$1000 MIC vs $200 MIC [Neumann TLM102 vs Shure MV51] USB vs XLR 

The Shure MV51 is great but that sound from the Neumann TLM102 is is much more pleasing on my ears.

once you fixed the eq on the mv51 it sounded pretty similar to the tlm102. so for the price i think you got a good mic.

According to Shure (i.e., Soren Pedersen, Product Mgr for MOTIV line), the MV51 DOES have a built in De-esser. We love this mic...you can't beat the combination of features, sound quality, and price.

Can you do a video on how you built your appratus around your TLM102. I'd like to try that with mine. DreadBluesBand™

This is wild! Shure sent me this mic a while ago and I never used it. I already have the TLM 102 and I was thinking about copping the SM7B to launch the Podcast with my wife but since I know these two are comparable I'll just use it Thank you!

They both have their uses if you can keep em, unless you need the money. i own the mv-51 and to me its unique, try it on Flat mode, compress halfway, and bring up one step on the 6k and 10k faders on the Eq adjust on the gain about 75% and step away some 2 feet. let me know how did it go please.

The Shure is pretty amazing mic for its price tag and iPhone app. No doubt. However this is like comparing a Gibson vs Epiphone. You can't get the same sound, but for the price difference, it's pretty God damn impressive! If I were in your shoes, I would probably sell off the other equipment and just use the Shure because of how easy it is.. :)

The audio is almost indistinguishable. I went to recording school and one thing I learned is that you can get killer sound off of mics in all sorts of price ranges. Thanks for the video. I'm looking into the MV51 for my channel! Thanks for the vid. Very helpful.

I can totally hear the difference between the two, and the XLR mic easily sounds the best to my ears. However, $1,000 is a lot of money. The quality difference (after processing) wasn't enough to justify spending that much money on a mic. It'd be one thing if you were using it in a professional environment (recording bands, as you said) but if you're just gonna be doing your RU-vid stuff with it, I'd stick with the USB mic.

this helped me more than you realize! I've been wanting to eventually switch from my Blue Yeti to an XLR mic so that I can kind of have it set up like you have it set up and I was so nervous because its been so hard to get a clear answer as to how to make this setup work out! I might not be able to get a $700 mic anytime soon but the rest of the stuff and a slightly cheaper XLR mic sounds pretty feasible in my near future. Thanks yub!

As a professional voice actor of nearly a decade who owns a Neumann TLM 103, I have to say that for the sake of simplicity, minimalism and cost effectiveness, the Shure is the way to go. I would gladly use this for auditions and podcasts. Unless you are recording material for broadcast TV/radio, go with the MV51. I'm about to buy one myself. Thanks for the great vid.

You killed this demo. You resolved pretty much all of my concerns. Thanks mate

after eq that shure mic was incredible!

mv51 sounds incredible, I actually like it more than the tlm102

If there wasn't a direct comparison, then I would say the $200 option is perfect. The $1000 is noticeably better when compared side by side but the difference isn't enough to warrant the price I don't think. At least not to non-audiophiles. Personally I would sell all that other stuff and go with the USB mic. It's better on the clutter, has the mobility and not so different in quality that you would lose anything to the general audience. But that's just me.

Thanks for this video and I just bought the shure mic and I have great things about it. Honestly for $800 difference, I won't waste my money and Thank you for this great review

The Neumann sounds amazing! Even with the EQ adjustment and the DeEsser the Shure didn't sound as clear and warm. With the price being what it is I would probably go for the USB Mic, but as you already have both I would totally still use the Neumann, even if it is slightly more work and takes up more space. The clarity of it was magical.

The only difference I realy notice is a little less bass in your voice but I'm sure it can be adjusted in the EQ phone ap so I bought one today thanks for the video.

Thanks for the comparison. The final setting On the MV51 I think needed some more hiend boost compared to the 102. But darn they’re close!!

