Name: Elgato Wave 3
Brand: Elgato
SKU: e104b139-c049-429a-9d3c-d4e7fe96eef6
Price: 119.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 9.7 (7642 reviews)

vs

$119.99

The Elgato Wave 3 is a USB microphone that is designed for content creators, podcasters, and live streamers who need a high-quality microphone that pr... more

$99

The Shure SM57 microphone is highly regarded by experts for its exceptional sound quality, durability, and versatility. It is praised for its clear an... more

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Experts recommend Shure SM57 more than Elgato Wave 3

As of 3 Jan 2025, experts prefer Shure SM57 over Elgato Wave 3, but both Microphones have solid expert endorsements.

As per this month's meta ranking, Shure SM57 received 2 recommendations: from Music Radar (26 Jun 2024) and PianoDreamers (25 Jan 2023). By contrast, Elgato Wave 3 received only 3 recommendations from IGN (2 Jan 2025), SoundGuys (22 Feb 2024) and CNN Underscored (1 Jan 2025).

Rank	Change	Price	Microphone	IGN	PCMag	MusicTech	Music Radar	PianoDreamers	PC Gamer	SoundGuys	CNN Underscored	Tom's Guide	Wirecutter
2	-	$99	Shure SM57 The Shure SM57 microphone is highly regarded for its exceptional sound quality, durability, versatility, and compatibility, making it a popular choice among musicians, producers, and recording engineers for capturing instruments and vocals in various live and studio settings.	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	-
3	-	$120	Elgato Wave 3 The Elgato Wave 3 is a versatile and reliable USB microphone designed for content creators, podcasters, and live streamers, featuring a cardioid polar pattern, two connectivity options, advanced features, and compatibility with both PC and Mac.	8	-	-	-	-	-	1	3	-	-

Curious to see this month's entire Microphones ranking? It's here

About our ranking methodology

Endorsement summary:

On 2 Jan 2025 IGN ranked Elgato Wave 3 as #8

Rank Microphone Comment

... ... ...

#8 out of 10 Elgato Wave 3
Best Plug-In-Play Microphone for Streaming

... ... ...

Source: www.ign.com
On 22 Feb 2024 SoundGuys ranked Elgato Wave 3 as #1

Rank Microphone Comment

#1 out of 5 Elgato Wave 3
The Best

... ... ...

Source: www.soundguys.com
On 1 Jan 2025 CNN Underscored ranked Elgato Wave 3 as #3

Rank Microphone Comment

... ... ...

#3 out of 3 Elgato Wave 3
Best microphone for streaming

Source: edition.cnn.com
On 26 Jun 2024 Music Radar ranked Shure SM57 as #1

Rank Microphone Comment

#1 out of 22 Shure SM57
The best for loud guitar cabinets

... ... ...

Source: www.musicradar.com
On 25 Jan 2023 PianoDreamers ranked Shure SM57 as #1

Rank Microphone Comment

#1 out of 11 Shure SM57
The King of Versatility

... ... ...

Source: www.pianodreamers.com

After counting and adding up the 92 expert endorsements of the January rankings, Shure SM57 outranks Elgato Wave 3. This is not to say that Elgato Wave 3 is a bad option. Like Shure SM57, it is recommended by experts, but less.

MetaRanking Common points from expert reviews summarized.

As can be seen below, Shure SM57 outranks Elgato Wave 3 by 1 position. This indicates that, as of 3 Jan 2025, Shure SM57 is more critically acclaimed than Elgato Wave 3.

