Microphone Battle: The Real Shure SM7B vs its Fake!

Have you ever bought something online, thinking you scored a fantastic deal, only to realise later that it might not have been what it seemed?
Well, that's exactly what happened to me with the Shure SM7B microphone.
Today, I'm sharing my story of how I ended up with two fake SM7B microphones and the results of an audio battle I conducted between the real deal and its dupe.
Find out if the dupe is worth the savings or if you should stick with the original.
CHAPTER MARKERS:
00:00 Introduction: Real vs. Fake Shure SM7B
00:19 The Amazon Purchase Story
00:55 Discovering the Fake
01:57 Identifying Fake vs. Real SM7B
02:58 Microphone Test: Pops and Sibilance
03:58 Sound Quality Comparison
05:39 Final Thoughts and Recommendations
06:01 Conclusion and Call to Action
Recorded at Gasworks Studio:
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[@JuanTalkPH]

To be fair, I like the sound of that fake 1, that is the sound i was expecting when I bought SM7B

[@bambymedia]

There are a lot of similarities between the two. They did make quite a convincing fake!

[@FriendlyAudio]

@@bambymedia I'd love you to send me the audio clips! I could compare them and make some csv data from the curve and send back an impulse response to eq match the fake one to the real sm7b

[@JTroskaTV]

Amazon had a fake Sennheiser e945 listed, too. It was selling for much less than any other e945. And customer reviews were complaining about feedback issues. Those were red flags because super cardioid mics shouldn’t feed back too quickly. Scrolling through the reviews, I eventually got to one where the customer took it apart and took photos to show how the inner guts differed from a real e945. It seems Amazon has since removed the listing.

[@bambymedia]

Oh that's awesome that there were enough reviews (and a detailed pull apart) to give you all the red flags. I wish I'd had the same experience with my fake. They're everywhere it seems!

[@EthanPlayzTY]

i thank some fakes are good why some others are bad but not all people can pay SM7B

[@viatorbusiness]

I am listening through audio engine HD4 but I cannot figure it out which one is fake....

[@fragerox]

Evolution of the SM7 Microphone The original SM7 was introduced in 1973. The SM7A revision improved the humbucking coil and the design of the yoke mount. This revision was introduced in 1999. The SM7B incorporated an additional larger windscreen. It was introduced in 2001. basically it's the same microphone for 50+ years, and they are manufactured not only in mexico, but also in china, reverse engineering shouldn't be that difficult with easy access to components as absolutely everything is manufactured in China nowdays.

[@Triple_Draco]

very well produced piece-- writing, graphics, comparison, etc. I'm like: this isn't her first time (or a producer's first) around video storytelling.

[@bambymedia]

Hehe. That makes me happy to read. Thanks!

[@jediknightdiscomike22]

The real one sounds deeper and quieter. The fake one sounded a bit more noisey, less deep, but I thought her voice sounds better on the fake. Maybe the real shure is made for he's and the fake mic is for she's. The fake is a she mic. 😁😁😁

[@selfconfessedcynic]

Great video - some of the sellers around (especially on Ebay) are super suspicious, so I suspected fakes were making the rounds. Thanks for pointing it out and indicating that there's videos which tell you what to look for. Thankfully the one I ordered for my birthday is from the official Shure store on amazon - but I'll probably still check it, haha.

[@bambymedia]

I thought I was buying from the official Shure store on Amazon! Yes, definitely check it out when you get the mic. Even looking at these two in the video side by side you can see the difference hey! I didn't realise because I didn't have the real one to benchmark it against! They're a sneaky bunch aren't they.

[@slyderace]

The fake sounds decent but it doesn't sound as bassy as the real one. It does sound bland, as you said. With an Equalizer in Go XLR, it might sound better.

[@bambymedia]

Yeah you could absolutely fiddle with the EQ on the fake to give it more of that sparkle and a bit more of the bottom end. I'd feel weird doing it though hehe. It feels like cheating.

[@PodtasticAudio]

Fantastic! Beware of fake products

[@selw0nk]

The fake sounds just as good as the real one to me.

[@bambymedia]

It's not crazy different is it! Quite convincing.

[@fragerox]

Evolution of the SM7 Microphone The original SM7 was introduced in 1973. The SM7A revision improved the humbucking coil and the design of the yoke mount. This revision was introduced in 1999. The SM7B incorporated an additional larger windscreen. It was introduced in 2001. basically it's the same microphone for 50+ years, and they are manufactured not only in mexico, but also in china, reverse engineering shouldn't be that difficult with easy access to components as absolutely everything is manufactured in China nowdays.

[@deleted01]

Did you report the online seller to Amazon or the police? Don't let them dupe other people!

[@deleted01]

Also, I can't tell the difference between the real and the fake. Not that I'd buy a Shure SM7B, but if I did, I'd be among those getting tricked and never finding out

[@bambymedia]

I absolutely did report them to Amazon! The seller had vanished by then unfortunately, but I still reported it. Yeah the sound is close to each other isn't it! With an untrained ear, it sounds very similar. I feel bad for all those people who have and continue to be duped. Me being one of them!

[@djtoman6875]

There are also lots of fake SM57 and SM58 mics all over eBay.

[@bambymedia]

Oh they're two of my absolute "go-to" microphones in so many situations. That makes me so sad to hear there are fakes everywhere.

[@djtoman6875]

In the same price range I much prefer the Earthworks Ethos. It’s a condenser, so not exactly apples to apples. But it sounds superior to my ears. I’ve realised I just don’t adore the sound of dynamics and just use my SM57 with Shure windscreen when I want to use a dynamic mic.

[@bambymedia]

Condenser microphones are my favourite too. Better suited to an acoustically treated/low noise space, but gosh do I love them. They tend to have a lot more "sparkle" to them than the dynamic microphones. SM57 is tried and true. I've been using them for almost 2 decades and there is a very good reason why they continue to sell. I haven't tried the Ethos yet. It's on my list!

[@DKast84]

@@bambymedia I recently sold my Ethos, but it's absolutely amazing for voiceover work. It also has a pre-amp built in. I just have too many mics and one of them had to go, lol. Also, could you check your fake mic? I noticed that the fakes do not have the UK/CA logo on them.

[@bambymedia]

Oh it's so hard parting with good microphones isn't it! I fear I will be lost underneath a pile of microphones at some point. Hehe. I can't see any UK/CA logo on the fake. It's hard for me to even open the box. Makes me so sad.

[@lieslikelove]

Well you got ripped of on price as well haha if you know where to buy the fakes they are about 80 bucks

[@bambymedia]

80 bucks!! My goodness.

[@andreichecko]

Honestly, not much difference

[@bambymedia]

I was expecting a bigger difference too!