AudioChainsDB

ShureSM57

microphone

New retail price (MSRP)

$99

Used market: $75*

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
-56✓
Output impedance
150✓
Phantom power required
no✓
Connection
XLR-Only✓
Indexable Locales
·

Expert Audio Engineering Commentary

Tonal profile

Same cartridge family as the SM58 without the ball grille, so the capsule sits closer to the source and the top end is less diffused. Response starts at 40 Hz instead of 50 Hz.

Gain staging

1.5 dB quieter than the SM58 on paper (-56.0 vs -54.5 dBV/Pa) purely because the grille is gone. On a snare or a guitar cabinet that never matters; on speech at arm's length it does.

Setups using this gear

Shure SM57 through a Golden Age Pre-73 MkIV: which input on the MiniFuse 2, and what to do with the second gain knobShure SM57 into a Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen: how much gain do you actually need?Does an SM57 need a Cloudlifter on a Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen?

* Estimated with the depreciation fallback (~76% retained value).