Which Microphones Have Built-In Pop-Filter?

Microphones with built-in pop-filters are quite prevalent and as many or even more microphones come with custom pop-filters dedicated to the specific model. People love microphones with built-in pop-filters as they don’t cover the design of the microphone and since podcasts have become a thing and gaming was always there, you often want to have your good-looking microphone in view. In other cases, such as it became with the iconic Shure SM7B, the custom pop-filter complements how the microphone looks.

The membrane within the microphone is designed to sense relatively subtle vibrations and is easily overloaded by too much input. Hence, the air hitting the diaphragm often overloads the sensor and creates an unpleasant distorted sound. A pop-filter will reduce such plosives created by your mouth pushing out sudden air. It works by dissipating puffs of air before they reach the sensitive membrane of your microphone. Therefore, pop-filters are often built-in into microphones or included as an accessory in a package.

I have provided two lists of popular microphones, one of the microphones with built-in pop-filters and another of microphones with custom pop-filters included in a package.

Microphones with built-in pop-filter:

Microphone	Type	Price ($)
Rode PodMic	Dynamic	100$
Rode Procaster	Dynamic	170$
Shure 55SH	Dynamic	200$
Shure 55SH Deluxe	Dynamic	250$
Electro-Voice RE320	Dynamic	300$
Rode Broadcaster	Condenser	420$
Electro-Voice RE20	Dynamic	450$
Electro-Voice RE27ND	Dynamic	500$
Neumann KMS 105	Condenser	700$
Neumann BCM 705	Dynamic	700$
Neumann TLM 102	Condenser	730$

Microphones with external pop-filter included:

Microphone	Type	Price ($)
Lewitt LCT 240 Pro	Condenser	160$
Rode NTG1	Shotgun	185$
Rode NT1-A	Condenser	200$
Rode NT1 Kit	Condenser	230$
Lewitt LCT 440	Condenser	270$
AKG C 451 B	Condenser	315$
AKG Pro C214	Condenser	350$
Stellar X3	Condenser	350$
Rode NT2-A	Condenser	380$
Shure SM7B	Dynamic	400$
Lewitt LCT 540 Subzero	Condenser	700$
Neumann KM 184	Condenser	850$
AKG Pro Audio C414 XLII	Condenser	960$
Sennheiser Professional MKH 416	Shotgun	1,000$
Lewitt LCT 940 Reference Class	Condenser	1,700$
Neumann U 87 Ai	Condenser	3,600$

The prices above are as of August 2022.

Different types of external pop-filters:

• Metal mesh pop-filter – usually the most pricy and premium-looking. I like them because they often don’t have edges around the mesh that would block the vision when reading a script and also they won’t tear.

• Nylon mesh pop-filter – a lower tier pop-filters compared to metal mesh. However, in terms of performance, there’s little to no difference. Also, they are very cheap.

• Foam pop-filter – even cheaper than nylon mesh pop-filters and also helps to reduce wind noise as they cover the microphone from all directions. However, they color the voice a bit.

Primarily, pop-filters were created as a method to avoid inadvertent spit collecting into the microphone from speaking into it. Also, built-in and cover-up foam pop-filters are great at preventing dust from reaching the insides of the microphone. All of which help prolong the longevity of the microphone.