Shure MVX2U Gen 2 Review

Introduction

The Shure MVX2U Gen 2 sees the brand update its XLR interface with some new tricks and provide creators with a simple solution to using pro-grade audio with virtually anything.

It is, in essence, a tiny XLR interface that goes against the norm of huge mixing desks or desktop interfaces, providing a much more portable and simple solution without sacrificing on audio quality.

Shure is charging £139 / $139 for the MVX2U Gen 2, putting it on par with more ‘standard’ desktop interfaces such as the Elgato Wave XLR and the Focusrite Solo 4, for instance. That price also makes it a fair bit more affordable than the Audient Evo 4.

To see if this clever and compact product is worth your time, I’ve been putting it through its paces.

Design

• Very tiny form factor
• Sturdy build quality
• Ports you need, and little else

The thing that immediately surprised me about the MVX2U Gen 2 is just how small it is. If you thought the smaller interfaces from Elgato, Focusrite or others were tiny, this Shure option is a magnitude dinkier.

It’s barely 16cm long and sits as a compact cylinder with plenty of heft. Its construction feels entirely metal, and it’s got a dense feel in hand. As is typical with the Shure products I’ve tested, this feels like a quality item.

On-board stuff is nice and simple, with an XLR connector at one end (probably the largest part of the chassis) to connect to a microphone and a USB-C port and headphone jack on the other. 

The headphone jack is for zero-latency monitoring for your vocals, and the USB-C port is for plugging into a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop for power to the MVX2U Gen 2 itself.

Compatibility for this Shure interface is vast, as it can work with Windows and Mac, as well as iOS and Android devices. Shure also says it’s MFi certified for iPhone and iPad. Any XLR microphone should work, too.

Features

• New DSP settings
• Plug and play with a range of devices
• Feature-rich software

Over the previous generation, Shure has added more extensive software support, with three new DSPs to optimise sound quality further.

These are part and parcel of the brand’s other recent content creation-focused microphones, including the MV88 USB-C, so it’s pleasant to see them make an appearance with this interface, and it means it can work with virtually any XLR microphone.

In taking the three new DSPs that Shure has added in turn, there’s now an Auto Level mode that automatically sets the microphone’s gain for consistent recording, plus a Real-Time Denoiser that reduces background noise, and a Digital Popper Stopper to minimise harsh plosive noises digitally, which can work well in tandem with a physical pop filter on the microphone that’s being used.

Shure has also added a clever feature where the MVX2U Gen 2 automatically stores the last-used audio processing settings for consistency if you’re on the move, plus the noise floor, headphone amp and internal DAC have been improved. If you were intending on using this interface with higher impedance studio headphones, that’s a boon.

The MVX2U Gen 2 supports Shure’s suite of desktop and mobile apps, working plug and play in my experience with Motiv Mix on my Windows gaming PC and the Motiv Audio and Video apps on my Honor Magic V3.

I’d wager the Motiv Audio app is the most feature-rich out there, as it provides convenient access to those new DSPs, plus things such as a tone slider if you want vocals to be brighter, darker, or somewhere in the middle. These features are also available in the Motiv Mix PC application.

You can also enable things such as a high-pass filter and record directly into the app, access your library of said recordings and do things such as firmware updates. It’s all very intuitive and easy to use in a pinch.

Performance

• Consistent output across different sources
• On-board settings storage very handy
• New DSP settings help noise reduction and plosive handling

For my testing with the MVX2U Gen 2, Shure also supplied me with the industry standard performance microphone, the SM58, which can connect to the interface either with an XLR cable or, as I later found out, directly into the base of the microphone, so you can have one unified setup with mic and interface.

The SM58 is an excellent mic out of the box, and this interface made it easy to use it with everything from a PC to my phone, with consistently strong output across each host device.

The extra DSP settings made it easy to enable things such as the Auto Gain, which aided in consistent recording volume across those sources. I can see the mileage for content creators on the go who don’t want to sacrifice production quality. Likewise, the fact that settings are saved to the MVX2U Gen 2 directly makes it easy to move from one device to another to ensure a consistent recording environment on the hardware side.

I was particularly impressed with the Real Time Denoiser, which did an excellent job of removing the noise in my untreated office with some test recordings via Audacity, with everything from music to a loud mechanical keyboard in use while I was speaking. 

Moreover, the Digital Popper Stopper did a strong job of dealing with the hard plosive sounds, which alleviates some of the concerns I’ve had with Shure’s recent mic releases. Their handling of plosives has been a little bit of an issue, and this additional software toggle makes it a fair bit better.

Should you buy it?

FAQs