Microphone Battle: Shure SM7B vs Shure MV7
We have one hell of a showdown between two industry-leading microphones from Shure for you today. On one side, is the legendary Shure SM7B. On the other, its modern sibling, the Shure MV7.
Whether you're a seasoned podcaster or just starting, choosing the right microphone can hugely impact your recordings. My objective here is to dive into the pros and cons of each mic, give you some sound tests, and help you decide which microphone fits your needs best.
The Contenders
Let's start with the Shure SM7B, a microphone that's been on the market for over 20 years and remains a favourite among podcasters, vocalists, and broadcasters alike. It’s noted for its warm and balanced sound, great for all sorts of recording environments.
In contrast, the Shure MV7 is a much newer entrant, having been introduced around four years ago. It serves as a more affordable alternative while offering greater versatility with both XLR and USB connectivity options. If you’re tight on budget but still want a taste of Shure’s quality, the MV7 might catch your eye.
Price Comparison
When it comes to cost, the SM7B will set you back about AU$850, whereas the MV7 hovers around the AU$400 price point. Given the significant price difference, budget-conscious buyers might lean towards the MV7. But, there's more to consider than just the price tag.
Sound Quality and Performance
- Sibilance: The MV7 tends to have more sibilance, meaning it might sound a bit more exaggerated with the 's' sounds. On the other hand, the SM7B offers a smoother high-end response.
- Plosives (Pop Filter test): The MV7 disappoints with its pop filter, allowing excessive plosive sounds that can be annoying. It also doesn’t handle breaths very well. The SM7B handles this beautifully, though you have to note that the pop filter on the SM7B is much bigger.
Male Voice Test
We had Alex from Bamby Media join us to showcase how both microphones handled a male voice, and the Shure SM7B gave a fuller, richer sound in this scenario. Although a bit “bottom end” heavy, this could be easily fixed in post-production to minimise some of those bassy tones.
Shure MV7 Pros:
- Versatility: Offers both XLR and USB inputs, making it adaptable for upgrading your setup over time.
- Footprint: Smaller and less obtrusive, ideal for video recordings even though the Shure logo is definitely more present than we’d like. It doesn’t take up as much of the frame and allows for a more pleasurable viewing experience.
- Affordable: More budget-friendly than the SM7B, making it accessible for beginners. At almost half the price, this is definitely a factor to consider for budget-conscious podcasters.
Shure MV7 Cons:
- Pop Filter: The included pop filter handles plosives and breath sounds poorly. We would recommend purchasing the Shure SM7B pop filter to negate this issue. It fits perfectly on the MV7.
- Sibilance: More sibilance and less pleasing high-end frequencies compared to the SM7B.
Shure SM7B Pros:
- Sound Quality: Superior sound quality with balanced frequencies, great for vocals with more depth and warmth.
- Pop Filtering: Better handling of plosives and breath sounds.
Shure SM7B Cons:
- Price: Much higher price point and we feel it doesn’t warrant the price. You’re paying for a brand name here.
- Gain Hungry: Requires substantial gain, needing additional equipment like a cloud lifter, high-quality pre-amp or the sE dynamite will be required to achieve optimum performance. Again, adding to your costs.
- Size: Larger and more obtrusive on video.
Who Is Victorious?
After all these comparisons and tests, the question remains: which microphone should you get?
If you are an early-stage to mid-level podcaster, the Shure MV7 offers outstanding versatility. It allows you to jump into podcasting without a massive upfront investment. Despite its shortcomings in sibilance and plosive handling, it provides good sound quality for its price. Its ability to switch between USB and XLR connectivity means it can evolve as you upgrade your podcasting setup.
For the budget-conscious podcaster, I personally see no reason for you to go out and buy the SM7B which would have you spending almost AU$1000 on a microphone and appropriate pre-amp. It does not feel necessary.
In the end, your choice will depend heavily on your specific needs and setup. Do you prioritise versatility and budget, or are you eager to present yourself like the professional podcasters that you’ve seen using the Shure SM7B. I know that can be a very real factor to consider.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the SM7B vs. MV7. What works best for your voice and setup? Remember, just because one mic is widely used doesn't mean it’s the best fit for you. It’s always a good option to try a few, or watch reviews of different voices showcasing the microphones before deciding for yourself.
