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Shure MV5

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In The Box

Shure MOTIV MV5 Cardioid USB/Lightning Microphone for Computers and iOS Devices

Desktop Stand

Micro-B to USB Type-A Cable (3.2′)

Micro-B to Lighting Cable (3.2′)

Limited 2-Year Manufacturer Warranty

User Guide

Specifications

Primary Applications: Podcast, Web streaming, Audio for Video
Form Factor: Desktop/Stand/Boom Mount
Intended Sound Sources: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Sound Field: Mono
Capsule: Electret Condenser
Diaphragm: 0.62″/16mm
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Orientation: Side Address
Circuitry: Solid-State
High-Pass Filter: Yes
Gain Adjustment: 0 to ±36dB
On-Board Controls: Headphone Volume, Mic Mute
Windscreen: Built-In

Performance

Frequency Range: 20Hz – 20kHz
Maximum SPL: 130dB
Sensitivity: -40dBFS/Pa at 1kHz

Connectivity

Output Connectors (Digital): 1x Micro-USB Female
Headphone Connector: 1x 1/8″ / 3.5mm

Digital Audio

A/D Conversion: 24-bit
Sample Rate: 48kHz
Digital Signal Processing: Sound Presets
Operating System Support: Windows, iOS, macOS/OS X
OS Compatibility: Windows iOS, macOS
Mobile Device Compatibility: iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6 Plus (with lightning connector), iPad 4th Gen (with lightning connector), iPad Air (with lightning connector), iPad Air 2 (with lightning connector), iPad Mini 1st Gen., 2nd Gen., 3rd Gen.

Power

Bus Power: USB/Lightning
Operating Voltage: Not Specified By Manufacturer

Physical

Color: White w/ Black Windscreen, Black w/ Red Windscreen
Mounting: Tabletop (Included)
Mounting Thread Size: (1/4″ – 20 Female)
Construction Material: ABS, Die-Cast Zinc, Polycarbonate
Dimensions: H: 2.6 x W: 2.64 x L: 2.56″/ H: 66 x W: 67 x L: 65mm (Without Mount), H: 3.5 x W: 5.59 x L: 3.82″/ H: 89 x W: 142 x L: 97mm (With Mount)
Weight: 3.2 Oz. / 90g (Without Mount), 5.6 Oz. / 1.6g (With Mount)

Packaging Info

Package Weight: 0.81 Lb.
Box Dimensions (LxWxH): 5.2 x 4.5 x 4.35″

Introduction

The Shure brand has always been synonymous with quality, but the Chicago-based radio company founded in 1925 is most well known for its excellent dynamic mics – specifically the SM57 and SM58, first introduced in 1965 and 1966 respectively.

Recommended: Shure SM7 vs. SM7B vs. SM58 vs. SM57

But a USB mic? Really?

I just had to see what all the fuss was about as I’d read the MV5 is excellent for voiceover work/podcasting etc.

Let’s begin with the build.

Build

Unfortunately, things start out a tad dicey here.

I’ll be straight up with you; this mic feels cheap.

It fits in the palm of your hand and seems really portable, but it’s really, really light.

In fact, you may not want to fart in its general direction as it may keel over (and not from the smell).

Time will tell how this thing is going to hold up, but for now, let’s just say I’m a bit skeptical.

It comes in 2 pieces that are connected, but you can disassemble it (more on that in a bit).

One piece is small, about the size of a tennis ball, shaped microphone portion which is attached to a curved arm that finishes into a round base with foam padding on the underside.

To be clear, I like the padding but find that the mic wants to get yanked around when the USB chord is connected.

In other words,

the chord is a bit too dummy THICC for this unit.

Aside from that, the ball portion actually has 2 positional settings: back and up, or neutral.

So think of a neutral position as your head looking forward.

Now tilt your head up.

This adds a cool element of versatility, and even though it seems a bit fragile, you can simply unscrew it and have a gander.

Basically, it’s just a metal (?) ball and thread (with a small washer) which screws into the mic.

Shure MV5 Review

Features

The MV5 boasts 3 DSP presets:

Vocal Mode
Flat
Instrument Mode

There is also a Microphone Mute and power/mode indicator LEDs.

In addition to that,

we’ve got a headphone volume control, and a 1/8″ headphone jack for real-time monitoring.

Rounding things out, it’s plug-and-play and includes the detachable stand we discussed, a USB cable, and a Lightning cable.

So you can use it with a Mac, PC, iPhone, iPod, or iPad. Pretty nifty.

But how does it actually sound?

Sound

I was pleasantly surprised by the sound coming out of this thing.

It is $99, so in theory, it better sound pretty darn good, but I really enjoyed it.

One gripe I’d like to get out of the way first is its built-in windscreen which doesn’t mitigate plosives at all.

I was pretty disappointed in this, but my remedy is simply to toss a Yeti windscreen over top and call it good.

I find that pretty much 99% of microphones are going to need a pop filter or windscreen of some sort, so I suppose it’s not that big of a deal.