Rank	Change	Price	Microphone	IGN	PCMag	MusicTech	Music Radar	PianoDreamers	PC Gamer	SoundGuys	CNN Underscored	Tom's Guide	Wirecutter
1	-	$100	Blue Yeti The Blue Yeti microphone is a versatile and durable device with four directional patterns, a built-in headphone jack, and compatibility with a wide range of devices and software, making it a popular choice among content creators, podcasters, and gamers.	-	-	11	-	-	-	-	1	1	-
2	-	$99	Shure SM57 The Shure SM57 microphone is highly regarded for its exceptional sound quality, durability, versatility, and compatibility, making it a popular choice among musicians, producers, and recording engineers for capturing instruments and vocals in various live and studio settings.	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	-
3	-	$120	Elgato Wave 3 The Elgato Wave 3 is a versatile and reliable USB microphone designed for content creators, podcasters, and live streamers, featuring a cardioid polar pattern, two connectivity options, advanced features, and compatibility with both PC and Mac.	8	-	-	-	-	-	1	3	-	-
4	+12	$279	Shure MV7 Plus	5	7	-	-	-	6	-	-	3	-
5	-1	Check price	Blue Yeti X	1	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-
6	-1	$149	Shure MV6	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	4	-
7	-1	$297	SteelSeries Alias Pro	3	4	-	-	-	7	-	-	-	-
8	-1	$399	Shure SM7B The Shure SM7B is a highly regarded dynamic microphone that delivers exceptional sound quality, particularly for recording vocals, with its wide frequency response range, flat frequency response, presence boost, and effective noise isolation.	-	-	10	12	8	-	-	-	-	-
9	-1	$35	Razer Seiren Mini The Razer Seiren Mini microphone is praised for its sound quality, directionality, and compatibility, making it a highly recommended choice for clear and focused audio recording in various applications.	-	-	-	-	-	2	5	-	-	-
10	-1	$186	Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set The Sennheiser Profile Streaming Set is a USB microphone with a cardioid polar pattern, frequency response range of 20Hz to 20kHz, and several useful features, making it a great choice for streamers, podcasters, and content creators.	-	3	-	-	-	4	-	-	-	-
14	-	$119	HyperX QuadCast S The HyperX QuadCast S is a versatile and reliable USB microphone suitable for podcasting, streaming, gaming, and vocal recording, with four polar patterns, built-in pop filter and noise reduction technology, and two connectivity options.	6	-	-	-	-	5	-	-	-	-
15	-	$279	Shure MV7 The Shure MV7 microphone is a versatile and adaptable option for podcasters, streamers, and content creators, offering excellent sound quality, noise-cancelling capabilities, and connectivity options.	-	-	4	8	-	-	-	-	-	-
16	+1	Check price	Rode NT1 The Rode NT1 is a high-quality studio condenser microphone with a wide frequency response range, low self-noise, cardioid polar pattern, dual connectivity options, and durable construction, making it a versatile and reliable choice for recording vocals and acoustic guitars.	-	6	-	6	-	-	-	-	-	-
17	+1	$449	Electro-Voice RE20 The Electro-Voice RE20 is a dynamic broadcast microphone with exceptional sound quality, advanced noise reduction features, and a wide frequency range, making it a versatile and reliable choice for professional audio recording and broadcasting applications.	-	-	8	13	-	-	-	-	-	-
18	+1	$3595	Neumann U87 Ai The Neumann U87 Ai is a top-of-the-line condenser microphone that delivers warm, crystal-clear, and detailed sound quality, making it ideal for recording vocals, acoustic guitar, and spot microphones for individual instruments in a sound-treated recording space.	-	-	13	-	11	-	-	-	-	-
Show all rows

Expert Reviews There are people on the Internet whose job is to review products. Below are their opinions.

Expert reviews [24]

85

Total expert reviews: 24

with a score: 12
without a score: 12

Highest score by TechRadar	100
Average score based on 24 reviews	85
Lowest score by PCMag	70

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20

Expert reviews [8]

96

Total expert reviews: 8

with a score: 3
without a score: 5

Highest score by homestudiobasics.com	100
Average score based on 8 reviews	96
Lowest score by SoundGuys	89

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20

From Seller:

Cardioid Condenser Capsule: capture speech with clarity and detail.
Wave Link App: control Wave:3 and up to eight other audio sources, plus create two independent mixes.
24-bit/96kHz Analog-to-Digital Converter: professional broadcast audio quality.
Read more

From Seller:

EXEPTIONAL VOCAL PERFORMANCE - The SM57-LC delivers high-quality vocal reproduction, thanks to its tailored frequency response and brightened midrange for clear and present vocals.
INDUSTRY STANDARD - The first choice for performers around the globe, the SM57 Dynamic Vocal Microphone is ready to bring any performance to life. From the club to the stadium, Shure has your back.
Read more