This is an excellent video Phillip! I loved hearing your thoughts on both mics (Though I think you sound especially good on the ETHOS 😉). Thank you for taking time to make this!
I own the ETHOS but was interested in hearing this comparison and your thoughts. It should be noted that the ETHOS is a small diaphragm condenser, just so people are aware of that before making a purchase decision. I sometimes run my mic through a dbx286s channel strip but never touch the LF detail knob on the EQ. I also only dial up the HF detail very slightly. I mostly use the 286s for the compressor and de-esser, as well as the expander/gate.
The SM7b is popular NOW due to its fantastic looks for all the streamers, podcasters and other content creators having it on screen. Back then it was the successor to the legendary SM5, which was loved due to its mic arm ergonomics in the broadcasting world. The SM7 was still as easy to manipulate but was a lot smaller which made reading scripts easier. The thicc windscreen? That was added when the SM7 was becoming the SM7b because DJs were too used to how big the SM5 was. The larger windscreen was made to mimic the front of the SM5.
I personally bought the Earthworks Ethos, it sounds great and l do like that it’s a Condenser mic that gives off a similar sound to a Dynamic, if you take off the pop filter it sounds like a different mic, which is cool. Also, l kind of got Shure SM7B fatigue seeing it everywhere all the time, l wanted something less common lol.
Well the ethos is double the price of a shure sm7b on Amazon (Canada) at 900$+ !!! Sadly I like the sound of it but I'll keep my 7b until its dropping in price 😂
I think the greatest part about the SM7B is that there are so many out there on the "barely used" market that you can easily find them from $150-$180 nowadays. So a $200 SM7B vs a $400 ETHOS is an easy decision. This all said, I LOVE that there is such a flourishing market for Mics for us to pick from at all price points, quality levels etc
Thank you for this nice comparison. I love the ethos, and I have to admit that I'm a bit biased towards the SM7B. Maybe because it's now everywhere on RU-vid as well. I always found it a bit boring.
This is a thorough, excellent comparison of both the SM7B and Ethos. I've been on the fence about which of these two microphones to purchase. Your review helped me decide. Well done.