Good shout out ! It would be great to hear the shure in the dampercave you had neuman in. But I think I've already decided for sure anyway :) ThankX

The Neumann seems to sound a bit cleaner because it captures a bit more high end, but the Shure sounds quite good! It’s does sounds a little compressed and lacks some high end brilliance but most people end up compressing their signal anyway. There may have been a little bit of proximity effect going on with the Shure in this demo too. The Shure still seems a bit too muddy for professional voiceover work.

Neumann is the winner.. but that Shure is a keeper! Can you please do a video on how you made that foam cage for your mic? Thanks

The Neumann TLM102 is by far the best. The s sounds were annoying on the usb mic.

I found this interesting because I'm looking at the TLM for a much in the future vocal mic option. I really liked your cage. I recently bought and am waiting for the Kaotica Eyeball which is literally the same idea, but a lot less DIY. Check it out, may be something you would like, but your cage may be far sufficient. Cool video!

Idk if you still use this mic, but do you know how to stop hearing your voice on it? I turn off listening on my PC sound settings but it doesn’t stop the mic monitoring. I don’t want to hear myself while I’m recording

I ended up just ordering this MV51 and cancelling the Rode NT USB- trouble is the mic shield product you shered on yourother video page is probably now too small to fit enough around the (pretty wide) MV51.. Did you try making the 'cage' for your MV51 as well with that same shield?

The tlm sounds like it's in a barrel, that is - a low frequency distortion, but the Shure sounds less full. Each has their deficiencies and strengths.

How will the USB mic handle going from voice to trombone? And how is it at ~2m distance?

holy crab, TLM 102 is professional for vocal and you are using it as a prod cast mic. No wonder you have so freaking good audio in all videos

I heard the Neumann sounding better and more complete in your voice, so I would keep it as is and use the Shure whenever you're streaming from PS4 and use the Neumann every other time. If I were you I would think that the money was already spent and spent well on both purchases in the first place and not think about what I could do more with any money made by selling one of them, but that may be laziness by me haha!

I am running an At 20-20 and focusrite Scarlett solo we should do a similar test to your setup versus mine for this kind of thing I think it would be interesting. Even my setup would be a like 800 dollar decrease off yours I think it would be interesting.

Idk if anyone else noticed but there was a really high pitched roar when YuB talks into the Shure, it was hard to listen to. The TLM102 was much cleaner sounding and easy to listen to.

with this USB (and any USB really), you can hear that high-end mechanical noise coming from the mic, if you want to record anything professionally (i.e music, commentary, podcasts) you definitely DO NOT want that mechanical noise. USB mics are a cheap way to get a bad sound IMO. so if you plan on doing anything professionally, wait the extra amount of time it takes you to get an actual XLR based microphone, you'll be so much more pleased in the end

The TLM, with all the extras and fixing of the mic does sound excellent! However, that Shure MV51 holds it own without all the dressing and extras. I think the $200 mic is all most of us would ever need.

Hey bud- you confirmed the Sterling Audio UMS Utility Microphone Shield fits th MV51- just to confirm I understand you correctly that both the Sterling Audio UMS Utility Microphone Shield and Blue curved universal pop filter combined can still completely surround the MV51 (even though it's a pretty wide mic) in a kind of 'cylinder' with a hole at either end of course which can be filled with foam like you did? That said, I realize now your cage is held in position by friction because of teh rubber bands' pressure and is held partly onto the end of the shock mount yet since there isn't a shock mount available (unless you know of one) for the Shure MV51- do you think this combo will still hold in place with the MV51 without a shock mount where the mv51 is mounted vertically just by friction alone? That said, I saw in some more recent comments you since ditched the whole cage/shield setup for some reason (was it that the cage affected frequency range?) and also upgraded to a Rode mic to prevent background noise so confused/undecided if I should go for the DIY cage thing at all now- would appreciate any final feedback on this at your convenience please (I still have the MV51 being shipped right now as being a large diaphragm mic- 1 inch diaphragm- I don't think there are other USB mics with that large a diaphragm and I like bass, low frequencies to be picked up by the mic)

I think that for the price the Shure MV51 is great, I just got one yesterday for about $140 dollars here in Mexico

do you know how the MV51 compares with the Rode NT USB? I just o rdered the Rode but think I should have gotten the MV51- mainly for voiceovers, but want that large diaphragm, high fidelity (inlcuding the low bass frequencies) sound.. thank you

I really can't grasp why you would put your mic to a compressor BEFORE the preamp ?? Please.. do a real test Mic - preamp - converter everything else may color the sound and degrade your signal. Also it would make a similar chain as the USB mic which is Mic preamp converter internally.

