Shure SM7B vs Neumann TLM102 - Similar performance for half the price!
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- These are my two favourite mics for times when i don't need the space in front of my face to be free from a mic. They work really hard to make my voice sound great!
But for a lot more money, I personally don't think the Neumann TLM102 is bringing a lot more performance over the Shure SM7B.
Listen for yourself.
Note: I'm by no means a professional. I'm simply sharing my past experiences using both mics.
I own both mics, and over time, I learn to use them on different occasions (to me they have very different textures, almost like different paintbrushes if that makes sense).
For vocals that are softer and need a sweeter tone with great details, I tend to lean towards tlm102. For rap and vocals that are a bit shouty, I lean towards the shure sm7b. Another factor I consider is the recording environment. If I plan to record in a well-treated room tlm102 is the one I go for. If I'm just recording in a dorm room, tlm102 is unusable, and the shure sm7b works wonders.
Conclusion:
Is the tlm102 worth the money compared with Shure sm7b?
1. Depends on what you use it for. If details in vocals, especially in the higher/mid-frequency are important to you. Then yes :D
Generally, If you are not using it for music/ recording vocals, then that becomes a lot more debatable.
2. Also, I personally think both mics are in the same price category. For the Shure sm7b, you tend to purchase external preamps to boost the signals. At the end of the day with warranties, the Shure mic will cost around 700$ so... if you are planning to purchase either one of the mics, chances are, you already have around 1000$ of budget to spend so the cost is probably not going to be the determining factor.
3. Another factor to consider is sibilance which is the biggest problem I have with the tlm102. If reducing sibilance in the recording stage is very important to you then I would go for the sm7b and not the tlm102.
Very good sharing! Thank you for bringing this experience to a small community here! I am going to pin your comment!
But for the sibilances on the tlm 102 you could easily use a de-esser in post ✌️
So whic one is better for vocal?
I'm thinking about getting a mic for rap vocals, and I tend to be a bit shouty/aggressive. I'm not gonna be using it in a well-treated ROOM but I'm gonna use it in a box of soundproof foam, which basically is the same thing. Which microphone would be the best option? I really like the sound of the TLM 102, but if it peaks/distorts when yelling, then I might change my mind. Do you have any other microphones you could recommend under the $750 mark?
1) For deep male voices with lots of lowend - tlm 102 (but you need to buy shock mount 100%)
2) for voices with harshness in 4-7 khz region - sm7b
3) for loud singing - sm7b
4) for streaming - sm7b @@elifpnar3077
SM7B is a shitty muddy microphone. Don't believe me? Try to record a baritone voice and then solo the low mids. You will be "surprised" to hear that boxy cheap muddy sound.
Oh my. I certainly hear the TLM102’s smoothness on your voice. In a quiet environment, it makes you sound terrific. The Shure is good. The Neumann is silky.
This is the comment I needed to see. Ty.
I've had both. SM7B doesn't compare to the TLM102 imo. TLM 102 sounds silky as hell compared to the SM7B
Very insightful review and a well made video! Thank you. Subbed!
Microphones are the biggest audio racket in town. Fed up with people peddling mics. It’s all about the audio interface and the sound mix. That’s 90% of sound. Get that right and you can fiddle with microphones for the last 10% of the sound right!
I can hear more white noise with the sure but i hear more eco with the neuman. However, I like more how it sounds the voice with the neuman. Sounds so smooth. To sing: Neumann; for potcast: sure.
Yes, the Neumann will pick up more echos as it is a condenser mic. I love the sound of the Neumann too but the price....
Both are good but not for the same use.
I would go for a better pre for this shootout. On a cheaper pre many mics can sound similar.
Yeah you do make a good point. The pre will be the limiting factor. But right now, what I can afford will be the Rodecaster pro and zoom F6.
@@zoomcentralbypeter Budget is always a limiting factor. As well as permission from the wife. Great video btw.
🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷👏🏻, SM7b sounds better!
Nice comparison, great job! Hearing them both in the same space and going back and forth really makes the comparison clear. I have an SM7B myself and love it. I also have a decent condensor mic, but my place is an untreated apartment and the condensor picks up so much detail, reflections, etc. that it just sounds awful in comparison. I'm sure in a good studio setting the condensor would hold its own, but for untreated rooms the 7B is almost unbeatable. It needs no shock mount, you can even handhold it without creating a lot of noise, and it's built like a tank. It has an amazing ability to pick up your voice and everything you want while rejecting stray noises much more effectively than most condensors. The one place the 7B falls a little short is high-frequency sparkle on voices, but with a little EQ bump you can still get it sounding pretty close to a good condensor. It's a great workhorse mic.
Needed a new microphone for voiceover work. I purchased an SM7B (with Cloudlifter) to move from an SM58. I am not a fan of the SM7B for my voice (sounds great with Joe Rogan though!). I ended up going with an old condenser mic I had laying around: M-audio Nova. The quality of the SM7B was not working for voiceover.
Simple. The Neumann sounds much better for your voice.
Thanks for confirming this! I thought so too! Just not sure if I’d be happy to pay the difference for what is essentially a little gain over the great performance from the sm7b.
