Product ReviewsShure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone

The Shure SM7B: An American Classic

Everything that has been written positively glowingly about the Shure SM7B is absolutely true!!! ;-) sound reproduction is extraordinary, tuned for voice and patterned to reject off axis and unwanted noise. Proximity effect boost is perfect up close. Love this mic! Only one thing t I’ll say (and why it’s 4 stars instead of 5) is that if you’re going to buy an SM7B for voice work you’re definitely going to need a cloudlifter if your not willing to eat it (speak right on top of it) 24x7. Signal is beautiful , warm and true but signal is Faint and needs help. Plan an extra $100 to get a CL-1 if you buy the SM7B, but once you do, this mic is totally unleashed to reach its full potential! Acts like a condenser mic almost while retaining its great dynamic mic qualities. Love this mic!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: tryangle72

Fake, but still, okay.

Unfortunately, I fell a victim to it being a fake.

BUT, it does sound pretty good for a fake and the price point is fine for me.
If you are looking for an authentic sm7b, this is not it. You can tweak it to sound like it 100% with voicemeeter or a with a interface that does so though.

The build quality of it is alright.
Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: yaskawaparts

The SM7B lives up to its sterling reputation

The SM7B's reputation -- both good and bad -- is well-deserved.

It does sound great -- I lent it to our lead soprano for our virtual choir recordings, and just having her tracks recorded with the SM7B immediately made our entire mix sound better.

It does have very low output -- but adding a CloudLifter in the chain to boost the SM7B's signal was an easy, high-quality fix.

On top of that, the SM7B is not at all finicky; I lent it to our not-very-technical soprano know that she wouldn't have any problems setting it up and using it, and that there wasn't any way she could break it.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: trashep-22

The little-known vocal mic that the pros love

Most people know this mic as a broadcast mic, which is and was its original intended use. You've probably seen it on a any number of radio panel-discussion shows taped for TV, or maybe at a radio station, or on the old Northern Exposure TV series (it was Chris's mic) - basically anywhere you didn't see an RE20, you saw one of these.
What people often DON'T realize, however, is that artists such as Michael Jackson, Tom Petty, Keith Urban, James Hetfield of Metallica, Anthony Kiedas of RHCP, Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Sheryl Crow, and many, many others have used this mic both live and in the studio.

It has three distinguishing characteristics:
First, it has a switchable mid-high boost (as well as a bass roll-off) switch which can alternately, "push vocals forward" in a mix or tame "essy" vocals.
Second, its much-heralded isolation makes it a great choice for recording "live-on-the-floor" vocals (where the entire band plays while simultaneously recording the vocals) with very little "bleed" from other instruments.
Third, it is notoriously power-hungry, its low output requiring a lot of clean gain from the mic preamp; denigraters of this mic have often purchased it as a "bang-for-the-buck" alternative to (often more expensive) large diaphragm condenser mics and weren't happy with the results they got using their budget preamps.

The bottom line:
While it my not be the best choice for every voice and can be quite demanding in terms of mic preamp, when it IS the right mic, it's tough to beat at any price, let alone the paltry sum (under $400 new) they can usually be had for.Read full review...

Great Mic. Great Price.

This is the professional mic that is preferred by most radio broadcast stations, sound studios (voiceovers), and podcasters. Great sound/tone, but you will need a mic amp/direct box, or a good soundboard with phantom power to drive this thing. To sum it up: Name brand, Great build quality, and solid reputation.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: calib-830

Very good sound from a dynamic mic.

The sound of a Shure SM7 is very good. It's popular for voice-over work and male rock vocals. It's very good at rejecting pops (plosives) and handling noise, though it's not meant for hand-held use. It's great for screamer metal vocals too and It was used for some Michael Jackson vocals. It won't compare to a high end studio condenser, but it's amazing considering it's a dynamic mic. It has very low output level so you'll need a very good preamp to pair with it, or get yourself an in-line gain booster like the CloudLifter.

For studios, it's overall a worthwhile mic to have in a collection but It's no desert island microphone, unless you're doing narration for a living. Bottom line, I'm happy I own one and I would recommend it to a friend.Read full review...

Great Mic Worth the extra $$$$$$

This is a great Microphone !!! amazing sound !!! I would highly recommend pairing it with the Cloud Lifter Mic activator . and be careful if you choose to mount it to a Mic Boom stand because of the way the XLR cable plugs in it will hit and not fully rotate on certain boom stands I learned that the expensive way . Read full review...

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Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: sweetwatersound

I have wanted one for a long time.

There is a reason that you see this microphone being used by many of your favorite musicians and podcasters. It's beautiful, well built and sounds pristine. I love it.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: lifeclub-us

Great Mic, but you’ll need a pre that can really kick

This is a fantastic mic with a fantastic response and sound, just know that you’ll need a preamp that can really push some juice to make the mic really shine.

A cloud lifter will give some extra oomph, but it’s not a substitute for a UA 610 or a neve 1073. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: joshuceci-6

Great studio mic

Great studio mic. A bit low on output (as many reviews have stated). Strongly suggest using a Cloudlifter CL-1 clean boost with this. But that will be a winning solution for home studios that can't afford a Neumann. A bit heavy, so make sure to have a sturdy mic stand to handle it.Read full review...

Outstanding large diaphram dynamic mic with emphasis on vocals

The Shure SM7B is a classic microphone with a rich, warm sound. It is a large-diaphram dynamic with switchable bass rolloff and a replaceable windscreen that comes in two sizes - large and larger. The included mounting yoke permits tilt and swivel positioning relative to your mic stand or boom.

Street price for a new SM7B is approximately $325 but a gently used SM7B can be had on eBay in excellent condition for $250 to $270. I bought mine used for about $265 in order to fill in an obvious hole in my microphone collection.

The SM7B is true, accurate and transparent enough for recording studio use. This is the microphone that Quincy Jones used to record lead vocals on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album. You've probably also heard it on any of a number of other CD's.

You've also probably heard an SM7B 'on the air' at your favorite radio station. There is hardly a radio station in the United States that doesn't have one or more of these mics in frequent use.

This mic stands tall among large diaphram dynamics. It is every bit as smooth as the Electro Voice RE20 and some would say it produces less ear fatige than the 'hotter' RE27N/D and new RE320. I love my Sennheiser MD421 II for a lot of applications, but to my ear this mic beats it silly on vocals.

With a relatively flat response, this microphone 'feels' like it has a mild presence peak right where you want it for clear vocals. The SM7B has no bad habbits or detectable 'signature' artifacts. When properly set up and EQ'd this mic is smooth and warm yielding a 'larger than life' quality that works well in almost any application.

Despite its relatively solid construction, I would NOT recommend it for live stage situations where it could be dropped, kicked or crushed - use a Shure SM57 or SM58 for that application.

Accurate enough for recording studios and tough enough for everyday use by radio station DJs, this microphone is an essential for your microphone locker. There is little doubt that the SM7B produces great sound - especially on vocals - and represents a substantial value. Buy it and try it!Read full review...