Shure SM7dB: An Iconic Dynamic Mic, Reborn

[@sweetwater]

What do you think about Shure’s SM7dB: is it a worthy successor to the iconic SM7B? Sound off in the comments, and be sure to stop by Sweetwater for a detailed look at the SM7dB active dynamic microphone from Shure 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Shure_SM7dB

[@andrewlewis1197]

What are your eq settings for the mic testing? I usually hate how people make the sm7b sound but I like y'alls

[@jbaranowski1990]

So it looks like a good solution. No more external gain boosters. All in the one mic. If the sound is the same and there's no tonal issues or whatever then I probably buy new Sm7. Thankfully I didn't order it week ago lol. I would buy older version and probably need to buy gain booster separately too. Thanks Sweetwater for another great product presentation!

[@Rounder-One]

Thank you for such a great audio comparison of the different modes. Very easy to hear the differences. Great, clear and understandable review!

[@helmanfrow]

2:34 3:43 Unless there's something wrong with a particular design or a particular unit, mic preamps do not get noisier at the upper extreme of their gain range. Preamps are in fact at their quietest when at full gain. Yes, you hear more hiss when the gain is maxed out but you also get a lot more signal relative to the hiss. If you make a recording at full gain and another at a lower gain and then match the level of the two recordings, you'll find that the high-gain recording is actually quieter. Often times, with budget preamps, the last several dB of gain are crammed into the final few degrees of knob rotation so the gain jumps up drastically in that range. If your recordings are too noisy it could be that your preamp has a high EIN, in which case it will exhibit excessive hiss at high gains, but most preamps these days have an EIN of -120dBu or better. The new Scarlett has an EIN of -127dBu which is excellent. It could also be that you speak too softly or have the mic too far from your talk hole or both, in which case a low-sensitivity dynamic is not your best option (or, rather, the equipment is not the problem). To my way of thinking, the main benefit to using an inline preamp is increased headroom at the main preamp, which might come in handy in some scenarios. For most people most of the time, however, an inline preamp is probably unnecessary.

[@skorpers]

Pretty sure that other than the Steinberg and Presonus units (and perhaps some outliers) every popular interface has at least -125 ein (UM2 is at that level) Which some consider to be the point where you don't often experience a difference when using condensers at the very least. UMC units, and the Motu M series are at around -129. A few units here and there (like the M-Audio Air 192 | 4) are at least -130DB. Once you exceed -128 then a cloudlifter / fethead could potentially make your noise floor worse.

[@tjb0607]

yeah but sweetwater makes more money when you buy a cloudlifter together with an sm7b

[@helmanfrow]

​@@tjb0607 I'm entirely in favor of Sweetwater making money. I only wish they wouldn't casually spread myths in their videos. No conflict there.

[@jjrusy7438]

Ya I was wondering about 'noise floor' too. imo, that's the definition, and your goal is to rise ABOVE the floor. High gain amplifies source noise though.

[@skorpers]

@@jjrusy7438 SNR is King. Most of the interfaces you can buy now are equal or better than the Cloudlifter for EIN. Using only one cable/connection + having a lower EIN makes for the cloudlifter being a paperweight these days. Can't really see it being of any use unless there are ribbon mics that need considerably more than the gain that new interfaces have to offer. Me personally think it's worth putting the $150 into an interface that can handle your very niche mic if that's the case.

[@daleonov]

This is welcome upgrade! If I didn't already own an sm7b, I'd seriously consider getting this one

[@koenignero]

Bass cut + Presence makes this mic finally intressting for Podcasting

[@beefeeb]

that's not new, the sm7b already had a bass cut and presence boost

[@skorpers]

Both of which were already on the old SM7B. Having the integrated circuit for signal boosting is also going to turn the mic from being nearly indestructible into having undetermined potential for failure.

[@adamj2683]

Look on the bottom of the SM7B. Both of those options are built into toggles on the bottom of the mic.

[@davidhiggen3029]

The thing about all these 'can you hear the difference' videos is that they are all coming via KZbin which has a rather limited audio bandwidth. So no matter how good your speakers or phones are, you're probably not going to notice anything since the delivery system itself is is constrained.

[@LeeBlaske]

Really good that they made the new electronics able to be bypassed. That way, all of the options are on the table.

[@iengineer_247]

I think this is a better option it helps save a few dollars and extra cabling. Will be getting this in a few weeks or so!!!!

[@luckystrke]

Great presentation! Thx for this. So valuable 🙏

[@LukeVanGeest]

I’m thinking about getting this because I’ve been looking for a microphone to record my vocals for a while. Thanks for this!

