Skip To Main Content

Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
For more information on how we test products, click here.

geared up mkbhd desk setup and gear

Geared Up – MKBHD’s Desk Setup & Gear


Dive into the world of cutting-edge technology with Marques Brownlee, widely recognized as MKBHD. Boasting an impressive audience of over 3 million on YouTube, he stands as an authoritative voice in the tech review realm. Endorsed by Variety as one of their Top 5 Digital Star #Famechangers and hailed by Vic Gundotra as the “best Tech reviewer on the planet”, MKBHD’s influence extends beyond his YouTube channel. He operates a dedicated website and meticulously selects signature gear for endorsement, ensuring they meet his gold standard of excellence.

Update July 2016: MKBHD just released a video updating us on the tech he uses daily so we’ve updated this post to keep you guys in the loop. 

marques brownlee sitting in the chair

Ultimately, we like to think of MKBHD as the living, talking, walking embodiment of virtually everything we represent here at Man of Many. He’s not the competition–if anything he’s an alliance. In honour of our fellow curator of cool, we’d like to share MKBHD’s desk and audio set up because like everything else he stands behind each component signifies the top stratum of gear and design. Check our MKBHD’s Desk Setup below.

xdesk air pro

1. XDesk Air Pro

XDesk (formerly NextDesk) already blew minds with the XDesk Pro and now they’re back with an upgrade. The XDesk Air Pro delivers even more dynamism and weight capacity than its predecessor. The frame is made from solid recycled aluminium and can support over 630 lbs. But what makes this clean, breathtaking beauty truly stand out from the pack is a lightning speed ability to adjust in height at the touch of a button on the LED display. Thanks to four microprocessor-controlled lifting columns and the use of internal dual drives, height adjustment is not only effortless but quiet too. If you like this, you’ll also like our 26 Best Desks for the Home Office.

Features: 4 electric columns, 4 high output motors, 630 lbs weight capacity, speed – 1.7 inches/sec
Price: from $3,705

Purchase: XDesk Air Pro

You’ll also like:
Six Best YouTube Tech Reviewers
Get the Best Sound with RODE’s NT-USB Microphone
10 Best Drones to Buy For Photography and Video

herman miller embody chair

2. Herman Miller Embody Chair

MKBHD gets his perfect posture by using the Herman Miller Embody Chair, which utilizes various ergonomic functions to stimulate blood and oxygen flow as well as support proper sitting position and reduce spine compression. It’s also fully adjustable and made with recyclable materials at a facility that runs solely on renewable energy. This is truly a product truly creating comfort with a conscience. The price point might be a little steep–but the chair costs far less than the back surgery you’ll need after sitting in some crude alternative that doesn’t give a hoot about your spine or any other part of you for that matter. If this is a little outside of your price range, maybe check out our list of the 17 Best Office and Desk Chairs for Any Office.

Features: provides ergonomic support, fully adjustable arms, titanium base and white frame, translucent casters
Color options: Berry Blue Balance, Charcoal Rhythm
Price: from $1,635

Purchase: Herman Miller Embody Chair

mkbhd mac pro view

3. 2013 Mac Pro

Love them or hate them, no other brand fused elegant design with approachable functionality the way that Apple did in the early to mid-2000s. Their new Mac Pro Workstation Server is a treasure chest of features all contained within a compact cylinder that looks sent back in time from an advanced civilization (or a trash can). Expect a big step up from previous instalments in terms of speed, memory, storage and graphics. MKBHD is rocking the 8-Core trashcan with a mammoth 64 gigs of ram, Dual AMD FirePro D700 graphics card and Final Cut Pro for editing.

