ShureSM7dB Dynamic Vocal Microphone w/Built-in Preamp for Streaming, Podcast, & Recording, Wide-Range Frequency, Warm & Smooth Sound, Rugged Construction, Detachable Windscreen - Black

The Shure SM7db is hands down the best microphone I’ve ever used! As someone who has worked with numerous dynamic and condenser mics over the years, I can confidently say that Shure took an already legendary microphone (the SM7B) and made it even better with the built-in preamp—an absolute game-changer.Right out of the box, the build quality is top-tier, as expected from Shure. It has a solid, durable construction that feels premium. The integrated preamp provides a clean gain boost (up to +28dB), eliminating the need for an external signal booster like a Cloudlifter. This makes setup so much easier and allows for better control over audio levels without cranking up the gain on my interface.The Shure SM7db connects via a standard XLR connection, ensuring professional-grade audio transmission. It is not USB, so you’ll need an audio interface or mixer. However, the built-in preamp means it works beautifully even with budget interfaces, as it doesn’t require an ultra-powerful gain boost.The sound quality is incredible—rich, warm, and detailed, with excellent background noise rejection. Whether I'm recording vocals, podcasts, or voiceovers, it delivers broadcast-quality sound with zero distortion or hiss. The low-cut and presence boost switches allow me to shape the sound to fit different recording scenarios.If you’re a content creator, musician, or podcaster, the Shure SM7db is an absolute must-have. It takes everything great about the SM7B and makes it even better. Worth every penny!

Podcast industry standard for a reason. If you are just chatting or want a solid mid grade mic that is good enough to record songs on this is a good pick. If you have the money there are better mics on the market for the purpose of song and instrumental recording such as a Neumann. Just be ready to shell out four digits per mic for those.Those of us that want a good general use mic that we will most likely not outgrow get the SM7(dB). You WILL have to buy extra stuff to make this mic work, and WILL NEED to spend time setting the mic up. It is not plug and play. You can slap everything together needed and just go with it, but you will sound bad. Search online for how to set the mic and your XLR amp up properly.The SM7dB is the upgraded version of the the series and I bought it over the normal SM7 because it takes into account customer feedback about the older version. If you want to save some money the normal SM7 just needs a good dial tunable XLR amp and some decent audio software to make up for its shortcomings. The money you save getting the baseline SM7 over the SM7dB will allow you to buy a decent XLR amp if budget is a concern. So the choice over the SM7 or the SM7dB is budget vs personal preference.Things you will need to run this mic:-Mic stand or boom arm-Special adapter to fit the mic to the stand or boom properly if needed-XLR amp-XLR cable (do not be cheap)-High quality USB-C to USB-A cable or USB-C only cable to connect the XLR amp to your PC-Recording software of choice (freeware works fine)-Fine tuning of operating software settings to match the micMy setup with the SM7dB and everything mentioned above totaled about $900 USD all said and done. You can save a couple hundred by picking the SM7, a cheaper XLR amp, and a lower price boom/stand than I did, but this should give you a rough idea what the true cost of this mic will be. Keep in mind this is still below what it cost for just a Neumann TLM 103 mic with nothing to run it, and that mic is what professional radio and recording studios have considered industry standard for over 25 years. So if you aren't doing professional singing and want to be able to run the whole setup for less than what the cost of a Broadway quality mic alone is, get the SM7(dB).

Its a Shure 7mb variation, it sounds really great for the microphone that it is. The mic itself is awesome and I love it.This review is mostly about the company that makes it.I purchased this microphone, directly from amazon, to begin work on a project, and spent extra to get all my parts together at the same time. Everything arrived, and I spent time setting it all up. I plug in the microphone... aaaaand its dead on arrival. It didn't pick up a SINGLE signal aside from cable static at +100 dbs. The wiring from the XLR port was all in place.I emailed Shure support, and they told me to get a refund via amazon. Amazon doesn't have a replacement policy on this item, so I had to send it back, buy a second one out of pocket, and wait weeks for the refund. I had purchased the microphone on sale, and when I had to buy a replacement, that sale had already ended.I lost over a week and over $75 from this screw up, not to mention dropping that amount of money twice while I waited for the refund.I was pretty frustrated by this, so I reached out to Shure support for an explanation. (they were very polite and this is not the reps fault)When I asked them why a $500 product was not even plugged in at the factory for QC testing, I was told "Our quality standards are very high, but we are aware that there was unfortunately a manufacturing defect on a small number SM7dB microphones. I'm sorry that you received one of them."So I asked, well if you KNOW there was a defect, surely you know the cause of it, and the rough time period it was affecting microphones. Since every microphone has a serial number, why didnt you issue a recall?They refused to answer that question, instead saying "Thanks for your reply and questions. Unfortunately, I don't personally know the exact number of units affected - just that it is a very small number. While we do have high quality control standards, and while microphones are tested at the factory, problems can arise during transit, which is likely the case here. We are doing our best to prevent any faulty products from being shipped to customers."So now they've changed the story. First I get a defective mic, now I actually got one that was damaged in transit(my box was in perfect condition). The packing is a stiff molded cardboard shell without any additional protection *at all*, so I suppose thats possible. Amazon packaged the mic box inside a box better than Shure packed their microphone, and thats saying something. At least my Yeti mic came in a foam encased box!I would very much like to know, if they know there was a defect, and every single microphone has a serial number, why they dont have a recall. They know it was a "very small number"(this has been an ongoing issue for years now), but dont know what that number is?The way I see it, youre spending $500 on a microphone from a company that either:A. Has zero quality control whatsoever and no packaging standardsB. Has known manufacture defects on a serialed product line, but DOESNT issue a recallC. Make a microphone so fragile that its routinely destroyed during gentle shipping(no damage to the package whatsoever), but STILL sell it onlineOr D. All of the above!I dont have high hopes as to the longevity of this product, and absolutely zero hope as to receiving support when it fails.Buy at your own risk.