[@gandolfred]

After listening to the audio tests of the old Shure SM7b with CloudLifter and the new Shure SM7db with an integrated preamp, I suddenly found that *CloudLifter better amplifies* the sound and gives a slightly better sound of the microphone. That is, the built-in preamp Shure SM7db is slightly inferior to the preamp from CloudLifter. This is important to consider.

[@oldtimer666]

Totally, a friend of mine bought the sm7db and i compared 2 takes one with his inside preamp and one with my dynamite tnt attached the signal quality is actually really different when it comes to vocals. Shure has done a awesome job and solved the issue of not buying cloud lifter now but the quality is not upto the mark of a cloudlifter or dynamite tnt

[@gandolfred]

@@oldtimer666 Yes! And this is especially noticeable in the headphones for monitoring. When I listen to BeyerDynamics 1990pro sound with Shure SM7db, and then Shure SM7b + Cloudlifter, the difference in quality is significant. Built-in preamp in Shure SM7db makes sound deaf.

[@rmkmusicofficial]

I knew it was not just me 👌💯

[@ericecho]

Love the new option

[@StereoAnthony]

The classic version going straight into the Apollo with gain maxed sounds waaayyy better then all the other examples

[@BigWheelThaGod]

it was just louder, don't fool yourself

[@lucasgoncalvesdefaria7121]

It was just louder

[@Reignz]

SM7dB + 28dB w/ presence boot engaged, is the best :)

[@punknugget561]

Thank you for this detailed review. I don't need it because I already have a RODECaster Pro 2 with the boost built in and it works beautifully! Again, great vid!

[@tymelyneentertainments7478]

Brilliant!!! I always wanted to buy SM7B. Now I need to get both!!! I love this!!!

[@realMartinHamilton]

Always wondered why this wasn't available, and the need for an external booster. Well, it looks like they've done it! SHURE is top in the industry.

[@skorpers]

You don't need a mic booster and you don't need this.

[@klauth_Yksyn]

Been waiting for THIS! 👍

[@pip5528]

Not too surprised they released this around the anniversary of the SM7B. Cloudlifters and the like aren't strictly necessary as most budget interfaces worth their salt give just enough gain and have a low enough noise floor. Having headroom for plugins is also necessary. If your preamps are extremely noisy, then a mic activator or good external preamp would be a good investment. This active SM7B revision does seem pretty cool, though.

[@skorpers]

Even a UMC audio interface has a lower noise floor than introducing a cloudlifter into the mix. Cloudlifter is definitely a top 5 scam. #1 being the U87 of course.

[@pip5528]

I have a 2i2 3rd Gen and SM 57 personally and I tend to have my gain around 4:00 or lower for headroom with around 6-12 dB boost in my DAW. It honestly sounds better than cranking my gain. Then again, that mic needs less gain than an SM7B and many will also tell you that 56 dB is generally enough. Of course, the new 4th gen 2i2 has way more gain and even better preamps.

[@skorpers]

@@pip5528 It's generally up to the sound source. I tried asking exhaustively if there is a methodology for the perfect gain staging and there doesn't seem to be. Everyone has their own opinion on how much headroom to leave, and for different reasons. As a general rule though, the higher the gain on an individual preamp and the less connections in the chain, the better the noise compared to the recorded sound.

[@rustinpeacemaster]

can't wait to read people on forums claiming it doesn't sound the same ante the previous model was "warmer and richer"

[@helmanfrow]

3:45 I'm in a quiet room listening on quality monitors. I hear no noise.

[@skorpers]

Yeah either way the recording "with noise" is a hotter signal overall anyway. If they were level matched the recording without the cloudlifter would be lower noise.

[@lylaznboi01]

If you don't own a Shure SM7b or the mic is broken, probably buy this version. If you already own one with a cloudlifter or similar, you don't really need another one unless you want to add more SM7b's to your mic locker.

[@skorpers]

If you don't own an SM7B, please buy a different mic, period. Nothing but trouble comes from buying one. Even when you dial in your chain and processing perfectly, you realize that another mic would not only have been better out of the box, but objectively better with the same effort put into the setup.

[@lylaznboi01]

@@skorpers Sorry that this mic didn't work out for you????

[@skorpers]

@@lylaznboi01 It works out as well as any mic. Only difference is that this mic sucks more out of the box than others and costs you 400 to do it. This argument can go on all day if you're full into the SM7B kool aid, but it doesn't make the mic any better than it is, which isn't very good.

