TONOR T20 Microphone Stand Review
Today, I will be looking at the TONOR T20 Microphone arm and I’ll be giving me thoughts on setup, usage, and just my overall opinion on the product.
TLDR: The Microphone arm is sturdy, looks great, and is an excellent option for anyone looking for a desk-clamp microphone arm.
Full Disclaimer
I was sent this product by TONOR for review. I was not otherwise compensated, and the opinions expressed in this review are purely and totally my own. Thanks to TONOR for reaching out and providing the mic stand for review!
Product Review
Once the microphone stand arrived, I was both surprised with the size and weight of the box that microphone arm came in. It was a lot smaller than I had expected, especially based on what I had seen of microphone arms based on YouTube. I’m not sure if this is because other microphone arms are bigger or not, but the small size did catch my by surprise a bit. The box has a nice hefty weight that feels really solid, which gave me confidence that the microphone arm itself would be nice and sturdy, and that there is little wasted space inside.
It is a small thing, but I liked that the box the microphone arm comes in what appears to be simple, non-plasticized cardboard. This is great because it means the box can be recycled, and because it is not glossy plastic, it doesn’t show fingerprints nor does it reflect the light when taking photos.
Inside the box itself is the microphone arm, the microphone arm desktop clamp stand, a black windscreen you can pull over your microphone, four TONOR-branded fabric cable ties, an instruction manual, a two year warranty card, a mic clip, a 3/8″ to 5/8″ screw adapter, and a goose neck pop filter. All of this is fitted nicely in the box, with much of it in plastic bags for protection. Everything was easy to access and placed logically. The included black pull over windscreen was a little deformed in the box, but because it is made of a soft foam, it was super easy to fix the deformation and get it back into the expected shape. The picture above shows everything that came in the box.
The microphone arm is the star of the show, and it is almost completely made of metal. In the picture above, it is the bit with the bright yellow caution sticker. It feels very sturdy, is black, and has two sets of springs for both of the two main joints in the arm. There are knobs for each joint that allow you to adjust the tension for each, which is handy for tightening things as they ease from use overtime. On the end of the arm, there is a nice shiny, silver colored pole. The end of this pole is threaded with 3/8″ threads, allowing you to screw in your microphone, the included 5/8″ adapter, or the included microphone clip. The silver colored pole can also twist in addition to being able to swing, giving a nice amount of flexibility and a wide array of possible angles. The microphone arm has a nice weight and feels solid, but not so heavy that it feels burdensome. The joints move when force is actively applied to them, and in my testing, they hold their position great even when the desk shakes or is rattled. With normal, active desk use, the entire assembly should stay in place without any difficulties. Even accidentally knocking the microphone arm shouldn’t move it under normal circumstances, which is great because once you have got it where you want, it should stay there until you move it.
The microphone stand clamp is also very important for the entire microphone arm, since it keeps in firmly in place, and I was really impressed with the stand. It was smaller than I had thought based on the pictures, but in use, it is sturdy and I have not had any issues with it. One minor nitpick I have with the clamp is that the disk on the bottom of the clamp, the part that moves up and down to secure the arm to the desk, is not padded. Thankfully, the top is padded, and the bottom not being padded is a minor nitpick that can easily be fixed if needed. I added a felt skid pad just to be on the safe side, but as long as you do not over tighten the clamp, this shouldn’t be necessary. The clamp also has a hook for headphones, though for my use case this hook will largely go unused simply because where I ideally need to mount it does not provide easy access. My favorite part with the clamp itself is that it has a nice wide base that really gives the microphone arm clamp a lot of space to hold unto, making it very unlikely that the microphone will fall off during use if properly tightened. The T20 clamp’s size is reassuring and something I haven noticed is not often present when looking at similar desk clamp microphone arms on sites like Amazon.
Finally, the last bit I would like to discuss before moving on to setup, is the included microphone clip. It appears to be made of a rubbery plastic that is nicely flexible on the actual part that grips the microphone itself. The grip is secure enough that I didn’t feel concerned moving the assembly around with my microphone inside it, even though it is just held with tension. The screw thread is also plastic, but I didn’t have any issue screwing and unscrewing it from the microphone arm. The microphone clip does require use of the included (metal) screw adapter, and I found the easiest way to attach it was to screw the adapter in first to the microphone arm, and then screw in the microphone clip into the adapter. Once screwed in, is is nicely secure, and as long as you are not applying excessive force screwing it in, the plastic threads on the microphone clip shouldn’t be an issue. The microphone clip also can rotate on a single axis, giving even more adjustments possibilities.
