Shure SM58 vs Samson Q7 (SAQ7) 

"It feels like you can commit some violence with it" Finally. A reviewer who understands my needs as a performer. Great review, mate.

I own both the q7 and SM58. The 58 is a more common sound because it has been around for years, especially in live sound. The q7 is bassier. Build wise, the Q7 feels more rugged. It is also a hotter mic. You don't have to gain the preamp up as much to get the same volume. Live I tend to prefer the Q7 on my vocals. The SM58 can seem a bit thin. The biggest challenge with the q7 is the hyped bass. A little bass roll off and your good to go but it doesn't sound thin and tinny as quickly as the 58 tends to.

There are a couple of crucial things you did not mention in the review. First, the Q7 has a neodymium mic element. Which means that it's equivalent in the Shure lineup is the Beta 58...not the SM58. And when you compare those two mics, the Samson is an even greater bargain as the Beta 58 retails at around 160 dollars. Also, the Q7 has a supercardioid polar pattern (again, like the Beta 58) which means that compared to the SM58's cardioid pattern, the Q7 will reject more off axis sound, meaning it will be less prone to feedback.

I sing through a Q7 every Sunday. Sometime the Setup team put the 58's out for us.. The sound is just not the same.. All of the singers prefer the Q7's.

Hi AzzyChill nice to see the comparison test. Our first Q7 came with the wireless system they do and we used it just because other than one sm58 we only had a shitty non descript mic at the time. we were pleasantly surprised with the sound quality I have since bought 2 more and also a Q8. These are used in a live pub / club covers band which is very vocal orientated, I find they stand up well against the sm58 in a live situation where there is usually a lot of background noise so any subtle differences in sound are lost anyway. Something you did not cover is feedback rejection which is not quite as good as the Shure when pushed but has never been too much of an issue. We (my other half that is) do also use a Sennheiser 845 but purely because it is more comfortable to hold for smaller hands but again not a lot different in sound at around £80. One thing of interest - I occasionally do small PA hire for smaller gigs and events local to me and have noticed "brand snobbery" with a lot of vocalist only wanting a sm58 and get a bit uppity when presented with a Q7 most are are ok when they hear it but do get some that listen with their eyes! The other thing not covered in your review is ruggedness as we know a 58 is all but indestructible. I have not done any serious testing of the Qs but they are now 5/6 years old and must have been dropped many a time and all are still working fine. We also use the Samson Drum mics again these work well but never compared them to anything else.

Samson is a super cardioid and the regular SM58 is a cardioid polar pattern. The samson also has a neodymium element which means hotter output. It's kind of apples and oranges. The Samson is I think modeled after the the Shure SM58 Beta, the higher output supercardioid Shure cousin. The EV ND767 I've heard from sound engineers is pretty comparable too. Your best mic has to compliment your voice and sound application.

Great comparison mate

Hi great review, what is the difference between samson q7 to q7x to q2u? thanks

for the long time Q7 users here, mind giving me tips on what to adjust? highs? lows or whatever? i don't have a mixer. i am directly diriving my mic on my Korg keyboard which has mic input. :)

hello man, thanks for the review, it was really helpful

The Q7 can't be eq'ed to sound like an SM58! -although I'm with you on that some corrections can be made with an eq. The Q7 doesn't sound warmer just because its lows are comparatively louder, but it has less presence than the SM-series which in turns allow the low mids in the Q7 more space. When you get something like the Q7 into a busy mix you'll notice the difference. The presence of an SM-series mic will help you place the sound much more easily in the mix. For vocals transmitting to potentially limited listening systems the SM-series presence is also going to help. That said, I totally agree with you that a Q7 for 20-30 Pounds is a fantastic bargain. It's a great mic for the money and also a pretty good one in its own right. Thanks for sharing mate! :-)

Hi I already own a nice condenser (Apogee Mic 96k), no problem with it. But I’m curious what a dynamic mic sounds like when plugged in an audio interface. Is Samson Q7 a good budget mic? I don’t have budget for senheisser e935.

What do you think about the distance pickup, noticed at one point you only went a bit away from your mouth and the sound dipped quite a bit. I know they use the shure mic at the BBC (nottingham) when i did a work placement and its a good mic for voiceover as well as like you said being a standard mic for music work.

really good review buddy, keep up the good work..

Do you find the Samson having a higher output ('louder')?

Richie Kotzen use it! What a nice mic.

interesting comparison!

Comprei o Samsom Q7 o video foi bem explicado e decidi depois vou atraz do Q7X Abração

So far Im planning to buy: >FOCUSRITE SCARLETT SOLO >Q7 Do i need anything else? Thanks for the review btw :\

can the samson Q7 be used like a shure sm57 in front of a Guitar cab?

my Samson Q7 does not work. Even if i put it in a Focusrite 2i2 it won't work. Can anyone help me? :(

Can't find it anywhere, are the Samson Q models wireless-capable? All of them or only some? Thanks.

man, what do you think about recording music with the q7? i mean, some growl style? its worth?

Is it a good deal for what i want to do? I want to use it at my computer on a stand through a interface, and use it while gaming, so talking to my friends and making videos... is it ok? or are there better ones for a similar price or cheaper?

cuestión for you... Samson Q7 Dynamic ..VS... Samson Q8 Dynamic.. What's the diferences and Whon WIn? Thanks...

£22.00 on Amazon, the Q7 with a bit of gentle EQ walks away with the value/sound ratio, nice review!

I wanna buy the Samson, as far as I know all it needs is a pop filter and a bit of EQ, Also, Shure's around here are way overpriced(in Israel).

I've gone completely off using SM58's since discovering the Q7 and Q8. Great mics at a fraction of the cost. I think with the 58', You're paying for the brand. Another one I've discovered recently that you might like and be surprised by is the Behringer XM8500 Ultravoice. Another fantastic mic that starts from £16 from some places. Cheers for your video :)

Samson is producing a lot of "pop" compared to SM58

Sm sounds pro, samson sounds film horror

Shure sm58 better... No popup voice

Ahh my ears are actually in pain right now throw this stupid samson mic away and use sm58 thankyou

Bro SM58 is clearly better than the stupid samson mic. Samson has clearly artificial extra bass and high notes are clearly killing my ears and your only talking. just imagine if you just sing high notes on this samson what will happen to people it hard to listen so sm 58 is the right mic for especially singing