Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone Review

Shure is a company that has a long history of making top quality audio equipment – just a quick look at their website will inform you that their microphones have been used since 1925 by big hitters in the music industry. 

Now they’ve taken all those years of experience and everything they know to develop a microphone designed for the likes of us mere mortal gamers in the form of the MV6 USB Gaming Microphone. Shure are advertising the MV6 as the ideal first professional microphone for gamers and streamers and promise consistent, high-quality audio at an accessible price point.

But, can a mid-price microphone ($149/around £129) really deliver the quality that Shure claims it does? We’ve used our fair share of gaming microphones so were interested in trying out the MV6 to see how it compares.

On first glance the MV6 looks pretty low on bells and whistles. It’s a USB microphone on a stand. There’s no physical pop filter, you can’t adjust its height by more than a few millimetres and there is a single mute button on the top of the microphone – is this really going to be able to keep up with the more expensive models? 

However, pick the MV6 up and you can tell that it’s built solidly and has some heft behind it – a clue to the amount of tech packed inside this unassuming gadget.

The tech includes:

• Voice isolation technology: The MV6 uses a dynamic capsule and tight cardioid pick-up pattern with great rear rejection. Basically this means that it is less sensitive to picking up unwanted background so the user’s voice remains clear and prominent.
• Auto level mode: The MV6 intelligently adjusts microphone gain in real-time based on your distance from the microphone and speech volume for consistent audio levels up to 45 cm (18’’) away from the microphone. This feature removes the need for a fully height-adjustable stand.
• Digital popper stopper: Using technology from Shure’s more expensive model, the MV7+, the MV6 contains a virtual pop filter that removes harsh plosive sounds digitally, ensuring clean audio capture without the need for additional hardware. 
• Real-time denoiser: Eliminates background noise like humming fans and whirring air conditioners to deliver a cleaner, more professional sound.

For all its fancy tech, the MV6 is a cinch to use straight out of the box. Simply plug the USB-C cable into your PC or phone and get recording. 

The MV6 also has a 3.5 mm headphone output so you can listen to your recordings in real-time and a mute button to pause the microphone. 

Its heavy base will ensure that the MV6 stays in place on your desk and the microphone can be tilted up and down and rotated. You can also adjust the height of the microphone slightly by rotating it and can fully twist it off the stand, which could be useful when recording using a mobile, although other microphones would probably be more suited for this purpose – the MV6 is not exactly lightweight.

There is the option to download the free MOTIV Mix Desktop App too, which contains loads of extra features that may be useful for serious streamers or podcasters, such as the ability to record up to 8 hours of your mixed output or include a recording for each of your inputs separately to edit later. 

We also downloaded the Motiv App for Android and had a go at recording audio onto our phone using this simpler interface. The app allows you to carry out simple editing on your clips and change the tone of the microphone – from dark to normal and bright (although we couldn’t tell any difference). You can toggle the auto level mode, high pass filter, noise reduction and popper stopper on and off through the app as well. 

We used the MV6 to record our latest video on our YouTube chanel and found it to be very simple to use and provided great quality audio; the virtual pop filter obviously working as intended. It’s so good in fact, we’ve decided to ditch the microphone we’ve been using for the last few years and switch to using the MV6 instead. We particularly appreciated the auto level mode and found that we could move towards and away from the microphone whilst recording without any noticeable difference to audio levels – a feature that would be invaluable to streamers and podcasters who will be recording for a long period of time.

The Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone proves to be a solid contender in the mid-range price bracket, offering professional-level audio quality without breaking the bank. While it may lack some of the extra features seen in higher-end models, its features make it a standout choice for gamers, streamers and content creators looking to enhance their audio setup.

Huge thanks go out to Shure for providing us the Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone for review. If you wish to pick up a unit for yourself, head over to the Shure MV6 USB Gaming Microphone page on their site.