Above is how the microphone arm looks when assembled, without any of the accessories beyond the microphone clip, the included screw adapter, and the pull over microphone windscreen. The microphone shown in the picture is not included, but I added it so it’s easier to see the flow of the microphone arm. Assembly was really easy, and the included instructions have both written instructions and pictures showing the entire process. I didn’t have any issues putting it together while following the instructions.
Looking at the picture above, you can see that the microphone stand is primarily composed of the two large joints. These are the primary way you adjust the microphone arm for large movements. Both of the joints are nice solid metal. This is actually the first time I have used a desktop clip microphone arm, and initially it took me a bit to find an optimal location that placed the microphone where I needed, while also allowing for maximum flexibility. Moving the microphone arm around is easy thanks to the clamp, though I would recommend keeping the weight of the microphone arm near the clamp’s base (I.E – don’t extend the arm too far) before moving, just so you do not accidentally tip or drop the microphone arm when trying different locations. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this, but I can happily say the microphone clip even holds the microphone nicely when moving the entire microphone arm around, not clamped to the desk. It is actually better at holding the microphone (seen below) than the stand that came with the microphone, so take that for what you will. That said, removing the microphone from the microphone arm is recommended when moving, just as a safety measure so nothing gets damaged.
The picture above shows the setup I ended up using, though eventually I moved it a little farther back on the desk. With this setup, I can have the microphone ready to go and listening when I need it. When I do not need a microphone, I can push the microphone arm away and get back to work just like that. To me, this is one of the biggest reasons for getting a microphone arm: it gives you the flexibility to easily use a microphone where you need it, when you need it. Especially because of the solid base, I didn’t feel I had to worry about anything falling or toppling while moving the microphone arm.
Another thing I want to mention, is the entire thing is quiet once assembled, at least in the unit I tested. There was no squeaks when moving, and the entire thing moves smoothly. I was worried the joints might make noises when moving or when the clamp would squeak a bit when the desk shakes, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this is not the case. Additionally, because of the two included screw options (3/8″ and 5/8″), the microphone arm is compatible with many microphones. Even the microphone clip included is compatible with a wide variety of microphones, like the one I use, which is not TONOR branded nor mentioned as compatible in the microphone arm product description.
The included pop filter is nice and big too, with plenty of room so you can adjust it to wherever you need. The goose neck on the pop filter is a little long and not quite as rigid as it could be, so it may take some adjusting to get it where you want it. Once its in place though, it should work without any issues or additional adjusting. The slip on windscreen, while a little big for my microphone, also looks to be decent quality. Especially given that the pop filter and windscreen normally would be purchased separately, I cannot really fault either of them, especially when considering the price of the microphone arm. The T20 also comes with four fabric cable ties that adhere to themselves, and this is great for cable management. I am a big fan of tidy cables and because four are included, that leaves some spares that can be used in other areas.
Honestly, everything included is great, especially when you consider just how much you are getting given the price. The TONOR microphone arm is very affordable, being just $40 on Amazon as of when this review was written. The microphone arm is almost all solid metal, and the included accessories like the pop filter, wind screen, and fabric cable ties just make the whole package that much more awesome. With the extras in the package, like the pop filter and pull over windscreen, it reduces the need to order more components when you are getting started.
The only nitpicks I have are the lack of padding in the bottom/moving-part of the clamp and the length of the goose neck pop filter. However, both of these are not really detractors in my mind, as both can easily be worked around and all of the important parts of a microphone arm are all there in the TONOR T20.
The microphone arm is much higher quality than the price might suggest. All of the most important parts are solid metal. The microphone arm is nice and stiff without being hard to move, it can carry a nice amount of weight (up to three Blue Yetti microphones, according to the product listing!), and all of the extras included makes the T20 a solid package that is useful and really impressive.
Product Links
If you’d like to buy this product for yourself, you can find links here:
- Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082W4B7SX/
- TONOR site link: https://www.tonormic.com/products/tonor-t20-mic-arm-stand
Neither of these links are affiliate links and RandomMomentania does NOT get any benefits from your interaction with the links, nor purchases of the T20. These are just links to the product, kindly provided by TONOR, so you can check the T20 out if you want based on this review.
Thanks again to TONOR for providing the T20 Microphone Arm for this review!
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