Features: base model – quad-core 3.7GHz Intel Xeon E5 processor; 12GB of RAM; two AMD FirePro D300 graphics processors; 256GB solid-state drive
Price: from $2,999

Purchase: 2013 Mac Pro

asus ergonomic back lit led monitor pa328q

4. ASUS Ergonomic Back-lit LED Monitor

Keeping things sleek and superior, MKBHD pairs his premium hard drive with an equally impressive monitor from ASUS. Featuring a 32-inch 4K/UHD display with top-shelf pixel density, colour resolution and wider angles thanks to the use of IPS technology, along with wall-mount capability and an ergonomic adjustable stand that can pivot with ease, the ASUS PA328Q Monitor delivers award-winning performance and sweeping connectivity with various ports. No wonder MKBHD makes it all look so easy.

Features: Professional-grade 32-inch 4K/UHD display, 100% sRGB and Rec. 709 color space support, HDMI, DisplayPort 1.2, and MHL 3.0 for smooth 4K/UHD content playback, ASUS Eye Care Technology with TÜV Rheinland-certified Flicker-free technology
Price: from $1,544.99

Purchase: ASUS PA328Q Monitor

yamaha hs8 studio monitor speaker black

5. Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor Speaker, Black

For any Internet sensation, the sound is as important as sight. When it comes to sound delivery, MKBHD employs the use of the Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor, which takes a philosophical approach to acoustics and architecture. The HS8 Studio Monitor uses everything from state-of-the-art noise reduction technology to recently developed transducers to adjustable control features in order to provide tremendous clarity at both ends of the aural spectrum.

Features: remote control, 8 inch cone woofer and 1 inch dome tweeter, 38Hz to 30kHz frequency response, 75W LF plus 45W HF bi amp system 120W total, 60 watts
Color options: black, white
Price: from $369.99

Purchase: Yamaha HS8 Studio Monitor

universal audio apollo twin thunderbolt interface

6. Universal Audio Apollo Twin High-Resolution Thunderbolt Interface

There was a time when the only way to produce studio sound was in an actual studio. Those days are over. The Universal Audio Apollo delivers all the complexity of analogue sound and studio mixing in a beautiful little device that connects to the computer and weighs just under 4 lbs. It has features like real-time UAD processing and tube preamp emulation to bring top-tier functionality to the convenience of MKBHD’s desktop.

Features: world-class 24-bit/192 kHz audio conversion, Realtime UAD Processing
Price: from $1,379

Purchase: Universal Audio Apollo Twin High-Resolution Thunderbolt Interface

mkbhd logitech mx master wireless mouse

7. Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse

Logitech is the perfect option for the modern day gear enthusiast who probably needs to navigate more than one computer at a time. The Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse flaunts an unmistakable sculptured exterior and handy thumb wheel and can connect with up to three computers at once via wireless technology. The user can switch between each computer with the click of a button. Thanks to a Darkfield Laser sensor, the mouse works on any surface over 4mm thick.

Features: laser movement detection technology, unique thumb wheel, unifying receiver or Bluetooth Smart wireless technology, up to 40 days of power on single charge
Color options: black
Price: from $99.99

Purchase: Logitech MX Master Wireless Mouse

mkbhd colorware matte black apple keyboard

8. Colorware Wireless Apple Keyboard

As his desk set-up duly indicates, MKBHD is big on personality and the products he uses are too. Take, for instance, his custom matte black keyboard and trackpad from Colorware. It’s effortlessly smooth, mobile and sleek, like MKBHD himself.

Price: from $199

Purchase: Colorware Wireless Apple Keyboard

mkbhd audio technica red color

9. Audio Technica ATH-M50RD Professional Studio Monitor Headphones

The red M50’s have been MKBHD’s daily’s for a very long time. While his red ones are a little more on the expensive side with a coiled cable, there’s no reason you can’t still have the same audio quality in a different colour.

Features: limited edition red color, proprietary 45 mm large-aperture drivers with neodymium magnet systems, closed-back cushioned earcup design
Color options: red
Price: from $209

Purchase: Audio-Technica ATH-M50RD Professional Studio Monitor Headphones

bose qc35 headphone

10. Bose QC35 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

We’ve covered these bad boys on the site before and they’re actually my daily drivers which I’m listening to right now as I type this article. In our view, they’re the best noise cancelling headphones on the market and MKBHD tends to agree. He uses these for travel and flights. Here’s his review.

