Shure SV100 Dynamic Vocal Microphone

Shure SV100 Dynamic Vocal Microphone

The Shure SV100 is a handheld dynamic (moving coil) microphone for vocals and speech, and the entry point into Shure’s microphone range. Its cardioid (unidirectional) pickup pattern is most sensitive to sound arriving from the front of the microphone and rejects sound from the sides and rear, which is what keeps a voice clear through a PA system and helps control feedback when the microphone is used near loudspeakers. Shure rates the frequency response at 50 Hz to 15,000 Hz, a wide band for the human voice, and fits a neodymium magnet for high output.

As a dynamic microphone, the SV100 needs no phantom power, battery or charging: the moving coil generates its signal from the sound itself. An on/off switch on the body lets the user silence the microphone between speakers, songs or announcements without walking back to the mixer, and the output is a standard male XLR connector, the connection used across mixers, powered speakers and live sound equipment. Net weight is 244 g, and sensitivity is rated at -52 dBV/Pa at 1 kHz.

Key features

• Dynamic (moving coil) handheld microphone for voice and speech
• Cardioid (unidirectional) pattern minimises feedback and off-axis sound
• Frequency response of 50 Hz to 15,000 Hz
• Neodymium magnet for high output
• On/off switch for muting at the microphone
• Durable metal construction for everyday handling
• Standard male XLR connector; no phantom power or batteries required
• Sensitivity of -52 dBV/Pa at 1 kHz; output impedance 600 ohms

Cardioid Pickup, in Practice

A cardioid microphone hears the room in a heart-shaped pattern: full sensitivity in front, falling sensitivity at the sides, and the least sensitivity directly behind. Pointed at a voice from a short distance, it captures that voice strongly while PA speakers, audience noise and other sources arriving off-axis are picked up far more weakly. That rejection is the practical defence against feedback, the howl that builds when a microphone hears its own amplified output from a speaker and re-amplifies it. Correct technique completes the picture: hold the SV100 close, speak across the top of the grille rather than into its side, and keep loudspeakers in front of the performer rather than behind the microphone.

Where the SV100 Is Used

Shure positions the SV100 for karaoke, sound reinforcement and recording applications, and notes that it is also suitable for instrument pickup. In practice that covers school and office presentations, announcements and events, houses of worship, karaoke systems, tour guiding through a portable PA, and rehearsal-room vocals. Shure publishes the SV100 in package variants, supplied as the microphone alone or with an XLR to 6.35 mm (1/4 inch) cable for connection to karaoke machines and portable systems, so the cable arrangement follows the variant rather than a single fixed bundle.

The SV100 suits first-time microphone buyers, venues and organisers who need a simple, durable vocal microphone that connects to standard live sound equipment and works the moment it is plugged in. Full technical specifications for the Shure SV100 are listed in the Additional Information table on this page.