[@oldtimer666]

I totally disagree with what you think, the microphone is really amazing for people who dont want their vocal tone changed in the recording, i used to own a akg c414 XLII which is 2 times more expensive than the shure but after using the sm7b once at a friends place i immediately sold it as i noticed the voice tonality difference. I would say if you have a decent knowledge of mixing and mastering you wont have any issues mixing vocals with shure. Its a amazing mic, that being said ofcourse it lacks that high end and shimmery flavour which people seek but for me i like keeping my vocal tone natural. It depends person to person but its the best dynamic mic i have used so far.@@skorpers

[@HumanOptimization]

which mic and interface do you recommend?@@skorpers

[@NelsonsReview1]

I know this is picky... but that exposed wire running along the side of the mic has always looked cheap and messy to me. I wished they routed it internally in this new version.

[@Bradleybrookwood]

Finally somebody mentioned that. I don't like that exposed wire either. I wish they would modify that in a new version of the mic and I hope if they release a new version of that mic that they just give us the 28 DB of extra gain from the jump

[@andrew6889-p5c]

A good convenient idea. This is $100 more than the original. A decent cloud booster costs a bit more than that. So it’s a cheaper solution, but you lose the flexibility of being able to use the cloud booster independent of this one mic. The simplicity of having everything in the mic is also worth something.

[@skorpers]

One problem is the cloudlifter only makes the noise floor worse. Signal to noise is worse on preamps when they're only partially dialed. Cloudlifters self noise is higher than the UMC interfaces and there's plenty which are better.

[@adamj2683]

Fethead is $60.

[@skorpers]

@@adamj2683 Klark teknik has a couple of things that work identically to the fethead and cloudlifter for much less. Either way a fethead worsens the noise floor if your preamp was adequate, since -129 EIN or better is extremely common now.

[@timkennonjr.2079]

It’s about time

[@GadesChannel]

I would like to hear a simple comparison between SM7dB with +28dB boost engaged and Cloudlifter CL1, but with SILENCE. To avoid noise in recording of SM7B, there is important to have not only preamp boost, but also very, very low noise level of preamp. That's why SM7B sounds great recorded by RodeCaster Pro II (RCP2 has -129dBu of self-noise), but sounds poor recorded by Zoom Podtrak P4 (Podtrak has a lot of gain, 70dB! but only -124dBu self-noise and that's the reason). Shure hides the real specification of SM7dB (maybe temporarily), but I have no idea about SNR of "active mode" of SM7dB. All promotional recordings contain only talk, talk, talk and also hide silent parts...

[@skorpers]

Silence is a useless metric. You can't level match silence. The louder preamp noise is always accompanied by a hotter signal on modern interfaces. SNR is all that matters.

[@GadesChannel]

@@skorpers yes, ONLY silence is useless as same as ONLY voice, but silence AND the voice is very useful, you can compare relative levels of them. And I agree, SNR is the most important thing, not only boost. Especially for SM7B. Only recorders (preamps) with very low self-noise can get low-noise signal from SM7B. I guarantee, normalized recording from RC2 with 65dB of gain is less noise than normalized recording from Zoom Podtrak P4 with 65dB of gain. So, we have to wait for the official specification, for now we have only "stuff for making hype"😉

[@gandolfred]

*I've already checked.* The preamplifier built into the Shure SM7db is inferior in quality to the amplifier from CloudLifter. CloudLifter has long been very involved in their business and their products at the highest level of quality. Therefore, it is not surprising that the preamplifier CloudLifter quieter and makes the sound with the Shure SM7b a little higher quality than the Shure SM7db with built-in gain.

[@oldtimer666]

bro the preamp is not even better than the se dynamite tnt@@gandolfred

[@KC-bi9jw]

The original with no cloudlifter sounds best to me. The quality went down with the output boost engaged. Cloudlifters sound bad to me too.

[@skorpers]

When they introduced the cloudlifter it seemed like it was a quieter recording. Definitely not perfectly level matched.

[@oldtimer666]

What do you think? They want people not to buy the cloudlifters bro ofc they would mess up the recording to make cloudlifter sound inferior compared to their cheap preamp lol.@@skorpers

[@skorpers]

@@oldtimer666 There's no need for a cloudlifter either.

[@benderbi]

Right, well done Shure delivering this mic just when most audio interface manufacturers are offering mic preamps with so much more gain to drive the original SM7B… For new customers it gets pointless, for other spending $100 more for it IDK…

[@FrederickGautier]

Facts! I guess better late then never. Interested in the internals comparatively to the most recent builds. This design must be in response to mics like the Blu Sona who has an internal preamp but, for as much as Logitech took from the SM7B, they even knew to not put their logo on the side. I don’t know why Shure continue to do this. Like yeah it worked for the camera mics from Rode years ago but no one wants to pay hundreds to be an advert for a company. Plenty of people know the brand or figured it out when they wanted to purchase their one.

