Audio review
Shure SM7B Review: You Are Also Buying a Preamp
Shure recommends 60dB of gain to use it properly, which most interfaces do not have. Budget for the booster or the microphone will sound thin and noisy.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Shure
Shure SM7B
Good · researched from 4 sources
The reason it is on every podcast desk is that it rejects a bad room and survives a decade of abuse. Work out whether your interface has 60dB of clean gain before you buy, because otherwise the microphone is only half the purchase.
- Buy if
- Voice recording in rooms that are not treated · Podcasting and streaming where background noise is the enemy · Anyone who wants one microphone for twenty years
- Skip if
- Interfaces without substantial clean gain, unless you add a booster · Detailed acoustic instrument recording, per Popular Science · Handheld use, given the weight and shape
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The hidden second purchase
SoundGuys measures the SM7B's output at minus 59 dBV/Pa. Shure recommends at least 60dB of gain to use it properly for speech at three inches.
Most affordable interfaces top out around 50 to 60dB, and running a preamp at maximum gain amplifies its own noise floor along with your voice. That is why every one of our three sources mentions an inline booster.
The practical consequence is that the microphone is not the whole cost. Either your interface has plenty of clean gain, or you buy a booster, or you get a thin and hissy recording and blame the microphone.
This is the single most common reason people are disappointed by an SM7B, and it is entirely avoidable by checking one number on your interface first.
What it buys you
A cardioid pattern that ignores the room. SoundGuys describes it as sturdy and less sensitive off axis, with internal suspension rejecting hum from computer monitors. Popular Science says it excels at rejecting ambient noise while focusing on the source.
That is why this microphone lives in untreated bedrooms and podcast corners. A condenser in the same room picks up the room. This one mostly does not.
And durability that is genuinely unusual. Popular Science's reviewer reports a decade-old unit still performing perfectly despite physical damage. Aluminium and steel, with the shock mount inside the body rather than in a fragile external cradle.
The switches nobody can agree on
Two recessed toggles on the back give four response curves: flat, bass rolloff, presence boost, and both.
Where the bass rolloff starts depends who you ask. SoundGuys says below about 650Hz, Producer Hive says 350Hz, Popular Science says 400Hz.
Those are probably three readings of the same gentle slope rather than a real disagreement, since a rolloff filter has no single cutoff. Worth knowing that the published figures vary before you try to match a setting from a video.
Producer Hive's complaint about them is more actionable: they are too recessed to change easily, which on a microphone with a cover plate over them is a deliberate design for broadcast use and an annoyance for anyone who wants to experiment.
Where it is the wrong microphone
Popular Science raises the one real sonic limitation: transient response is slower than a condenser, which makes it less ideal for delicate acoustic guitar where detail is the point.
For voice, for amplifiers, for anything loud, the slower transient response reads as smoothness rather than a loss. Popular Science describes it as warm without being muddy with no trace of harshness, which is the sound people are actually buying.
Practical setup notes
It weighs around 765 grams and needs a counterweighted stand. A light desk arm will droop.
The XLR output and threaded mount are integrated, and the shock mount is inside the body, so there is less to buy than with a condenser. The close-talk windscreen is in the box.
How it scored
The overall 8.4 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
Popular Science describes it as warm without being muddy with no trace of harshness. Producer Hive scored it 9.2 out of 10 and calls it a classic for good reason.
Value
Popular Science calls it outstanding value given the durability, while every source lists the price as a drawback.
Build quality
Popular Science reports their decade-old unit still performing perfectly despite physical damage. Aluminium and steel housing with an internal shock mount.
Ease of use
Shure recommends 60dB of gain, which most interfaces lack, so a booster is usually a second purchase. Producer Hive also finds the rear switches too recessed.
Room rejection
SoundGuys describes the cardioid pattern as sturdy and less sensitive off axis, with internal suspension rejecting hum from nearby monitors.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- Popular Science reports a decade-old unit still working after physical damage
- An internal shock mount and yoke, so no separate suspension is needed
- Cardioid rejection good enough that SoundGuys credits it with ignoring monitor hum
- Four response settings from two switches, including a low cut and a presence boost
- High headroom that Popular Science says prevents distortion on loud performances
What we didn’t
- Shure recommends 60dB of gain, which most affordable interfaces do not provide
- Producer Hive finds the rear switches too recessed to operate easily
- At about 1.5 to 1.7 lb it needs a counterweighted stand, not a desk clamp
- Popular Science notes transient response is slower than a condenser, so it suits voice better than acoustic guitar
- Sources disagree on where the bass rolloff actually starts
Specifications
| Type | Dynamic, cardioid |
|---|---|
| Frequency response | 50 Hz to 20 kHz stated by Shure; Popular Science describes 20 Hz to 20 kHz |
| Output | Minus 59 dBV/Pa, about 1.12 mV, per SoundGuys |
| Impedance | 150 ohm per Producer Hive |
| Gain needed | At least 60 dB recommended by Shure for speech at 3 in |
| Switches | Bass rolloff and presence boost, four combinations |
| Weight | 765 g per SoundGuys; about 1.5 lb per Popular Science |
| Mounting | Integrated yoke with 5/8 in and 3/8 in adapter, internal shock mount |
| Included | Close-talk windscreen, switch cover plate |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
4
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the output specification, weight and dimensions and the description of the switch behaviour. Producer Hive supplies the impedance, the accessory list and the criticism of the recessed switches, and scored it 9.2. Popular Science contributed the long-term durability observation and the transient response limitation, which is the only real sonic criticism any source makes. The three give different frequencies for the bass rolloff, so all are reported rather than reconciled. No source published a measured frequency response curve.
What we read
Common questions
Do I need a Cloudlifter for the Shure SM7B?
Where does the bass rolloff switch actually cut?
Is it good for anything other than voice?
Does it really reject room noise that well?
Will it fit on a normal microphone stand?
The bottom line on the Shure SM7B
The reason it is on every podcast desk is that it rejects a bad room and survives a decade of abuse. Work out whether your interface has 60dB of clean gain before you buy, because otherwise the microphone is only half the purchase.
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