At a very decent price of below £40, the Tonor TC30 is one of Tonor’s cheaper microphones. We take a look to see if the TC30 is a viable option or whether it should be avoided.
First Impressions
Straight out of the box, the first thing that I noticed was the very simple set-up. A USB-C to USB-A lead that you plug into the back of the mic is the only wire that you need, which is good in my opinion as you don’t get yourself tangled up with mountains of wires and you can very easily take this mic from place to place.
Other than the pop filter which you simply slide into position, the whole mic is basically set up and ready to go out the box. I very much liked this as when you get a new piece of tech, you want to get it out the box and start using it, not fiddle around putting bits and bobs together.
Specifications:
- Condenser Type of Microphone
- Cardioid Polar Pickup Pattern
- Frequency Response 50Hz – 20kHz
- Input Sample Rate 48kHz
- Bit Rate 16Bit
- Output Impedance 2.2kΩ
- S/N Ratio >68dB
- Sensitivity: -32dB±3dB
- Cable Length 2m
- Detachable cable
- Cable Type: USB-C to USB-A 2.0
- Included desk stand, shock mount and pop filter
- Plug and play, no software is needed
Design
With every component apart from gold and grey accents on the actual microphone being black, this mic strikes a very premium appearance when propped up on the table by the tripod. The material of most of the set-up being plastic does take away from this premium feel, but for around £30, you can’t expect much more.
Although it is all plastic, the set-up is a strong and sturdy one, with very little room for slight wobbles and mishaps. After a quick and easy assemble, the mic sits comfortably in its designated slot, not moving in the slightest, meaning the assembly of the set-up is one of pretty good quality. You don’t want the sounds of little squeaks from the microphone stand in your audio, so the sturdiness of the Tonor TC30 is a big plus.
The pop filter is slightly low in quality, with it being a simple slot in pop filter rather than a detachable and flexible pop filter. However, we must remind ourselves that for £30, you cannot expect anything world beating.
The main thing is that the pop filter does its job, which I can firmly say that it does and to be fair, the quality is good enough to compete with mics double the value of the TC30. The fact that there is even a pop filter in the first place is impressive as for around £30, it’s not common whatsoever to get a mic with a pop filter.
Sound Quality
The Tonor TC30 does a decent job in performing above its price tag. The overall quality of the sound was relatively average, with a lack of background noise cancellation being slightly underwhelming, however again for the price, it is definitely solid.
The pop filter had little effect on the sound quality, however if you compared it to a mic with no filter, it is somewhat noticeable. As for the actual mic, it picked up sounds from all around the mic, as opposed to directly as the top of the mic. This means it would be better for things where you want noise to be picked up all around the mic, as supposed to only out the top which would be good for radio hosts or podcasts.
Despite this, the TC30 does have a cardioid pickup pattern and an excellent off-axis suppression function, allowing it to capture more natural sound and suppress unwanted background noise.
Other Features
The Tonor TC30 is compatible with Windows, macOS and Linux, with a USB 2.0 data port, making life easy when buying this as you will not have the awkward moment where the mic doesn’t work on your specific device.
This along with the simple plug-n-play functionality adds to the ongoing feeling that I get with this mic that it is very good for quick instances where you need a mic.
Additionally, with the low price, easy set-up, and great range of compatibility, its sensational consumer friendliness would definitely be perfect for students or some smaller content creators.
For example, if you are starting a YouTube account or need a microphone for a university project, the Tonor TC30 is a very solid option and compared to other microphones out there, you are getting a real bargain for only £30.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Tonor TC30 is a very decent microphone. When you factor in the price of around £30, the simplicity of the set-up and its great range of compatibility, there’s no doubt that this is a great option for those who need a budget microphone that does the job.
You can simply plug-in and use it when you’re in a rush, avoiding any tedious untangling of wires and letting you crack on with actually using the microphone, which is a massive plus.
I highly recommend this mic to students or beginner YouTubers as for only £30, you get a very decent microphone that will get you by before you can afford some high-level, professional gear. I think the phrase that summarizes the Tonor TC30 quite nicely is ‘value for money’.
Overall Rating: 3.2 out of 5.0 stars – 3.25 Stars
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