The Shure SM7B has long been considered one of the best microphones for podcasting and music production, thanks to its clear, warm tones and incredible build quality. However, its only downfall has always been that it requires a preamp to get enough gain from it for quieter performances.
Thankfully, that changes with the newer SM7dB, which takes a nearly flawless mic and makes it essentially perfect with an onboard preamp that eliminates the need for cumbersome (and sometimes expensive) external attachments.
On the outside, the Shure SM7dB looks almost identical to the standard SM7B save for an imperceptibly longer length and a few new switches on the back that we’ll get more into below. The visual styling of the mic is probably the only thing more recognizable than its signature sound, so Shure did the right thing by not changing anything up in that regard. It’s a bold and attractive beast, sporting solid black all around and a sturdy, heavy build that makes it clear from the moment you pick it up that it’s designed to last.
Of course, the whole purpose of a refresh of this decades-old mic is the addition of an onboard preamp. This removes the need to buy a Cloudlifter (or other external preamp solution) to push the mic to its highest potential, giving you a toggle on the back panel to switch between +18dB or +28dB of clean gain. You’ll need to pop on phantom power to get this boost, but many affordable interfaces will facilitate that with no problems. For instance, my $200 Scarlett 2i2’s 48v power button made this part of the process a snappy one-click affair.
That being said, if you’re someone with a decked out streaming setup or a more sophisticated studio, you may already have plenty of preamps that mean you won’t need your mics to have built-in boosts to begin with. In that case, a handy bypass switch on the back of the mic disables the onboard preamp altogether. And honestly, the standard SM7B would likely be just fine for that well-prepared foundation for $100 less, making the SM7dB a cool but unnecessary side-grade for you.
The one other notable quality of life improvement added to the SM7dB is the change to the high-pass and mid-boost switches, which are no longer recessed and can be moved easily with a finger or thumb. Considering how important these can be to cleaning up or boosting certain frequency ranges, it sure is nice not to have to break out something like a flathead screwdriver to adjust them anymore.
Anyone familiar with the SM7B probably already knows that it’s a powerhouse whether it’s being used for broadcasting or vocal performances. It’s hard to find a popular podcaster who doesn’t employ it in their setup, while artists ranging from Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) to Michael Jackson have recorded some of their most iconic performances with one of these bad boys. It’s about as versatile as a mic can get while never feeling like it sacrifices anything in one area to shine in another.
Shure insists nothing about the internals of the SM7dB have changed beyond the addition of the preamp, so the mic’s classic warm and natural tone remains intact. The detachable pop filter also returns from the original to provide incredible protection against plosives, and a larger close-talk windscreen included in the box cuts this down even further if needed. I’ve yet to feel like I needed to swap to the bigger one, but your needs may vary, especially in professional broadcast settings.
As a recording artist with a setup in a non-optimal part of my house, I’m most impressed by the SM7dB and how it works so well in untreated rooms. Where my extremely sensitive condenser mics tend to pick up tons of irritating background noise, the SM7dB’s cardioid polar pattern ensures absolutely no sound is picked up from behind the mic and that any input from the sides is drastically reduced. It grabs my voice belting from the front and virtually nothing else, meaning I can finally run my dishwasher and record vocals at the same time like the irresponsible amateur I am.
Speaking of noise, the shock mount system within the SM7dB also makes it so that readjusting (or accidentally bumping) the mic won’t cause it to pick up much, if any, undesired vibrations. This makes it ideal for podcasters who move around a lot and want to eliminate handling noise when readjusting their position. Most importantly, it’s one less thing you’ll need to buy separately — a common theme with this feature-rich mic.
The Shure SM7dB can be purchased from Amazon or direct from Shure for $499. The original SM7B is available for $399 if you don’t need the built-in preamp.
