Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Vocal Microphone - Cardioid Dynamic Mic with 2 Ultra Thin Diaphragms and Reverse Airflow Technology for Unmatched Control of Proximity Effect, Presence Peaks, and Bleed - Nickel

This mic arrived in the Shure factory box, with no shipping container to protect the factory box, and the box was all beat up, and had a big Amazon shipping label over the Shure logo on the box. I like to keep the boxes of expensive musical gear, but this box was almost destroyed. Not to mention it was open. I am surprised the mic survived the trip. They could have at least taped it closed. I notice there are several review of this and the similar KSM9 where the packaging was no good. Amazon puts toilet paper in a shipping container, but not high end microphones.I decided to keep it based on my experience with the cheaper but comparable SM57. The SM57 is super durable, so I expect this mic is not damaged by the poor shipping.As far as the mic is concerned it is great, and worth the high price.It is marketed as a stage hand held vocal mic, but I use it in my studio on a mic stand for vocals. It has a great sound to it, I will call it creamy sounding. and it is not sensitive to the singer being slightly off axis or changing distance. This is important if you need to briefly look down at your guitar, or glance at the sheet music.I sing into it with headphones, and it has changed the way I perform, and definitely improved my recordings of my voice.This mic is a high end dynamic microphone. I have several high end condenser mics, but I don't use them very often. They are too sensitive. They will pickup the sound of the air conditioner, birds chirping outside, the squeak in you chair, and the sound leaking from your headphones. They also will pickup the room's reverberation, so if you have an untreated room, those high end condensers will sound bad. This KSM8 has good room rejection, and that is important to me, even though my room is pretty well acoustically treated.Shure also makes the very popular SM7B, which is another dynamic mic that costs the same as the KSM8. The SM7B is marketed for broadcast work. You seem to see it in half of all podcasts these days. And I am seeing it used for lead singers more and more. I had an SM7B and it is a great mic. I am sure on some voices it will be a better mic than the KSM8, but on my voice I prefer the KSM8. I noticed the KSM8 is more forgiving to singer's movement. Also, the SM7B is large and heavy, so you need to have a quality mic stand or it will tend to fall over. And the SM7B has a low output that requires a high gain pre amp, or a "cloudlifter". I don't recommend the cloudlifter approach of putting a cheap booster on the mic if you are trying to record professional level vocals. If you want to use a SM7B you should find a high end high gain microphone preamp that will do it justice. The KSM8 has similar output to the tried and true SM57. Of course you still want a high end pre-amp, but it does not have to have particularly high gain. So for singers, I think this mic is just lightly better than the SM7B.So 5 stars for the mic, and 1 star for the packaging.

I got this mic for myself as a birthday gift 1 month shy of a year ago. I waited to review until I used it enough times and long enough to really know it's quality.I dig it! The build quality is substantial, quite a bit of weight. Indeed it does have no proximity effect, meaning whether I am inches away or mouthing it, I get the same nice crisp sound. No booming or whining treble.Very beautiful and I have gotten many compliments.Nice snug connection. Easy to keep clean. Works very well whether I am inside a noisy bar or outside. Use is easy, plug and play!Offers the peace of mind as any shure mic out there!Peace

improve my singing

I didn’t think one could hear the difference so clearly. I have always used SM58 microphones and they are amazing. I wanted an upgrade and hesitated because of the price. However, all I did was unplug my SM58 and plug this in, no other adjustments, and the difference was clear. If you have it in the budget this mic is a worthwhile investment!

The mic cuts in and out. Not of good sound connection quality. It only has the “good looks” going for it. Ended up returning because the sound quality does not fit price point.

I thought this was going to be an awesome mic. It feels solid just like all shire mics. Its a quality piece. However, I Cant really justify spending much more. Specially when it comes to sound difference from orher shure dynamic mics. Maybe because I'm not a sound guru. They all sound nearly the same.. not worth the price unless you're really big on sound and is easily bothered by minor differences..

Don't dislike a thing...I love it!

Has a lot of overhead room. Great for singers who aren't loud naturally bc you don't get a bunch of feedbackLove the clarity as wellGreat mic for me 👍