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Shure SM7B vs Audio-Technica AT2020USB+
Which should you actually buy? Here's our verdict.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Studio Headphones
★ 4.7 · 72,000 ratings
$149.00
The case for each
Shure SM7B Broadcast Microphone
Why it wins
The microphone behind half of broadcast, podcasting, and several decades of records. Its cardioid pattern and tuned rejection make untreated rooms sound treated, and its ceiling is effectively your skill — nobody outgrows an SM7B.
Watch out for
The real cost is the chain: it needs ~60dB of clean gain, which means a quality interface and often a Cloudlifter-style booster — budget $500+ all-in. Plugged into a cheap interface, it will sound worse than a $100 USB mic, and that's the most common 1-star story.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Studio Headphones
Why it wins
The reference budget studio headphone — tuned honest enough to mix on, fun enough to commute with, and efficient enough to run from a phone. Twenty years of revisions refined it into the most-recommended headphone on the internet, and the consensus is earned.
Watch out for
Clamp is firm out of the box (it relaxes) and the stock pads get sweaty in summer. The treble is detailed to a fault for sensitive ears — audition sibilant tracks if you're treble-shy.
Our verdict
A $400 broadcast legend versus a $150 do-it-all. The honest truth: in an untreated bedroom, the AT2020USB+ often sounds better, because the SM7B's low sensitivity demands a $100+ interface, a gain booster, and mic technique. The SM7B is the endgame when your room and workflow are ready for it. Buying it first is paying for a destination before you've started the trip.
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