What really impressed me was how easily I was able to get a very good vocal take almost instantaneously.

I enjoy rapping as a hobby, and I wanted to see how the MV5 measured up.

In short, it sounds fantastic.

My vocals are clear and crisp, and I can easily see myself using one of these for podcasting/voice-over work as well.

In addition to that,

it’s one of the few microphones that give me a decent take out of my dinosaur Gibson Epiphone from 2003.

I was not expecting this thing to record my guitar and voice at the same time very well, but I was blown away by the result.

The MV5 is clear and articulate with a touch of broadcast warmth to ensure it doesn’t come off as too sterile or brittle.

Combine that with instrumentation and it sounds great in my estimation.

Sound Demos

Here I will share with you what I came up with.

When the final mixes for some of the songs are done I will add those in as well.

None of these have gain applied.

MV5 – No Windscreen

MV5 – Windscreen

MV5 – Vocal Mode

Adds gain on its own

MV5 – Guitar Mode

MV5 – Alternate Take (Ren & Stimpy) – Windscreen

As you can hear, the raw takes are very good, especially for a USB microphone.

Add some EQ, Compression, and Reverb, and you can make pretty fantastic-sounding mixes for only $99.

And as a voiceover mic, this thing is rather impressive. I wouldn’t mind using it for a YouTube channel.

Shure MV5 vs. Blue Yeti

One of the reasons I picked up the MV5 was so I could compare it to the Yeti – a mic I’ve had since around 2017.

Related: Blue Microphones Yeti Review [With Video]

I think the differences are pretty obvious:

The Yeti is a lot colder, more sterile, and somewhat hollow sounding in comparison to the warmer tone of the MV5.

The sound of the MV has that subtle radio broadcast type of warmth that lends itself really well to voiceover and podcast work.

I like the Yeti and have used it for many years, but I think it comes off as just a tad brittle/thin by comparison.

It’s almost as if there’s a little too much air which kind of makes it seem like you’re in a huge empty room.

That said, you be the judge!

Blue Yeti (Original)

No Windscreen, No gain, and no post-processing

Windscreen Used, No gain, and no post-processing

Stereo Mode – Windscreen used, no gain and no post-processing

Figure 8 Mode – Windscreen used, no gain and no post-processing

Omnidirectional Mode – Windscreen used, no gain and no post-processing

What do you make of all this? Do you agree?

Blue Yeti vs. Shure MV5 – Features

As far as build and features go, the MV5 is tiny. The mic itself is about the size of a tennis ball – perhaps even smaller.

The Yeti by contrast is gargantuan and with the stand, very heavy and feels incredibly durable.

Without the stand?

It still feels pretty solid but not nearly as robust.

Even so,

it’s simply a bit more cumbersome in the studio, but does have the 4 polar patterns:

Cardioid
Stereo
Figure 8
Omni Directional

It also has the volume dial and mute button on the front, with a gain knob on the back.

That said,

the MV5 has a few nifty modes that we touched on earlier: Vocal Mode, Flat, and Instrument Mode.

These are all pretty useful and I’m especially liking the instrument mode as it sounds much more professional than I was expecting.

Shure MV5 vs. Blue Snowball

The MV5 slaps the Snowball around and then some.

While the Snowball is clearly built better (It’s around the size of a Grapefruit), teh sound was pretty abysmal.

I’m not sure if I got a lemon (or a .. Grapefruit.. haha, get it? *ahem*), but here are the takes I got some years back.

Please forgive me. Haha.

No seriously, it sounds horrible.

Shure MV5 vs. Blue Snowball – Features

The Snowball comes with a cheap feeling tripod stand that screws into the base of the unit.

Like the MV5 and Yeti, there are also some extra modes:

If you plan on getting the regular version of the Snowball, it does come with:

Cardioid. Meaning it receives sound only from the front, as discussed above.
-10db Cardioid. Same as the cardioid setting, but reduces the volume by 10dB. Great if you plan on recording a video in which you anticipate getting kind of loud. I tend to yell a lot in my videos. Not really. QUIT YELLING!
Omnidirectional. Picks up sound from all directions. Works very well with interviews, podcasts, and any situation that has multiple persons speaking. Also discussed above.

Keep in mind that there is a switch on the back for each of these settings, but it’s labeled 1, 2, and 3.

One reviewer found that to be a little irritating because they don’t actually tell you which is which.

Blue Snowball vs. Ice

The ICE version (the one pictured in this review) does NOT come with these features.

Something to keep in mind before purchasing as well.

Final Verdict

While the build is so-so in my estimation, the sound of the MV5 is excellent.

In addition to that,

It’s one of the few microphones that record my ancient guitar well enough to use in a final mixdown.

That said,

as much as I love the MV5, I think there’s an even better option and a mic that really blew me away.

Interested?

Learn More:

NEXT: A MASSIVE UPGRADE OVER THE YETI?!

Well that’s about it for today my friend! I hope you’ve enjoyed this Shure MV5 Review.

Questions? Comments? Requests? Did I miss the mark on something? Please let me know down below or Contact me!!

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