During the course of this review, we’ll be looking at two microphones that come from a sound powerhouse, the Shure SM57 Vs SM58.
Before we dive in, this might be quite a long article. If you don’t have the time to read through it all, we suggest reading through the next three sections. In these sections, you would find all the information you need in bite-sized form.
Table of Contents
Shure SM57 Vs SM58 – Comparison Overview
Overall Review Of Shure SM57 Vs SM58
The SM57 is a cardioid dynamic microphone designed basically for picking up instruments, whether amplified or acoustic. Still, Shure made sure that it offers just as rich of a recording when it comes to vocals.
Outfitted with contoured frequency response, the SM57 also naturally reduces background noises and features a pneumatic shock mount system to minimize those worrisome vibrations.
While the SM57 is custom-made for musicians, the SM58 is intended mainly for recording vocals. It too has a uniform cardioid polar pattern, allowing for every nuance of your voice to be captured clearly and evenly.
No matter what kind of performance it is recording, from podcasters and singers to speech-makers and business leaders, the SM58 carries your message out to the audience with that crisp sound that makes you want to use it every single time.
Rating Of The Features Of Shure SM57 Vs SM58
The Shure SM58 comes with a stand adapter and a zippered pouch. There’s an option of purchasing an extra XLR-to-USB signal adapter, foam windscreen, and mic stand.
The SM57 Microphone bundle comes with a USB cable, an XLR-to-USB Signal Adapter, a USB cable, an adjustable desktop stand, a foam windscreen, an anti-roll mic device, and a clamp-on gooseneck pop filter.
The SM58 has an inbuilt spherical wind and pop filter that helps to reduce undesired pop noises that the mic picks up. These sounds can either originate from your breath or from wind gusts that occur during live performances.
The SM57 doesn’t have a pop filter, so if you’re planning to purchase it for onstage or studio performance, it’s best to buy a separate pop filter from Shure.
The rated impedance for Shure SM58 is 150 Ohms (actual impedance is 300 Ohms). However, the impedance for SM57 is not indicated.
Price Value Ratio – Shure SM57 Vs SM58
The Shure SM57 Vs SM58 comes with the same set of price tags which should be a relief, considering that they are more or less on par as far as the level of production they each yield.
Shure SM57 Vs SM58 – Specs Comparison
SM57 | SM58 | |
| Weight | 10 ounces | 10.5 ounces |
| Frequency | 40 to 15,000 Hz | 50 to 15,000 Hz |
| Dimension | 6.2 x 1.2 x 1.2 inches | 10.31 x 4.92 x 3.31 inches |
| Pick-up pattern | Uniform cardioid | Uniform cardioid |
| Built-in pneumatic shock-mount system | Yes | No |
| Connector | XLR | Three-pin XLR male |
| Built-in wind (spherical) and pop filter | No | Yes |
SM57 Vs SM58 – Circumstances They Are Best Suited For
Shure SM57 | Shure SM58 |
| The SM57 is best suited for the studio. If that’s what you want a microphone for then you’re in for a tremendous recording experience with the SM57 on your side. Its contoured frequency response streamlines production, making it a much smoother journey to the best possible audio quality. | With a concentration on capturing quality vocals, the SM58 also has a pneumatic shock mount. But this microphone doesn’t just focus on keeping background noise to a minimum. It also goes further to remove any unwanted air sound that threatens to damage the recording quality. That means a spherical mesh grille and a built-in pop filter is included to downplay any vocal missteps that may interfere. |
Similarities Between These Two Microphones – SM57 Vs SM58
Here we’ll talk about the relationship between SM57 and the SM58, not necessarily their features but everything that makes these microphones similar.
Pricing
Regardless of which microphone you end up purchasing, you’ll find that the SM57 and SM58 actually share remarkably similar price points. The basic version of both products is priced at a budget-friendly amount which is actually pretty reasonable, considering the audio quality that either microphone delivers.
Accessories
The SM57 and the SM58 come with accessories that can help you kick-start a recording. You’ll receive a swivel stand adapter and storage bag with either microphone so that you’ll be ready to roll as soon as you open up the box.
Polar Pattern
The term polar pattern describes how a microphone picks up sound. More specifically, it describes how sensitive the microphone is to sound waves coming in from different directions. A microphone’s polar pattern is an important consideration when it comes to figuring out if a microphone is the right or wrong tool for a particular situation.
Unidirectional Microphones are microphones that only pick up sound with high gain from a specific side or direction of the microphone. Thus, if a user is speaking into a unidirectional microphone, he must speak into correct side, normally called the voice side, of the microphone in order to get good gain when recording
Unidirectional microphones are used in applications where the target sound source to be recorded is directly in front of the microphone, and all other sounds in the room that may be on the sides and rear do not want to be recorded. The SM57 and the SM58 are unidirectional microphones making them superb for recordings.
Differences Between These Microphones – SM57 Vs SM58
Connectivity
The SM57 solely operates with a wired connection. The SM58 can work with or without a cable. Of course, additional components would be needed to make this work, but luckily, Shure has a number of wireless systems that complement the SM58.
If being free to move around during a recording, a speech, and other live performances, then the SM58 is the microphone you’ll need.
The SM57’s more immobile design would probably only make matters difficult and disturb your thought process and performance quality. You cannot put a price on the freedom provided to you by a wireless experience.