Transcript:
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[00:00:00] Brianna: Today we are doing a battle between two Shure microphones. We have the Shure SM7B. Hello, this is it here. And we have the Shure MV7. This is the little baby sister or brother to the Shure SM7B. The SM7B is a microphone that has been on the market for a flippin long time, probably about 20 years, don't quote me on that, but a very long time.
[00:00:32] And then the Shure MV7 is something that has come onto the market. Very recently, five years, four years, not, not a long time. And it has come into the market to give you an option that isn't as expensive as the Shure SM7B. And it also gives you the capabilities of having XLR and USB inputs in the base there so that you don't have to have a fancy system to have those microphones set up in your house to record your podcast.
[00:01:01] So I think from that standpoint, I mean, great move. from Shure, because then they've got something for the market for someone who doesn't have all the fanciness, doesn't want to spend a heap of money. If we're looking at money straight up first as well, the SM7B is about 850 ish Australian dollars and the MV7 is sitting more in the ballpark of like 400 to 450.
[00:01:22] So, yeah. Very big difference in price, but there are also differences in the actual sound of these microphones that you're probably hearing as well. So we're battling these two. We're going to switch them back and forth and we're going to go through some tests so that you can hear the differences between these two mics.
[00:01:37] I'm using the XLR input for this test because then that's a clear comparison between the two. We have them plugged into the John Hardy M2 preamp. It is a completely flat preamp. There's nothing fancy going on. We've got the gain set at 45 for the MV7 and the gain at 57 for the Shure SM7B.[00:02:00]
[00:02:00] So the things we're going to look at today are sibilance. How do they handle the kind of sounds that you can hear because some of the microphones can be quite intense. We're also going to look at the pop filtering goodness, how it handles pop filtering. We're going to see how it handles vocals. And we're also going to get a male voice in here, Alex, to tell us what he wants to have for dinner tonight, so that we get a really good idea as to what it sounds like with a male voice so that you can make some assumptions for yourself, depending on what kind of voice that you have.
[00:02:35] After all of this reviewing, then you will hear my recommendations at the end of the video. So make sure you stick around for that. And also shout out to Gasworks Studio here in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. Because this is where we are recording these videos today. It is an acoustically treated room.
[00:02:50] Okay, so please keep that in your mind. Make sure you have your headphones on. So that your system at home may not be able to be this controlled. Okay, you might get more background noise. You might have more things to adjust. Please keep that in mind. Sibilance test, let's get into it. MV7. If Moses supposes his toes are roses, then Moses supposes erroneously.
[00:03:16] Shure SM7B If Moses supposes his toes are roses, then Moses supposes erroneously. Pop filter test, plosives MV7 popping the popcorn, popping the popcorn, Shure SM7B popping the popcorn, popping the popcorn
[00:03:43] now we're going to get Alex in
[00:03:45] to tell us what he thinks he should have for dinner.
[00:03:50] Alex: This is the Shure MV7. For dinner tonight, I will be having probably nothing, because I am [00:04:00] currently doing intermittent fasting. So that makes this little sound bite rather short. And now on to the 7B. Once again for dinner tonight, nothing.
[00:04:11] And this is the SM7B. Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen. I'm sure you'll hear from me. I
[00:04:19] Brianna: don't know how Alex skips dinner so much. Like, dinner is delicious. I don't know if that's, if anyone else agrees, but dinner is delicious. Okay, so we have the MV7 and we have the Shure SM7B. Who is the winner? Let's go through a few things. Firstly, I hate the pop filter foam on the MV7. I think it is a piece of of balls.
[00:04:48] So if you heard in the pop filter section of this test, it's so pop, pop, pop, pop, poppy and also the breath is out of control. And that doesn't seem to matter whether I'm on axis or I'm off axis. This pop filter does barely anything. And I did a review on Of this microphone by itself. If you want to get a little bit more in depth, look at that.
