AudioChainsDB

ShureBeta 58A

microphone

New retail price (MSRP)

$169

Used market: $130*

Check price at ThomannManufacturer datasheet

Specifications

5 of 8 values have a recorded source
Connectors
XLR 3-Pin Male·
Built-in converter
no·
Transducer
Dynamic Moving Coil✓
Sensitivity
-51✓
Output impedance
150✓
Phantom power required
no✓
Connection
XLR-Only✓
Indexable Locales
·

Expert Audio Engineering Commentary

Tonal profile

Supercardioid, neodymium magnet, 50 Hz to 16 kHz. The tighter pattern means a rear lobe: what is directly behind the mic is not rejected the way a cardioid rejects it.

Gain staging

-51 dBV/Pa, 3.5 dB hotter than an SM58 and 8 dB hotter than an SM7B. This is the loud end of the dynamic range; a 50 dB preamp is plenty.

Setups using this gear

Cloudlifter CL-Zi with a Shure Beta 58A: the three-position switch is attenuation, not three levels of gain

* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~77% retained value).