Features: World class noise cancellation, Bluetooth, NFC, over-ear form factor, Volume optimized EQ, 20 hour battery life per charge, up to 40 hours (wired)
Color options: black, silver
Price: from $169.99

Purchase: Bose QC35 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones

jaybird x2 headphone

11. Jaybird X2 Headphones

He uses the Jaybird X2‘s over the new Freedoms for generally walking around and they’re awesome Bluetooth earbuds. Here’s his review of the Jaybird X2’s.

Features: bluetooth connectivity, in-ear form factor, up to 8 hours, lifetime sweat proof warranty
Color options: storm, green
Price: from $18.45

Purchase: Jaybird X2 Sports Wireless Bluetooth Headphones

sennheiser hd 800 reference dynamic headphone

12. Sennheiser HD 800 Reference Dynamic Headphone

Update: apparently these aren’t his dailys anymore. The perks of being a renowned gear reviewer keep piling in. The Sennheiser HD 800s are quite simply next-level audiophile headphones, which utilize an open back design and patented Ring Radiator transducer to capture the full soundstage of an artist’s performance. And of course, those premium ear cushions feel downright dreamy against the lobes.

Features: open back, around ear, wired connectivity
Color options: black
Price: from $1,679.95

Purchase: Sennheiser HD 800 Reference Dynamic Headphone

woo audio wa7 fireflies amp

13. Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies Amp

Rounding out MKBHD’s audiophile set up is this pure tube headphone amp with a digital-to-analogue converter. The WA7 Fireflies are conceptual triumphs that do away with semiconductors to use a 6C45 triode as both a driver and a power tube. As with most high-end equipment, Woo Audio streamlines a laundry list of amazing specs and features to establish unfettered accessibility and truly exceptional sound. Damn, MKBHD–you do not mess around when it comes to audio gear. For more inspiration you can also get turned up with these 10 high-end amplifiers.

Price: from $999

Purchase: Woo Audio WA7 Fireflies Amp

apple imac pro monitor front view

14. Apple iMac Pro 27″

With 10-core Xeon W, 128GB of RAM, Radeon Vega Pro 64 16GB and 2TB SSD, you can see why MKBHD added this screen to his setup collection.

Price: from $3,799.99

Purchase: Apple iMac Pro 27″

Some Updated MKBHD Daily Tech – Mid 2016

mkbhd camera lens bracelet

15. Camera Lens Bracelet

It’s not a piece of tech but something that MKBHD wear’s daily in pretty much all of his videos. Fun fact, it’s pretty much exactly the same size as a Canon EF Lens mount.

Price: from $3.50

Purchase: 5 pcs DSLR Camera Lens Focus Ring Wristband 

mkbhd moto 360 smartwatch

16. Moto 360

While he doesn’t wear a smartwatch all the time, when he does, MKBHD’s smartwatch of choice on the Android side is the Moto 360. He recommends using this solely with an Android phone rather than an iPhone even though it’s capable of doing both. Here’s his review of the Moto 360 V2.

Features: 42 millimeter or 46 millimeter; classic round design; Moto Body fitness tracker
Color options: black metal, gold, rose gold & blush, silver, silver & cognac

Purchase: Moto 360

apple watch review

17. Apple Watch

On the IOS side, it’s the Apple Watch. Here’s his review.

Purchase: Apple Watch

Features: 42 millimeter; 18-hour battery life; GPS + Cellular connectivity; Heart Rate Sensor, Altimeter, Accelerometer, and Gyroscope; electronic SIM
Price: $542.42

Smartphones?

The question that he get’s asked the most in the comments? You guessed it. It’s his smartphone of choice. While it changes on a regular basis, he’s usually rocking two or three at a time with several sim cards. Read further below for what he’s rocking.

oneplus three front and rear view

18. OnePlus Three (Main Phone)

A solid $400 smartphone with really clean software, great performance and fast charging.

