Shure MV7+ Podcast Microphone Review

When I heard that Shure was discontinuing the Shure MV7 Podcast microphone, I felt a real pain in my stomach. You see, I’ve been using two large beasts for vocal recording for years and they’ve become like aged friends. A little cumbersome, maybe, but as plug and play microphones they were unmatched.

It wasn’t just me who thought so – until recently, the Shure MV7 topped our best gaming mics guide, but it was replaced by the excellent Shure MV6, thanks to its more gamer-friendly size and desktop placement options. Now the Shure MV7+ has arrived, and at first glance, not much has changed.

That is, until you put it next to the original MV7. The MV7+ is longer, thanks to a more substantial foam filter. The slightly awkward touch panel controls have been reduced to a single LED strip that acts as a mute button by default. Other than that, the Shure MV7+ looks and works just as well as the original.

It better feel like the bee’s knees, considering the price. You can get a lot of great gaming mics for under $200, but Shure will sell you the MV7+ for $279/269 ​​​​pounds. That’s pennies for a studio-grade vocal mic, but for the average buyer it’s a lot for something that really only does one job.

That said, given that the MV6 essentially introduced Shure to the world of USB gaming mics, the MV7+ now strikes us as something more purposeful. It’s a microphone for podcasters and creators through and through, without any of the gamer-friendly green accents of the MV6. It’s a subtle, handsome-looking device, designed to look professional when streaming or in a recording studio.

Not that it doesn’t have its own RBG charm. The top delicate bar can be customized to different colors, used as a gain indicator, or set to a subtle pulsing effect if you so desire. It’s all done via Shure’s Motive Mix software, which instantly detects the mic via USB and activates all the software bells and whistles by default.

Normally I’d be averse to audio software that jumps in and turns on all the settings before I’ve had a chance to play around with them. But after my experience reviewing the MV6, I knew that Shure’s software is very good at finding a great default sound on its own. So I fired up Audacity and recorded a test clip of my vocals.

This is my first recording, made straight out of the box, without any changes to the settings.

I’m a constant fiddler, especially when it comes to sound. I spend hours tweaking EQs, stacking VST plugins, and shaping sounds back and forth until I end up chasing my own tail and surrendering to the Frankenstein monster I’ve created. And listening to that first result, without any tweaking on my part? I really don’t think it needs anything more.

It captures exactly the type of vocals you’re looking for if you want a studio-quality sound, without the hassle of switching audio settings.

By default, Auto Gain Leveling is enabled, which ensures a consistent volume, along with Real-time Denoiser (noise reduction, for the rest of us). I found it a bit too aggressive on the MV6, but the MV7+ has much less trouble catching background noise that needs to be front and center. There’s also a Digital Popper Stopper, which minimizes plosives, which are unwanted distortions of percussive vocal sounds like “puhs” and “buhs.” Something the OG MV7 was quite prone to.

Not only is there a digital effect that minimizes this, but the longer foam tip creates a bit more distance between your mouth and the microphone itself. The plosives are essentially gone, and that’s about the only thing I’d really criticize the MV7 for.

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That, and the fact that it didn’t come standard with a stand, which is also the case here. You can add a desktop unit for an extra $10, but the MV7+ is really designed to be mounted on a boom and zoomed in, like I recorded the clip above. If you watch professionally produced podcasts or even streamers on a budget, you’ll notice that they often have a really good microphone right in front of their face to capture the richest sound — and that’s exactly where the MV7+ likes to be.

It’s just that it’s, well, better at it than anything else I could name for under $500—except for one thing. That’s Shure SM7dbavailable for $499, is the latest version of the microphone that has over the years become one of the default models recommended for recording studio-quality vocals.

I won’t say that the Shure MV7+ is better than the Shure SM7db, because it isn’t. But it does capture really comparable sound quality, with a similarly prosperous tone and crunchy accents, for almost half the price. And that, in my opinion, is a pretty impressive trick.

You can also employ the included XLR connection to control the MV7+ with a separate mixer, or connect it directly to a suitably powered console—though given the results here with the USB connection, I’d say most will never need that. Still, one of the best things about the MV7 was its flexibility, and there’s still plenty of that here.

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What this mic is at its core is an improvement on a classic. It’s not revolutionary or game-changing, because the game didn’t need to be changed. All Shure had to do was fix the MV7’s explosiveness, sharpen the software package, and double down on all the things that made this mic great. And that’s exactly what they did.

Would I recommend the MV7+ as the best microphone for gamers? No, it would still be the MV6, given that most people won’t want a enormous microphone right in front of them to capture great sound. And the MV7+, while still usable from a stationary position, doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The MV6 is cheaper, less intrusive, and doesn’t need a boom arm to show off its best.

But if you want to take your sound to the next level, are earnest about streaming, or record a podcast that sounds like you’re sitting in a studio instead of a living room, this is the mic to buy. It’s simple to get studio-quality sound, looks good, and will probably last a lifetime.

My MV7s have been thrown down stairs, thrown into the backs of vans, doused with beer and banged against walls. They still work as great as the day I took them out of the box and the build quality of the MV7+ shows no signs of changing. Shure gear is known for its reliability and this one feels like another product that is meant to last and last.

Yes, $279 is a lot of money for a microphone. But considering the results, if you care about sound, I’d say it was a reasonable entry price. The MV6 may have all the audio features on a desktop, but if you want to take things to the next level, the MV7+ is what you need.