Shure MV6: [Almost] Perfect Gaming Microphone
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Quick Summary
The Shure MV6 is a USB-C dynamic microphone made for "PC gamers and streamers". The mic itself has excellent detail with natural tonality. Shure’s MOTIV Mix software includes almost everything a streamer needs.
The main nitpicks I have with the MV6 are the short stand, short cable, and relatively weak noise reduction filter in the software. Otherwise, nothing beats it at its price point.
Main Features
The three big features Shure emphasizes (Shure’s blog post) are:
Auto Level Mode. This dynamically adjusts the gain of the mic to maintain a consistent volume.
Digital Popper Stopper. This reduces distortions from “P” and “B” sounds.
Real-time Denoiser. This eliminates unwanted background audio.
I’ll bring up all of these software features as they become relevant throughout the review, but let’s start with the overall sound.
Overall sound
The Shure MV6 is very crisp. That’s the exact feedback I got on Discord. The mids and upper midrange are very pronounced. It can be uncomfortably sibilant at times. The lower mids and bass are also tad weak.
All of this results in extremely clear vocals that stand out from game audio to maximize clarity.
The MV6 uses a dynamic coil like the MV7 and SM7B. It has a frequency range of 50Hz–15kHz. That’s not quite the full human range of hearing (20 Hz -20 KHz), but it’s close. It also records in 24 bit, 48 KHz even with the software enabled.
The overall tonality is similar to the MV7 - it's very hard to tell them apart side by side. The only difference most people will be able to hear is how much better the plosive rejection is on the MV6 which lets you use it closer up and take advantage of the proximity effect.
Shure MV6 (left) and MV7.
While you don't get a full on equalizer like in Elgato's Wave link, MOTIV Mix does have a slider to make the tone darker or brighter.
In short, the MV6 has excellent sound. It's not going to be a mind blowing improvement over other mics like the HyperX QuadCast 2, or the Samson Q2U, but the overall fidelity is great and it's very versatile.
Proximity Effect and Plosive Rejection
Even without the Digital Popper Stopper, the mic itself rejects plosives well.
This mic’s proximity effect is strong if you want a natural increase in bass without relying on EQ adjustments. Unlike the MV7, you can actually use this close up to your mouth without distortion. With a combination of a better pop filter, microphone design, and the Digital Popper Stopper, plosives aren't a problem with the MV6.
Background Noise Rejection
Usually dynamic mics are less sensitive than condensers when regards to off axis background noise. Unfortunately, this mic is just okay at that. The MV6 still picks up the rustling of wires, keyboard clicks, and pretty much anything you can think of.
However, the software noise reduction filter is very impressive. Shure's Real-time Denoiser is efficient at canceling out constant, low volume ambient sounds. Any sort of fans from a PC or console are easily cut out. It even minimizes sound from cars driving by outside of a window.
The high pass filter helps with reducing the thumps of keyboard typing because the MV6’s shock resistance is okay, but not perfect.
Using an arcade stick without a third-party sound suppression option will be rough.
Unfortunately, louder, intermittent sounds like keyboard presses while typing or gaming, or particularly loud controllers like arcade sticks come through loud and clear.
Build
The MV6’s body is made of metal - specifically a zinc alloy. The stand with the yoke gets up to about 6 and a half inches. The pole of the stand and the base are also metal.
Red light when muted.
There's a capacitive mute button that turns red when muted and green when active. There's also a 3.5mm headphone jack for low latency monitoring or for listening to your PC audio. You can change the volume mix of both in the software.
Outside of that, there aren't any other controls on the mic itself. The included USB-C to C cable, is criminally short at 39 inches long. The yoke has 5/8th inch threading. I wish there was 3/8th also, so an adapter wouldn’t be required for certain mic stands. Overall, it’s still a great build.
Audio Mixer (MOTIV Mix)
Elgato Wave Link (left) and MOTIV Mix.
In MOTIV Mix, you can add different sound sources and mix their volume together to export as a virtual audio source. Unfortunately, this feature is quite limited in comparison to Elgato’s Wave Link.
In Wave Link, you can add brower sources, voice chat audio, and pretty much anything you want. You can also add filters to every channel. In MOTIV Mix, you can mix multiple mics together, but it’s not nearly as useful.
Verdict
This mic is amazing.
The Shure MV6 is almost perfect for a streamer or anyone who needs to record their voice while playing games. The audio is superb, and the software only has a couple limitations such as the weak Real-time Denoiser.
Still, I highly recommend this mic. I haven’t used anything better at its price or lower.
