The Best-Selling Recording Gear of 2023

Near the end of each year, we like to pause as it draws to a close to take stock of the year's best-selling music gear.

Below, we first take a look at the best-selling microphones and then turn our attention to other studio gear. All lists in this piece include items purchased across all conditions, whether brand new or used.

As always, these lists exclude items that were exclusively for sale on Reverb, on sale for exclusive-to-Reverb prices, or otherwise benefitted from exclusive promotions on our site. Find all of the year's best-selling gear lists: guitars, synths and electronic gear, and pedals and amps.

Note: All rankings are determined by total order count—that is, the actual number of items sold, not the total price of sold items.

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Key takeaways

• There's not much in the way of surprises here, with Shure's dominance of the top of the best-selling mic lists continuing without attenuation.
• The Beyerdynamic M 160 is the lone ribbon mic on the list, while the Townsend Labs I22 is the only modeler.
• The top-selling condenser? The Neumann TLM 103, which, while less expensive than many mics from that storied brand, is still quite a large price point above the next condenser, Audio-Technica's AT2020.

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Key takeaways

• Just as Shure always tops the mics list, Focusrite always tops the interfaces. What's surprising about this go-around is that 2023's best-selling Focusrite are now the previous generation's worth of Scarletts. Will the new crop of 4th Gen interfaces start supplanting 3rd Gens in 2024?
• Universal Audio's best-known Apollo Twin interfaces continue to sell at large numbers, larger than even a lot of more-budget-friendly interfaces. Meanwhile, UA's Volt series, which could be seen as that brand's attempt at an elevated Scarlett, have been steady sellers since their release in late 2021.

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