two magnetic necklaces, two magnetic clips, and two extra magnets are provided. If the environment is windy, you can also put the included windscreens on the mics.
Each of the two mics in the Maono T5 Wave Combo kit has a power button that doubles as an AI noise cancellation button and a mute button that can also control the camera remotely.
LED lights indicate the mode and connection status on the mics and receivers alike. The USB-C and Lightning receivers also have buttons for pairing and toggling noise cancellation.
Meanwhile, the camera receiver has a clip, a power/pairing button, a USB-C port, a 3.5mm audio output jack, a mono/stereo slide switch, and a volume knob to adjust the mic gain. It also has LED lights for battery charging and mic connection status indication.
You get extensive sound customization options within the Maono app. This includes several noise cancellation modes as well as sound coloration modes. The app is also where you can upgrade the firmware of your Maono T5 Wave components.
The app displays the battery life and connection status of both mics, so it's easy to see the battery percentage at any time. This is a crucial piece of information when you're mid-shoot and feeling anxious about your mics running out of juice.
Other key specs include 48khz sampling, a 24-bit audio format, an 80dB signal-to-noise ratio, a 120dB maximum sound pressure level, and a whopping 300m/1000ft connection range. These numbers match the industry standard for the best wireless lavalier mics, just like any premium alternative from a name brand like DJI.
Rather than describing the audio quality, here are a few samples for you to listen to and make your own judgment.
Listen to these Maono T5 Wave combo kit audio samples
First, I tested the noise-reduction modes on the Maono T5 Wave combo kit. There are three presets and one fully customizable option.
For science, I replayed the exact same audio in the background (the first few seconds of My Hero Academia) repeatedly from the same point for each recording.
- Noise reduction - Slight
- Noise reduction - Moderate
- Noise reduction - Aggressive
- Noise reduction - Custom
Next, there are three sound coloration options in addition to the regular voice enhancer.
You can give each sound coloration mode a listen to get an idea of how it affects the sound profile during recording.
- Sound Coloration - Warmth
- Sound Coloration - Brightness
- Sound Coloration - Huskiness
Should you buy the Maono T5 Wave kit too?
If you're planning on starting a podcast with friends, a personal vlog, or small personal videography projects, this kit is wonderful. The Maono T5 Wave combo kit usually costs $109 on Amazon, but if you time it right, you can get at least 10% to 15% off. Even now, the Combo Kit is on sale for 13% off, bringing it down to $95 at Amazon. That's even cheaper than DJI's combo kit, which usually costs $169 or so.
And if you don't own a camera, I highly recommend just getting the USB-C or Lightning variant, depending on what phone you have. The Type-C kit costs just $85, currently $75 at Amazon, and the Lightning variant retails at $99. It too is on sale for $85 at Amazon at the moment. If you want even more savings, wait for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales that are just a few weeks away.
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