An XLR microphone is half of a chain. The other half is the preamp in the interface or recorder behind it, and the number that joins the two is gain. A dynamic like the Shure SM7B puts out -59 dBV/Pa and needs about 60 dB of clean gain to reach a normal speech level. A condenser like the Rode NT1 5th Gen puts out -32 dBV/Pa and is comfortable at 35 dB. Most hiss complaints about good microphones trace back to that 27 dB gap, so every pick below carries its gain requirement next to its price.
The list is XLR only and organised by job: voiceover in an edit suite, a podcast with one or two hosts, an on-camera interview or talking head, and the untreated spare room where most of that happens. The USB-or-XLR question is answered in the voiceover microphone guide. If the microphone only ever has to record a podcast, the best podcast microphone list is the shorter read.
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TLDR
If you just want the answer, the Shure SM7dB at $549 is the best XLR microphone for video work. It is the SM7B with the 60 dB gain problem solved inside the body, so it records the same on an entry-level interface as on a broadcast console. For voiceover reads and anything that has to sound like radio, buy the Electro-Voice RE20 at $449. In a treated room the condenser to buy is the Rode NT1 5th Gen at $214, which is also the cheapest route here to a studio sound. The Shure MV7+ at $299 is the XLR mic that also runs over USB-C. On a budget, the Rode PodMic at $86 is the dynamic and the Audio-Technica AT2020 at $119 is the condenser.
Gain first: what the interface has to supply
Every broadcast dynamic here sits between -59 and -52 dBV/Pa. For speech at a working distance, that means 55 to 60 dB of preamp gain. The Focusrite Scarlett 4th Gen at +69 dB and the Focusrite Vocaster at +70 dB supply it on their own. So do the Elgato Wave XLR at +75 dB and the RODECaster Pro II at +76 dB. The Scarlett Gen 1 through Gen 3 at +56 dB and the Universal Audio Volt at +55 dB do not. They run out of gain on an SM7B and add hiss on the way there. The condensers need 48 V phantom power and 30 to 40 dB of gain, and any interface with a phantom switch supplies both.
So the first step is to find the gain figure of the interface already on the desk. If the computer is the only thing the mic will ever plug into, skip the interface question and start with the best USB microphone guide; the MV7+, PodMic USB and Q2U there carry XLR too, for later. At 69 dB or more, any mic here is open. Below 60 dB, the options are a dynamic with the preamp built in (the SM7dB), a condenser, or an inline booster. A booster such as a Cloudlifter CL-1 or a FetHead goes between the mic and the cable, which adds a box and a cable to the desk. The recorders and interfaces guide covers the interface side.
The picks
Best overall: Shure SM7dB ($549)
The SM7dB is an SM7B that no longer needs a strong interface, because there is an active preamp inside the body. A switch on the back sets it to bypass, +18 dB or +28 dB, and the preamp runs on 48 V phantom power. In bypass the mic puts out the SM7B’s -59 dBV/Pa. At +18 it reads -41 dBV/Pa and at +28 it reads -31 dBV/Pa. That is condenser territory, so a Scarlett Gen 3 or a Volt runs it with the gain knob a third of the way up instead of at its stop. The transducer is the same RPM106 cartridge as the SM7B, rated 50 Hz to 20 kHz, with the same bass roll-off and presence switches and the same foam windscreen. One mic on one boom arm covers voiceover, a two-host show and a talking head, and it rejects an untreated room better than anything else here.
The preamp adds level and nothing else. The noise floor is the SM7B’s, and on an interface that already has 69 dB the stage changes nothing audible. It also adds 72 g, for 837 g total, so the arm has to be rated for it, and $549 is a lot of money for a dynamic microphone. An SM7B with a Cloudlifter behind it is close to 1 kg, so the arm matters as much as the preamp; our boom arm guide lists which arms carry that weight with margin. If the interface already clears 69 dB, the Shure SM7B at $439 records the identical signal for $110 less. On a weak interface the saving disappears, because an SM7B plus a Cloudlifter costs more than the SM7dB. The three-way with the MV7+ is in the SM7B vs SM7dB vs MV7+ comparison.