Sorry but I hear a huge difference. The Neumann is way more detailed and cleaner. Don't get me wrong. I like the SM7B. And by the way I also own both 😏
Obviously dumbass. It’s more expensive for a reason. But the shure sm7b is magnificent for your voice
Listen to 1:33 and you have your choice
Listening over AirPod Pros through M1 MacBook Air, I can hear more room echo on the Neumann TLM 102. Both mics come across excellent but the Sure SM7B has better isolation.
That’s accurate and very correct. The sm7b is dynamic and this picks up a lot less room noise. I did not apply any processing so you will hear them as they are. The Neumann is condenser so will pick up more of the room echo.
Reading through Iphone promax14 using my apple glasses I see that you are fool. You forgot to install your apple plugin so that the difference is really noticeable.
Nice video for a small channel like this 👍👍 well done
Thanks for the lovely compliment!
great content. subscribed!
i mean that the 102 have crispier highs and mids and go straighter. but u can lvl up the highs and multiband compressor on sm7b and get a similar sound. but there IS a difference. when u have harsch s sounds in your voice i would take the sm7b. if your s sounds are not so harsch and present i would take tlm 102.
Hi, I just purchased the TLM 102 and was hoping to find a good review. Thank you for the review, good job. New subscriber. I have a question I hope you will answer, I hear people are opening up the TLM 102 and removing the foam padding inside it to get a better and cleaner tone from the microphone. Do you recommend this?? Thank you for your help, take care.
I do think the TLM 102 sounds better, fuller and richer, at least with this guy's voice via my KRK recording monitors... Um, but then he got closer to the Shure, and now I'm not sure. :)
The SM7B has the ‘shock mount’ built in. And pop filters also come with it. It should also have had a preamp built in in my opinion.
Unfortunately no preamp built in. And worse, it requires a really powerful preamp to drive it clean.
Shure heard you bro bro check out SM7dB
I think this video was so super helpful! I love the comparison back and forth! Thank you so much!
Great video. I'll subscribe.
That means so much for a small channel just starting out! Thank you!
有Sm7b，Tlm 102 正在寄來的路上😅
I’m using SM7B 🥰
I still love the sound coming out of the sm7b.
very informative video
I'm just considering buying between a TLM 102 and an SM7B, and I have a few questions. My main use is making music, mostly r&b/rap. What appeals to me about the TLM 102 is the incredible naturalness of the sound, and that characteristic Neumann sound. The SM7B has a super lot of low-end, which I don't like too much, but when I take off the windscreen it seems to be a more open mic. I have untreated room, so I'm wondering if I'll solve this situation with SM7B, or better with UAD C-Suite C-Vox plugin. I will add that this will be my first microphone, so the choice is not easy because they are expensive microphones. So the question is, TLM 102 in untreated room wtih C-Suite vs SM7B? The first option is super expensive, so is it actually worth it?
My suggestion is that you go for the sm7b. If you can get enough gain, you don’t need the cloud lifter or preamp. That’s like half the price of the Neumann setup. The sound from the sm7b is really very good already.
@@zoomcentralbypeter how can i contact u?
If you haven’t gotten the mic yet, I would tell you from experience and own the sm7b and the gefell m930 which is the original Neumann mic that’s almost exactly as the tlm 103. The sm7b will help with the untreated room, but it still won’t give you great results. And honestly the sm7b was a huge disappointment to me and I see many others who have buyers remorse with it. I made my own sound panels with 1x3 strips of wood from Home Depot for about $3 each, and bought Rockwool insulation for $55 for 10 15x47 inch panels. Then I bought packing blankets from harbor freight for $5 each. I spent less than $100 and treated my room and my room sounds great now. All my mics sound amazing now, and have decided to sell my sm7b. It’s flat, boring, tin-y sounding, and hissy. And even after all the cons about it, it still will pick up the room. I work with audio full time from home, and record vocals daily for clients. All of my clients thanked me when i stopped using the sm7b. The sm7b is a good mic, but it’s gain hungry and even with the cloudlifter lacks body from lack of power.
@@BUCKSHOTSTV thanks g
@@ThYSaing you’re welcome. And for rap the Neumann wins hands down. You can get a used one and with the money saved build the sound panels to reduce the room noise. Plus with Neumann for the R&B will give you results closest to the big production sound as R&B needs more air up top which the sm7b is really really hard to achieve without the big studio preamps. I have an Avalon 737 and it can’t power the shure, and with the cloudlifter it’s just too hissy and still barely getting me good levels.
keep going, thanks for this review
Sure will do! I have many more videos planned it just need to find the time for it!
great video! thanks
Thank you!
The Neumann tlm 102 has a fuller, richer and thicker sound IMO. I've had an SM7B and was never happy with it in musical applications - it always sounded too thin and not professional level. The SM7 (Vintage) is much better
You are referring to singing vocal application right? I have a very deep and raspy voice by nature so the difference is not that apparent to me. But if one's voice is rounder and smoother, the mic will pick up the difference and you will be right that the TLM 102 has a richer voice. My wife tested the mics and she also liked the TLM 102 better.
If your 7B was thin, that was probably a problem with your preamp, because that mic is anything but thin. With most consumer-grade audio interfaces, cranking their internal pre-amp enough to drive the SM7B adds noise and pushes the preamp to a level where audio quality suffers. If anything, the 7B has some of the silkiest and smoothest mids of any mic out there. Where it lacks somewhat is high-frequency air/sparkle.