The Shure Motiv MV51 is so expensive in canada :(. But on the subject of your question, they are very comparable but your Neumann set up definitely sounds better. There is a quality there that just is not present in the processed Shure. But that is just my opinion and if you ditched that in favour of the shure your audio would still sound top notch.

I liked the Neumann a lot more but I'm surprised it needed so much extra gear. I'm not an audio guy so I don't know how these things work. I just thought you get a microphone and plug it into whatever is recording the sound...

Shure MV51 or the Rode NT USB what would you lean toward?

Very good shootout. I think you’re on the right track but could do this differently. Keep the mv 51 as your road mic. Very portable. In the studio you want the Shure MVi instead. It has Line and XLR connector Ad/da converter and Phantom power plus MOTIV app. Plug in your TLM 102. Sell the DNC’s, Joe Meek and Onyx blackbird. Should sound virtually Identical to what you’re using now. Price $129 Jim

the non usb mic sounds a little better. But it is such a tiny differnce that I think you should keep one for the PS4 and one for the PC. p.s. also does any one know where to ps2 controllers?

The Shure MV51, all the way. :-)

As a producer that's hearing this in HQ headphones. I was tremendously impressed with the shure. Im buying one.

The Neumann is a significant amount better than the Shure for me, but for voiceover it's perhaps overkill. For recording music I would take the Neumann setup any day of the week, but that's not your goal here I'm guessing.

Anyone here recommend a good microphone to use with an iPhone or iPad in car to get better sound quality for voice calls to where sound from voice calls sounds better and cancels out background noise?

that foam cage is something short of genius, could you mention what that / those surrounding blue cages are exactly so I can try to find them? I too have a 102 but have a little foam house i suppose lol built up around it on my desk since the rejection of the tlm is pretty horrible, but it's such a great mic, waiting for my EL-8 to come in and daaamn bro that sound is gonna be caaaandy to my ears, great video and it would be much appreciated if you could mention the name of that small foam cage you've managed to build around the 102. thanks :)

Hi Yub, I have a problem to choose Shure MV51 or Blue Spark digital for my iphone 6s. Which one will you recommend? Thanks

I own the Shure MV51. I love it. I use it to record our choir.

Nice job on the review, what settings do you have for the shure? I wanna snapshot it and see what it sounds like. Thx!

The XLR mic sounds more lively in my opinion, but the USB mic has a great sound and would be worth switching to for the ease of use factor.

Hopefully you've sold the Neumann already... Because, all in, I think what you did with the Shure MV 51 is pretty comparable to the Neumann. Any difference, from what I heard (and full disclosure, I have studio engineering background), is negligible. Nice job! : )

Which is best for musical recording with artist?

What's the App name to save the settings? Couldn't find it

What do you need to make vocals and songs with music?

hola. soy locutor. me recomiendas el shure mv51 directo al iphone o mejor usar la interface mvi con microfono shure ksm32sl??? que me recomiendas?

please tell me how did u setup yr camera sysmtem with shure mic. its pc ios only mic right ???

Dang man that voice sounds good with that mic. Currently I have the Audio Technica AT2035 and do voice acting for a GTA 5 series on my channel so I need that EXTREMELY professional sound to my voice, that radio vibrant sound. So I don't know if I should keep what I have and try to edit the EQ to be better or If I should switch mics totally. What EQ Settings did you use in Sony Vegas when you edited the voice for Shure MV51

The Neuman did sound better but not 3.5X better. With a little tinkering with settings and maybe some capacitor changes in the mic I doubt you would be able to tell. That said I thought the Shure sounded good it just sounded different than the Neuman. I have never heard a USB mic from any company that sounds as good as a similar mic that is XLR. USB just has more noise due to it's very nature!