Best for voiceover and broadcast: Electro-Voice RE20 ($449)
The Electro-Voice RE20 is the mic for a reader or a host who moves, and Variable-D is the reason. A row of ports down the body cancels most of the proximity effect, which is the bass rise every other directional mic adds as the talker moves in. A reader who leans two inches closer on an emphasised line keeps the same tone, and two hosts who drift on and off their mics stay matched. That property has kept it in radio studios since 1968, and it is why the RE20 is the voiceover pick here over the SM7 line. The mic itself is a cardioid dynamic rated 45 Hz to 18 kHz, with a bass tilt-down switch, an internal shock mount around the element and a built-in blast filter in place of a foam windscreen. Output is 1.5 mV/Pa, or -56.5 dBV/Pa. At 2.5 dB hotter than an SM7B it is still a low-output dynamic that wants 55 to 60 dB from the interface.
There is no preamp inside, so the gain rule applies in full: the RE20 is comfortable on a 4th Gen Scarlett and near the stop on a Gen 3. The box holds the mic and a stand clamp, and the 309A shock mount is a separate purchase. At 737 g with a long body, it needs a sturdier arm than the condensers. If the budget is tighter, the Electro-Voice RE320 at $315 is the same Variable-D body. You give up the RE20’s smoother top and save $134. Its output is 2.5 mV/Pa, about 4.5 dB more than the RE20, over the same 45 Hz to 18 kHz range. The top end is brighter, and the dual-voicing switch has a second curve that is a kick-drum contour, so it stays off for voice.
Best condenser for a treated room: Rode NT1 5th Gen ($214)
For voiceover in a treated edit bay or a closet of coats, the Rode NT1 5th Gen records more of the voice than any dynamic here. Its self-noise is 4 dBA, the lowest of these mics by a wide margin. The mic is a 1-inch cardioid condenser rated 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a 142 dB maximum SPL. Output is 25 mV/Pa, or -32 dBV/Pa, so every interface with 48 V phantom power runs it with gain to spare. The box holds the SM6 shock mount with its pop shield, an XLR cable and a USB-C cable, so it records the day it arrives. The USB-C port beside the XLR carries 32-bit float recording, which means a take that slams past zero recovers intact in the timeline, but over XLR the mic is a plain 48 V condenser without that feature.
In an untreated room the order flips, and the reason is working distance. A large-diaphragm condenser is worked at 8 to 12 inches and a dynamic at 2 to 4. Each halving of distance lifts the voice about 6 dB above a room that stays where it is. So an SM7-class dynamic at 3 inches lands the voice roughly 12 dB further above the workstation fan than the NT1 at 12. That gap is larger than the 4 dBA advantage, and reverb removal in post recovers only part of it. The room test is written up in full in NT1 5th Gen vs SM7B. If you want the flatter capsule at this tier, the Lewitt LCT 440 Pure at $249 has less lift above 10 kHz than the Rode. Its self-noise is 7 dBA and its output is 32.7 mV/Pa, and a shock mount and a magnetic pop filter come in the box. You pay $35 more and lose the USB port. The budget condenser is the AT2020 at the bottom of the list.
Best XLR mic that also does USB: Shure MV7+ ($299)
The Shure MV7+ is the mic that survives a change of desk, which suits an editor whose desk is USB this year and an interface next year, or whose kit travels between a laptop and a studio interface. A USB-C port and an XLR jack sit on the back, and both are usable at the same time. Over USB the mic is its own chain, with an internal preamp and converter rated -33 dBFS/Pa and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The MOTIV Mix app sets the processing, which is Auto Level that rides the gain, a denoiser, a digital popper stopper and a limiter. Over XLR it is a passive dynamic at -55 dBV/Pa.