Design
Part of what makes the SM57 and SM58 so different when it comes to their applications is the exterior design. Both microphones have a grille. The SM58 has a much bigger one to better capture the roundness of a vocal performance. It even features a built-in pop filter to minimize plosives and other unwanted sounds.
The SM57 has a smaller grille that features a resonator and grille assembly that downplays any potential vocal imperfections that might sneak their way through. In fact, the grille in the SM57 is part of the cartridge itself.
The distinct grille designs each place the diaphragm in a different location, optimizing the acoustic range even before one second of audio is recorded.
Unique Features Of SM57
Frequency Response 40 to 15,000 Hz
As the name suggests, the microphone frequency response is the microphone’s response to frequencies. More specifically, the frequency response is a microphone’s frequency-specific sensitivity to sound frequencies.
Microphones respond to sound waves (mechanical wave energy) at their diaphragms, converting the waves into audio signals (electrical energy). Sound waves are complex and are typically made of a range of frequencies with a range of amplitudes. These sound waves have a frequency range of 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz.
The Shure SM57 microphone has a frequency response is 40 Hz – 15 kHz. This means that the SM57 will effectively recreate sounds in the range of 40 Hz to 15,000 Hz. The mic will be capable of outputting these frequencies in its mic signal.
The snare drum is a perfect pairing for the SM57. The fundamental frequencies for the snare occur in the 150-250 Hz range. Therefore, the SM57 would capture these key frequencies as they are; without boosting or cutting them. The SM57 frequency response is also good for speech purposes.
Unique Features Of SM58
Impedance – 150 Ohms
Microphone impedance is the amount of opposition that a microphone has to AC signals. The Shure SM58 has a low impedance of 150 Ohms; their main advantage is that they perform well over long-distance cables, while microphones with high impedance begin to produce poor quality audio after about 5 or 10 meters.
Versions Available
Shure SM58 has the Shure SM BETA 58A as one of its versions. Firstly, they are both dynamic mics and both have a pumping pneumatic shock-mount. This is a great feature for rejecting unwanted sounds and handling noise.
The frequency of both microphones is tailored for vocals and speech, so they perfectly cope with this task.
Their differences- Shure SM58 has cardioid polar pattern and Shure BETA 58A has a super-cardioid polar pattern. Another difference is that BETA 58A has a neodymium magnet for high signal–to–noise output.
SM57 Vs SM58 – Video Review
SM57 Vs SM58 – Pros
SM57
- It has a superb pick-up and accurate instrument reproduction
- It has a rugged, durable design
- It has a wider frequency response
- It is portable and lightweight
SM58
- It’s designed for outstanding vocal reproduction
- It has an integrated wind and pop filter
- It is also durable and lightweight
SM57 Vs SM58 – Cons
SM57
- It doesn’t feature a pop filter
- This mic isn’t the best for vocal reproduction
- Some people might find it pricey
SM58
- Not designed for instrument reproduction
- Some customers have issues with the switched version
- Relatively expensive, this explains its amazing quality.
Unique Pros – Shure SM57 Vs SM58
| Shure SM57 | Shure SM58 | |
Dynamic Microphones | Dynamic mics are nearly indestructible. After a nuclear bomb goes off there’ll only be glass and dynamic mics everywhere. It’s great for recording insanely loud volumes, because they have little to no electronics or integrated circuits, they can take a lot of sound pressure and just keep on putting out voltage. | Same as the SM57 |
Unique Cons – Shure SM57 Vs SM58
Shure SM57 | Shure SM58 | |
Poor Transient Noise | A transient is a short duration, high-level peaks, such as a hand-clap or snare drum hit. Transient response refers to the ability of a microphone to respond to these transient peaks. The transient response for a condenser microphone is quick and accurate due to the light mass of the diaphragm. In contrast, dynamic microphones have a heavy diaphragm along with the additional weight of the coil of wire. It, therefore, takes longer for the diaphragm to react to a sound wave due to the effects of inertia hence causing a less accurate recording. | Same as the SM57 |
What Do People Think About These Microphones – Shure SM57 Vs SM58
| Shure SM57 | Shure SM58 |
| People loved its quality, how rugged the mic is how great it is for recording and live performance. They also loved that this industry-standard microphone fits the bill nicely and is great for playing instruments. People loved that this is a great versatile mic; you can use it to record amps or acoustic guitar audio, you can also use them for vocals too. They say it is very much a long term investment, if you don’t somehow misplace it, it will last forever. | A lot of people loved the Shure SM58 because of its professionalism; you can use the microphone with a PA system and expect a great result. People loved that the SM58 amplifies your voices, shows the richness and beauty. They loved that it’s great for recording indoor and outdoor activities. People loved that the SM58 is kind of bulletproof, undying, after so many years the sound still remains great |
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| Click here to get yours now! | Click here to get yours now! |
Shure SM57 Vs SM58 – Conclusion
Ultimately, whether you prefer the SM57 or SM58 is a question of your own personal choice. In many ways, the two microphones make similarly attractive offers. They’re durable, affordable and produce a very unique sound. But their construction and design mean that your choice really depends on what you intend to use the microphone for.
The primary difference between the SM57 and SM58 is the market they were for. The former is, of course, targeted to studio musicians and perhaps solo voice work, while the latter caters to podcasters, interviewers and on-stage performers. If your activities lean towards one category over another, this should help make your decision.
Not to worry, you are in good hands in either case. Shure is number in the industry because of it back-to-back top-notch products like the SM57 and SM58. Whatever you intend to use it for; you’ll surely consider these Shure microphones to be a wise investment.