[@matrixate]

I like the original.

[@nickdual]

Love it [ Nick Dual ]

[@andrewsun4385]

Awesome!!!❤❤💯💯

[@wadewilliams1892]

So, what happens if you engage the +28 db on the underside as well as have it going through say a Scarlett 2i2 with another 15 db’s of gain by mistake?

[@tjb0607]

nothing much, unless your 2i2 is a really old revision it has a -128 dBu EIN which is incredibly clean as-is. There's no need for an inline or integrated preamp if you already have a 2i2.

[@skorpers]

Nothing. Just extra gain. Always set level properly.

[@nickdual]

I don't see where I can buy

[@nickbrumme]

If you have the boost circuit bypassed on the SM7dB, do you still need to send it phantom? I’m assuming not

[@oldtimer666]

yes

[@nickbrumme]

To clarify what I'm asking here-if you're using the SM7dB without the boost circuit (like an SM7b), do you still need to have phantom power engaged to hear signal? If the boost circuit is bypassed, I would expect the microphone to function like a normal dynamic mic, not needing phantom. Is the boost circuit bypass switch a true bypass of the boost circuit?

[@oldtimer666]

@@nickbrumme it won’t work without phantom

[@rafaelmatosdasilva]

@@nickbrumme if the preamp is bypassed, then its a regular dynamic mic so you don't need 48V phantom power. its just like the SM7B. phantom power is only required to engage the preamp.

[@sammchugh2557]

Video started and I thought he was just casually holding a pistol while talking lol

[@RenanBEreanSound]

Could you please sing some harsh fry screams on both? just wanna make sure they are identical

[@Schmuddel]

The comments saying that a clean signal doesn't matter clearly have never worked in voiceover before.

[@bluehole6019]

Trying to use an SM7b without a cloud lifter is prohibitively noisy in any application imo. It’s insanely loud. This was a necessary upgrade for sure.

[@oldtimer666]

Bro i use cloudlifter with my focusrite clarett for a better signal for vocal recordings. It will ofc bring noise but if you have a properly treated room it takes barely 5 mins to clean the silences from the takes@@bluehole6019

[@masoneismonstudios3016]

Very little sonic difference. I was hoping for some innovation from shure instead I got a microphone with a cloudlifter that costs the same as getting an original SM7B with a cloudlifter...

[@theoutsiderjess1869]

At least they didn't up the price and it's technically cheaper as you're not spending an extra 150 dollars for a cloudlifter

[@ChrisP3000x]

@@theoutsiderjess1869 "At least they didn't up the price" ????

[@greccoox]

Is like if M.Jordan23 back to play again even faster and better.

[@Slipsch]

The Original SM7B just still looks better on camera, not sure if the SM7db has the same dimension and proportion, but something about it looks not proportional and weird. Maybe I'm just used to looking at SM7B

[@v_shkafu]

I think it's because of semi-gloss, semi-matte finish. It visually looks smaller and much brighter, imo.

[@Slipsch]

@@v_shkafu you're probably right. Kinda still prefer the looks of the old one, I think the matte paint goes hand in hand with the windscreen which tend to look matte as well. The transition of the new one to the windscreen is not as smooth.

[@theoutsiderjess1869]

Yeah something looks off

[@JohnPaulHare]

The new foam is different, too. It has a softer slope at the speaking end. They went from beveled to rounded on the design.

[@Slipsch]

@@JohnPaulHare yeahs, it kind looks more in line with the AEA KU5A

[@marclewism]

Im gonna use that for hihats😄

[@top_tech.500k]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@JeffBourke]

I thought the “dB” was an April fools. I can’t believe they created this.

[@marlodeocampo7401]

Not much excitement about the new SM7B (SM7dB). I love the original SM7B. Its design is simple, not much of a branding, and it works perfectly with the RCP2 without using the in-line preamp like Cloudlifter.

[@musicalstrategy8261]

"...No we dont need anew one... but where is the link so a friend can check it out totally not me. "👀.

[@DanimalCannonOfficial]

really a problematic comparison since they’re not gain matched

[@BrandonColePhotography]

I just got mine. I do not like the bass cut. I feel it takes away from what the SM7B is known for

[@Bradleybrookwood]

Why can't they just scrap this SM 7B and just release a brand new one with the +28 DB of clean gain straight from the jump? Why do they even need a bypass switch for anyway?