The XLR side is the weakest chain here. At -55 dBV/Pa it wants the same 60 dB class of gain as the SM7B, and the processing lives on the USB side and switches off. The response also stops at 16 kHz, where the SM7 line reaches 20 kHz. It weighs 574 g, and the price is $299 for the mic alone or $319 with Shure’s desk stand. Buy it for a desk that starts on USB, and treat the SM7dB above as the XLR mic to grow into. For less money, the Rode PodMic USB at $190 is also a two-output dynamic, with Rode’s APHEX processing on its USB side and the plain PodMic capsule on XLR.
Best budget dynamic: Rode PodMic ($86)
The Rode PodMic makes an untreated room disappear for less money than anything else here. For $86 you get an all-metal broadcast dynamic with its own pop filter. The mic is a cardioid dynamic rated 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with internal shock mounting of the capsule, on a swing mount that fits any arm. Output is -57 dBV/Pa, or 1.6 mV/Pa, which is 2 dB above the SM7B. That still makes it a low-output dynamic, so the gain rule applies: there is headroom to spare on a 4th Gen Scarlett, and the preamp sits at its stop on a +56 dB interface. The internal pop filter lets you work it at 1 to 2 inches, where the preamp sees more signal than an SM7B gives it at 4, so it sounds louder than its sensitivity figure predicts.
At 937 g it is the heaviest mic here, so the arm has to be rated for it or the mic sags mid-take. There are no switches. The voicing is forward in the low mids and darker on top than the Shure, so most voices want a 2 to 3 dB cut around 300 Hz and a little top-end lift in Fairlight or Essential Sound. For a two-host podcast in a spare room, two of these on two arms cost less than one SM7B. Nothing here costs less, but if the interface has not been bought yet, the PodMic USB at $190 is the step across.
Best budget condenser: Audio-Technica AT2020 ($119)
For a talking head in a treated room, the Audio-Technica AT2020 is the least expensive way to the detail a condenser gives. Its output is -37 dBV/Pa, or 14.1 mV/Pa, which is 22 dB hotter than an SM7B, so the cheapest phantom-powered interface on the desk runs it with the gain knob a third of the way up and no hiss. The mic is a 16 mm back-electret cardioid condenser rated 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a 20 dB SPL self-noise. It weighs 345 g, which is light enough for any arm. At 6 inches in a quiet room it records a clear, slightly bright voice that reads well under music.
The 20 dB self-noise is 16 dB above the NT1’s, and it shows as a faint hiss under a soft read at a distance. At speech level and 6 inches it sits below the room. There is no pad and no high-pass switch, and the box holds a pivoting stand mount but no shock mount, so a bump on the desk ends up in the file. The step up is the Audio-Technica AT2035 at $159, which is the version to buy for voiceover rather than a desk call. Its large-diaphragm capsule has 12 dB self-noise and an output of 22.4 mV/Pa. It also fills the gaps above: a 10 dB pad, an 80 Hz high-pass filter and the AT8458a shock mount in the box.