[00:05:10] So for me, the recommendation would be to not use the pop filter that comes with this microphone. If you're going to get this one and actually get a pop filter that is actually for the Shure SM7B. And you may see some other videos where people actually do that because the pop filter is way better.
[00:05:27] So it is one way to use this microphone because it's much cheaper, but still have the proper kind of pop filtering that you might want, by swapping out the pop filter there. Now as far as sound quality goes, It's actually kind of the pop filter's fault as to how this MV7 sounds because there is a lot more sibilance that is coming through with that microphone.
[00:05:49] It sounds a bit more fake. than the SM7B does. And I think that's to do with the frequency response on the MV7. It, it does have more clarity, but it's not the clarity that [00:06:00] I want. It's not giving me a sparkle.
[00:06:02] It's giving me a little bit more of a like, like an annoying sound. Whereas this one here, it does have a lot less sibilance, uh, but it gives me more bass and sound there as well. So. They both handle the frequencies, uh, on the higher end differently. The MV7, I think, is worse than the, , Shure SM7B. Now I did just, you know, crap all over the MV7. talking about how the pop filter is a problem and saying that some of the frequency response stuff isn't great and it's got a little bit of problem there with its sibilance and its high end frequency. But the thing that works in the favor of the MV7 is its footprint.
[00:06:43] So it's a smaller body, it's less obtrusive in video, I think it looks nicer, and it also has the capabilities for XLR. And USB. Now that's really good because it means that you can buy one microphone and it can keep you podcasting. If you upgrade the rest of your gear as well. I have a video on why you might need USB versus XLR vice versa.
[00:07:06] You could be interested in actually checking that video out because it will tell you why you might decide that. XLR is going to be better from a versatility standpoint makes the MV7 a lot more useful to you than the SM7B if you're just starting out. The SM7B also requires a lot more gain. It's going to need some sort of cloud lifter or SE dynamite to get it to the level that you need it to get, to get the sound that you want.
[00:07:34] Whereas the MV7 doesn't require that either. You can just plug that straight into your preamp. You should be able to get the gain that you want. In saying that, it depends on the preamp that you're using. Okay. If you're using a RODECaster Pro 2, the Streamer X, there's a bunch of preamps that now have in built sort of, Processing that can get, give you the game that you want, but just be aware that if you have a lower quality, a lower, like a more budget kind of preamp, the [00:08:00] SM7B is going to cause you problems if you don't have some sort of booster.
[00:08:06] If you want to negate that, you would get the Shure SM7 DB, but again, that's like 700 something dollars. This one's only 400 something dollars. That's, for me, why I think if I was a mid level to early stage podcaster, I would get the MV7 over the Shure SM7 B. Yes, it doesn't have as good of a depth, as good As much warmth, it's got a little bit more happening in that like frequency response at the higher end.
[00:08:35] But it's going to give you more versatility, it's going to get you what you need without a huge outlay. And it looks better on camera versus this one, takes up a lot more room and it's got this like cable that I find kind of annoying, doesn't look great. This might not be a popular opinion because the Shure SM7B is something that everyone uses, that you see it everywhere.
[00:08:58] But just because you see it everywhere doesn't mean that you should potentially use it for your use case. It depends on the preamp that you're using, the space that you're using it in, what your voice sounds like, whether you have a lot of sort of depth in your voice already, that's not going to be a great situation.
[00:09:14] Use something that you have a bit more versatility around that you can maybe get a pop filter that's separate to this one so that it gives you the extra pop that you're going to need to manage those plosives. And I think that for me, for my voice,
[00:09:29] I would say the MV7 wins.
[00:09:32] And what did you think? I would love to know your thoughts on the SM7B vs the MV7. What do you think? What do you think would be useful for you? Definitely keep that in mind as far as how your voice sounds. Mine has a lot more clarity, crispy, higher end frequencies in my voice.
[00:09:50] And I'm looking for things that give me a little bit more depth and warmth without being muddy. I've got lots of other mic battles, reviews. I talk about podcasting relentlessly on the Bamby [00:10:00] Media channel here. So please check out anything else that you think would be useful for you. And don't hesitate to reach out.
[00:10:06] bambymedia. com is where you would go to find out more about what we do as a podcast and video
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