Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone review

If there's a brand more associated with high-quality audio capture than Shure, I can't think of one. Should you find yourself in a recording studio, or watching a live band at a local venue, a quick look at the microphones will almost certainly reveal a Shure model or two somewhere in the lineup. We've been rating the Shure MV7 as our best microphone for gaming for some time now, and it's one that I've had several years of experience using for all sorts of vocal recording.

Now there's a new kid on the block. The Shure MV6 is the company's first attempt at a dedicated USB gaming microphone and, as if to prove it, they've festooned the outer chassis with a lime green ring underneath the foam and stuck a big green capacitive button on the top for quick muting. Yours for $149/£129, significantly cheaper than the $250 asking price for the MV7, which has sadly been discontinued in favour of the MV7+.

Other than the gamer-friendly green accents it's a pretty straightforward-looking device, and quite a bit smaller than the MV7 of old. That was a mic that required either a boom arm mount or a separately sold desk stand to hold it aloft. Here though, you get a proper desk stand as standard—and quite the chunky thing it is, too.

The footprint here is a little large for a desktop device, but at least that means it won't be going anywhere. It's properly weighty and overbuilt, so there's no wobbling to worry about on an even surface. It reminds me of a miniature live mic stand, the sort that Steven Tyler might attach scarves to and throw around if he was a mere foot tall. You can enjoy that mental image for free, if you like. I have.

Type: Dynamic
Polar patterns: Unidirectional (cardioid)
Connectivity: USB Type-C
Recording Sample Rate: 16 or 24-bit, 44.1 or 48 kHz
Frequency response:  50 Hz to 15,000 Hz
Features: Capacitive top-mounted mute button, MOTIV software with auto levelling, noise reduction, plosive reduction
Price: $149/£129 

Anyway, I digress. The real headline news here is