How the ten compare
| Mic | Type | Output (dBV/Pa) | Gain to budget | 48 V | Weight | Amazon, Oct 17 | Job |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SM7dB | Dynamic, active | -59 / -41 / -31 (bypass / +18 / +28) | About 30 dB in +28 mode | Yes, for the preamp | 837 g | $549 | One mic for every job |
| Shure SM7B | Dynamic | -59 | 60 dB | No | 765 g | $439 | Owners of a 69 dB interface |
| Electro-Voice RE20 | Dynamic, Variable-D | -56.5 | 55 to 60 dB | No | 737 g | $449 (5 left) | Voiceover, broadcast |
| Electro-Voice RE320 | Dynamic, Variable-D | -52 | 50 to 55 dB | No | 681 g | $315 | Same job, $134 less |
| Rode NT1 5th Gen | Condenser, 1-inch | -32 | 30 to 40 dB | Yes | 308 g | $214 | Treated room, VO |
| Lewitt LCT 440 Pure | Condenser, 1-inch | -29.7 | 30 to 40 dB | Yes | 310 g | $249 | Treated room, flatter |
| Shure MV7+ | Dynamic, USB-C + XLR | -55 (XLR) | 60 dB on XLR, none on USB | No | 574 g | $299 | USB now, XLR later |
| Rode PodMic USB | Dynamic, USB-C + XLR | -57 (XLR) | 60 dB on XLR, none on USB | No | 937 g | $190 | Budget, no interface yet |
| Rode PodMic | Dynamic | -57 | 60 dB | No | 937 g | $86 | Budget, untreated room |
| Audio-Technica AT2020 | Condenser, 16 mm | -37 | 30 to 40 dB | Yes | 345 g | $119 | Budget, quiet room |
| Audio-Technica AT2035 | Condenser, large diaphragm | -33 | 30 to 40 dB | Yes | 403 g | $159 | Budget VO, treated room |
What decides an XLR microphone for video work
Gain before tone. The dynamics here need 55 to 60 dB and the condensers need 30 to 40. That means the interface’s published gain figure sorts the list before anyone listens to anything.
The room picks the family. In an untreated room, buy a dynamic and work it at 2 to 4 inches. In a treated room, buy a condenser if the job wants the open top end and a dynamic if it wants forgiveness. The 12 dB of voice-over-room that working distance adds is larger than any self-noise spec here.
Proximity effect decides the interview mic. A talent who moves changes tone on a cardioid dynamic with every inch. The RE20’s Variable-D cancels most of that, while the SM7 line offers a bass roll-off switch instead, which flattens the rise at one distance only. Either works for a fixed voiceover position, but for a guest, buy the RE20.
Weight decides the arm. The PodMic at 937 g and the SM7dB at 837 g sag a light desk arm by the end of a session. The NT1 at 308 g and the AT2020 at 345 g sit on anything. Budget the arm with the mic, because distance matters more than any other spec and the arm is what holds it. The NT1, LCT 440 Pure and AT2035 ship with shock mounts and the others do not, and a cable is in the Rode box and in nobody else’s.
FAQ
How much gain does my interface need for an XLR dynamic mic?
You need about 60 dB of clean gain for the SM7B, RE20 and PodMic class. A 4th Gen Scarlett, a Vocaster, a Wave XLR or a RODECaster Pro II clears it. A Gen 1 to Gen 3 Scarlett or a UA Volt does not, and on those the fix is the SM7dB, a condenser or an inline booster.
Does a dynamic mic need phantom power?
No, with one exception here: the SM7dB’s preamp runs on 48 V, and with phantom off the mic behaves as a passive SM7B. Phantom power left on for a passive dynamic on a balanced XLR cable does it no harm.
Is the SM7dB worth $110 more than the SM7B?
Only when the interface is short of gain. On a +56 dB interface the SM7dB’s +28 stage replaces an inline booster and its cable, and the SM7B plus booster costs more. On a +69 dB interface the two mics record the same signal and the SM7B saves the $110.
Can I run an XLR mic into a camera?
Yes, into a camera with XLR inputs, with the gain budget above in mind. Camera preamps rarely supply 60 dB cleanly, so a condenser with phantom on is the easier on-set chain, and a dynamic wants a 32-bit float recorder such as the Zoom F3 between it and the camera. Mics that mount on the camera itself are a different list, in the on-camera and shotgun mic guide.
Related guides
The two Shure comparisons go deeper on the gain question: SM7B vs SM7dB vs MV7+ on the preamp and NT1 5th Gen vs SM7B on the room. The best podcast microphone guide is the list for a show that will never record anything else, and the voiceover microphone guide covers the USB side. The interface and the recorder are in the recorders and interfaces guide, and the desk the chain sits on is the remote editor kit.
And that’s it. Stock on these moves faster than price, so check the seller line before you buy. The rest of our buyer’s guides live on the Gear Guides page.