YuB do I need an extra audio interface for the Shure mic????

Is it much better then the MV88+?

Thank you! Good test!

The mv51 is still kind of grainy even after the effects in post but it still sounds pretty good. Also selling the nice mic and all that goes with it just doesn't seem very yuby, but hey you do you

how is the latency when used for streaming like skype?

+yub how did you set up that dbx 166 I have the same setup just haven't been able to figure out the way to configure my tlm 103 through my 166. Awesome video and any advise is appreciated. God bless you brother

You hit your compressor before the preamp?

i like the sound of the one on the right side of the vid but i wanna hear the sound of the Shure with the foam box

I dunno I think the shure is pretty good! I think you brought up the highs wrong on it but that's alright

Are there any mics that you could use on a phone for things like skits?

To me, the Shure mic sounds squashed and dull. The TLM 102 has much more presence and sounds more natural to me.

TLM102 is better than the mv51 even after you have done your compression and eq in adobe. but it is a small amount. personally i would sell the more expensive on and the stuff you have with it for some pocket money and keep the mv51.

I just got the MV51.. I invested $20.00 in "Micswap" for iOS.. Done.. Thanks for this video.

Amazing 😱 thanks

The Neumann is strikingly better sound. So glad I just bought one!

The TLM does sound better, but the MV is a great budget option. I would keep the former if I were you.

The shure sounds flat and lifeless and there's a slight delay hiss whenever you talk It sounds like the price my man I have a 80 dollar AT2020 and it blows it out of the water That Neumann is crisp and adds a beautiful warmth it's really little nuances to make your recording that much better

Do you have any videos on how to make that padded cage you put the neumann in?

great review - thank you

How did you build the piece around the neumann mic? Would love to build that myself

Agree with previous comments. If somebody is shooting for sound quality, TLM 102 take the price.

keep the TLM 102 it has a more krisp klean and natural sound in komparison.

I feel like the people commenting need studio headphones to judge because the cheaper mic is grainy in this video it could easily be touched up better though but I'm just saying plus he was a little close imo.

While I feel like the USB one has decent sound and may have a cool app I think there are muuuuuch better USB mics out there for around the same price range. Like the AT2020 and my own mic the editors keys SL600. Or even some stuff by Blue. While they ay not ahve the same sound customisations I think the have much much better sound.

If your USB mic does what you need it to do, keep it. The fact is that it won't compete with the Neumann in front of a kick drum or in any environment where the sound pressure levels reach 135 dB and more. If you want to sell the Neumann, however, I'll buy it from you.

Dude keep the MV51. Go buy yourself some pizza and wings with the money you get off of your other mic 😂🙌

The MV51 has a weird digital sound to it in quality headphones.

The Shure sounds terrible. What are those artifacts and weird squelch/noise? I'm not even sure that's the mic...sounds like some compression or processing issues. I'm surprised more people aren't pointing this out. Maybe everyone is listening on gaming headsets and can't tell the difference? Not talking trash either. I just don't think Yub can hear it for some reason and it's a really, really bad comparison. A cheapo MXL condenser mic for $100 will sound WAY better on a $100 interface and you're out the same amount of money.

Yeah...that little box.....might change things. Great hack though.

Apples and oranges, but for the purpose of VO, either mic suffices in my opinion.

The signals have a different loudness I think.

I hope that you did not sell your Neumann! The difference is huge despite the micro vocal both around the TLM102 which by the way kills some frequencies making the Neumann sounds worse! In short, yes there is a huge difference, at least to my ears the Neumann sound way better! Cheers

what's the app called

my budget is $1.00, what mic do you recommend?

EV51 sounds really rough. The Neumann sounds much nicer, although I admit the EV51 has some cool features.

To be honest I prefer the sound of your regular mic, but I wouldn't mind the other one either

The shure is a bit thin to my ear.

how did you make the cage? I'm so curioua

Earthbound music. Yes please.

Definitely, the Neumann sounds better !