RALENO M30 Studio Cardioid Condenser Mic Review

There is no shortage of reasonably priced USB microphones available but many of them require an external 48v Phantom power supply to work with a computer. Not so here. This new microphone from RALENO really is true plug and play with no external hardware or software installation needed to make it work on a Windows system.

The microphone kit arrived in a large but rather downmarket box. Good presentation is always important as it creates a favourable impression before the box is opened as well as making the product more attractive as a gift and here RALENO fall down somewhat.

Inside the box was a the microphone itself, mini-tripod, tripod mounting bracket, USB A to USB-B cable and a well written but rather unneeded User Guide. I enclose a scan of the User Guide on the end of my unboxing video, switch to full screen and pause to read it. No pop filter was included.

Build quality for the microphone is the first-rate and it looks and feels like a professional piece of kit. The mini tripod is a distinct step up from those bundled with entry-level kits and is made from robust ABS and does not have the flimsy build quality and unstable feel of some cheap rivals. The USB cable is also robust and substantial but at 4.9 ft shorter than I would have liked, although fine for desktop use. I was pleased to see that the cable was not hard-wired, so a longer replacement could easily be used. Core elements of the kit are as good if not better than can be expected for this price point although a status LED would have been handy.

On the front of the mic is a rotary volume control which can also mute the device, I found the output to be slightly lower than I prefer and so had it turn to 100% most of the time. The mic has a standard vertically adjustable female tripod mount and can be used with any compatible microphone stand or overhead mount.

Connecting this USB microphone to my Windows 10 could not be easier, truly plug and play with no drivers to be downloaded or installed. It was recognised by the system and worked from the get-go.

Comparing it to my usual budget mic I was immediately struck by the absence of background hiss or hum. The sound from the Condenser Capsule was clear with a full frequency response and devoid of crackles and cable noise. Pops and sibilance were kept to a minimum during recording and the overall sound was flat and accurate.

The microphone has a unidirectional polar pattern, so make sure you are facing the front of the mic (not the top) for best results. It has a frequency response range of 20Hz to 20Khz, which is pretty much standard for a mic of this type, with a 78db signal to noise ratio and records at a 24bit rate and 192Khz sample rate.

This is a near professional quality cardioid microphone available at the very attractive price, currently reduced to £29.99, and would make a fine addition to any YouTube, podcast or starter home recording studio.

The Good
Great price
Good build quality
Good User Guide
Attractive presentation
Fine audio quality
on-mic status LED
Robust metal tripod

The Bad
No carry case
No pop filter
No Status LED
Low Audio Output

Music YouTube Audio Library: DJ Freedem: Cutting It Close