Features: Display 5.5″ 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), Bluetooth, NFC, OS OxygenOS
Price: $400

Purchase: OnePlus Three

galaxy s7 edge front view

19. Galaxy S7 Edge

He switched to the OnePlus Three from the Galaxy S7 Edge as it’s got a larger screen. He’ll tend to replace his main phone with his ‘Test’ Phone if it performs better. You can read Man of Many’s full reviews of the phone here.

Price: from $391

Purchase: Galaxy S7 Edge

nexus 6p screen view

20. Nexus 6P

Before this, he was rocking a Nexus 6P with an Android Nougat Beta.

Features: all-metal design; 5.7-inch high resolution WQHD AMOLED display; front-facing stereo speakers; 12 MP Camera (larger 1.55 µM pixels)
Color options: gold, graphite, silver, frost
Price: $450

Purchase: Nexus 6P

iphone 6 side and rear view

21. iPhone 6S Plus

This is his secondary phone. It tends to be better with camera related applications that aren’t the official camera app. Basically, snapchat, Instagram, beme and most social apps.

Purchase: iPhone 6S Plus

tablet front screen

22. Tablet?

Fun fact, he doesn’t use a tablet of choice but has an iPad Pro and Pixel C  laying around the office.

Features: 12.9 inches LED-backlit IPS LCD Multi-Touchscreen; 128 GB memory
Color options: gold, silver, space grey
Price: $599

Purchase: iPad Pro

Features: 308ppi; 10.2 inches; 8mp rear camera 2 mp front camera; Nvidia Tegra processor; 3gb memory

Purchase: Pixel C

black 15 inch macbook pro

23. Black 15-inch MacBook Pro

MKBHD’s laptop of choice, which is also his daily workforce is the 15-inch MacBook Pro. It’s blacked-out from Colorware and fully maxed out specs wise as he uses this to edit on the go.

Features: great screen; powerful
Price: $2,599.99

Purchase: 15-inch MacBook Pro

Update: MKBHD’s Video Gear

red weapon forged cf 6k

24. RED WEAPON Forged CF 6K

This beast pushes a whole lotta’ pixels and given the price point, should probably only be used by professionals.

Features: RED DRAGON® 19.4 Megapixel CMOS; Effective Pixels – 6144 (h) x 3160 (v); Sensor Size – 30.7 mm (h) x 15.8 mm (v) x 34.5 mm (d)

Purchase: RED WEAPON Forged CF 6K

canon cn e cine lenses

25. Canon CN-E Cine Lenses

MKBHD’s got the 14mm, 24mm, 35mm and 50mm in his arsenal but he uses the 24mm and 14mm most often.

Features: wide-angle cine Lens; covers full frame & super 35 sensors; T1.5 maximum aperture; 11-blade Iris
Price: from $3,970

Purchase: Canon CN-E Cine Lenses

sigma 18 35mm f 1.8

26. Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8

Fast Crisp Clean.

Price: from $698

Purchase: Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8

canon ef 100mm f 2.8l macro

27. Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro

A very very nice (and expensive) piece of glass.

Features: 100 mm focal length and 1:2.8 maximum aperture; 23.4-Degree diagonal angle of view
Price: from $1,299

Purchase: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro

sennheiser mkh416 microphone

28. Sennheiser MKH416

The mic that MKBHD uses for 95% of his recording on his videos.

Features: increased directivity; rugged; equivalent noise level weighted as per CCIR 468 3: 24 decibel; current consumption: 2 megaAmphere
Color options: black
Price: from $989

Purchase: Sennheiser MKH416

schoeps mk41 microphone inside box

29. Schoeps MK41

Specifically, build for voice recording, it’s what MKBHD will often use for his voice-overs.