[@top_tech.500k]

DB

[@MyFavoriteNumberIs64]

You literally have a USB mic if paired to a MVX2U

[@dananthony6258]

I love this guy. I want to go to sweat water some day.

[@luk7n]

Am I the only one or the original SM7B sounds stronger and better than the new SM7dB?

[@dezfyah]

You not the only one Bro..

[@Morgan.12348]

low and top end are not the same to my ears with the new version... It's more expensive than buying the original with a cloud lifter or something similar... an other "snake oil game changer"? :)

[@Midship_]

people get this really wrong all the time. but there are plenty of affordable options out there that can power microphones like this, really wouldn't recommend this. put that Extra $100 into your interface and you'll get way more out of it

[@dezfyah]

OK... I'll try that

[@gonzalopenafernandez1368]

Now you are not attached to a superb audio interface or external bulky preamp. Take the mic to wathever audio interface and you are ready to go. Nice, for some people.

[@ChrisP3000x]

No one is ever going to hit the switches by accident while recording........never....ever. That nightmare will never ever happen.....EVER!

[@gsargen1]

Great idea but 10 years too late. In 2023 most consumer audio interface preamps can handle the gain requirements.

[@LesonDeson]

The cloud lifter sounded worse than the original sm7b. And with a class A preamp the cleanest is at maximum gain.

[@lelandbobpalmer]

A bit cringe that Shure jumped on the bandwagon and used that "lime green on black" that so many other companies are using these days...Lewitt, Mackie, Gravity...

[@Clutch275]

just keep making it worse and cheaper........ ffs

Very poor design. Money grab, and living on an old glory. I was hoping for something innovative but nothing happened.

@@QuantumGamingUploads I get what they are trying to do…Their policy is to get profit and that’s understandable from the bussiness point of view. But there is the other side, and that is innovation and upgrading it to new level. Cloudlifters introduce noise and change frequency response - much better is to buy powerful preamp, like Grace Design M101 or even Focusrite Isa One with 80db of clean gain. Other good preamps for SM7B are AEA Trp, Ams Neve 1073 and 1084. Millennia…etc. I was expecting reworked pickup, membrane…maybe something like ksm 8 capsule or at least neodymium magnet. And that little cable packed in the body. In the end, every commodity has it’s buyer… Btw, I have the SM7B and it works fine. All the best! 😊

[@samuel_avila]

No thanks, Dynacaster costs half that.

[@adamtheduell]

I still love Shure, and love my SM7B. But charging an extra $100 for this is such a hilarious joke😂

[@getstew]

the new branding on the side looks terrible.

[@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung]

Cause that matters so much doesn’t it 😂😂😂

[@skorpers]

@@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung Paying 499 instead of 399 for a mic that just adds more potential for failure and isn't even needed. Making it look worse is just another nail in the coffin. Shure is literally just ripping off audio dummies. Every decent audio interface available now has more than enough gain for an SM7B with no cloudlifter. A cloudlifter in fact makes matters worse. This myth of lowering your preamp noise is propagated by most presentations not level matching or offering recording comparisons to show you the signal to noise ratio.

[@BubbleWrapPerson]

Well then. Good thing it’s a microphone and not a fashion accessory! That would’ve been a disaster!

[@audiofaktory]

I was just bout to say it looks 🔥 lol oh well

[@officialWWM]

Yep, makes it look cheap!

[@lionheartroar3104]

Lewitt is my brand. This Shure microphone sounds dull to me.

[@skorpers]

SM7B is always dull and is outclassed by cheaper options out of the box. It's a necessity to EQ it no matter the voice going into it.

[@luk7n]

@@skorpers lol

[@skorpers]

@@luk7n SM7B loses A/B every single time. People realize they don't actually love the sound of wool sock over a can when an actual microphone is in the room.

[@ChrisP3000x]

Yeah, if anyone knows great sound, it's you.

[@skorpers]

@@QuantumGamingUploads Too bright compared to what? And which mic is too bright?

[@MrPukerman]

It took shure THAT long to fix this nonsense………let’s wait another 15 years so they can make sm58 57 etc. not to roll off any flat surface…. God i love Se v7….

[@KarmaPaym3ntPlan]

💀

[@CesarLeon]

If you have an SM7B and a cloudlifter you don’t need this

[@bobateaboy04]

This is a literal scam lol most modern interfaces can drive the sm7b without a cloudlifter. The sm7db is a solution to a nonexistent problem

[@m.o.n.d.e.g.r.e.e.n]

now you can sound like youre inside a cardboard box even louder

[@Junyo]

The most overrated microphone in the history of microphones 😔