Features: dialog boompole microphone; includes CMC 6 Amplifier, MK 41 Supercardioid Capsule, and SG 20 Mount
Price: from $1,655

Purchase: Schoeps MK41

sound mixer devices 633

30. Sound Devices 633

A compact, clean and robust preamp, field mixer and audio recorder.

Features: three high-bandwidth XLR preamplifiers; +12, +48, and +10V digital phantom power; HP Filter, Pan, Fader, Trim Controls; AES3 and AES42 for digital microphones
Price: from $3,575

Purchase: Sound Devices 633

shark slider s1 view

31. Shark Slider S1

To get those clean panning and zoom shots that look extra smooth, you could invest in a slider like this. But if you’re on a budget you can achieve a similar effect with a good skateboard or tripod.

Features: 31″ Shark Slider S1; 25″ Standard Sliding Length; 47″ Total; extra extension rails & long drive belt
Price: from $599

Purchase: Shark Slider S1

sony a7r ii camera front view

32. Sony a7R II

A compact camera that shoots crisp 4K footage. A more versatile camera than the Red if you’re just starting out.

Features: 5-axis in-body image stabilization; 2.4-million dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder w/ZEISS T- coating; 2.4MP full-frame, 4K movie recording
Price: from $1,598

Purchase: Sony a7R II

sony 16 35mm f4 zeiss

33. Sony 16-35mm F/4

We know Zeiss always produces quality and this lens is no exception.

Features: ideal for landscapes; minimum focus distance: 0.92 feet (0.28 m), maximum magnification ratio: 0. 19x, focal-length: 5/8 – 1-3/8 inches
Price: from $944

Purchase: Sony 16-35mm F/4

sigma 24 35mm f2.0 lens

34. Sigma 24-35mm F2.0

Designed for prime performance and optimum versatility, the Sigma 24-35mm is the world’s first full-frame F2 zoom lens.

Features: maximum Height – 171 centimeters; minimum height – 27 centimeters; carbon fiber and magnesium material; built-in 75mm half ball
Price: from $769.99

Purchase: Sigma 24-35mm F2.0

manfrotto 535 tripod stand

35. Manfrotto 535 Tripod

While you might want to work out your muscles, you’ll be thanking us when you have to lug your heavy camera gear around and you’ve got this lightweight carbon fibre tripod with you. A simple thing to make your job easier.

Purchase: Manfrotto 535 Tripod

manfrotto 504hd

36. Manfrotto 504HD

We believe that this video head is made from 100% butter.

Features: 4-step counterbalance system; Ball Bearing drag system; ergonomic controls; lightweight
Price: from $362.83

Purchase: Manfrotto 504HD

sanken cos 11d lav

37. Sanken COS-11D Lav

The Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphone is optimized for digital transmitters and provides shielded RF noise protection.

Features: 1/8″ TRS Connector, Normal Sensitivity Level, Omnidirectional Polar Pattern, water-resistant, Original Vertical Diaphragm Design, Optimized for the Human Voice
Price: from $379

Purchase: Sanken COS-11D Lav

So whether you want to completely replicate MKBHD’s desk setup, simply choose a few items or build upon it further, remember to not go forking out a whole lot of cash if you’re never going to use it or your not even sure what it’s for. MKBHD’s job is to produce stunning high-quality 4k videos so you may not need the processing power or high-end audio products in his setup. But we can stand by the fact he’s the best youtube tech reviewer around so make sure to hit up his YouTube channel.

You’ll also like:
Six Best YouTube Tech Reviewers
18 Best Wireless Chargers for Your iPhone and Android
10 Best Drones to Buy For Photography and Video

General FAQ

What desk does Marques Brownlee use?

Marques Brownlee uses the XDesk Air Pro, which has lightning speed ability to adjust the height at the touch of a button on the LED display, effortlessly and quietly.

How much is Marques Brownlee worth?

Marques Brownlee, best known as MKBHD, is estimated to have a net worth of well over $4 Million.