ShureSuper 55 Deluxe

Tonal profile

Supercardioid dynamic in the chrome die-cast shell of the 55SH, but with a modern Beta-series cartridge rather than the old Unidyne element.

Gain staging

-53 dBV/Pa is 6 dB hotter than an SM7B, so the gain demand is moderate. The 290 ohm output impedance is the real number here - roughly double a typical Shure dynamic and the highest in this batch. The usual rule wants the preamp input at least ten times the microphone, and 290 ohms rules out the 1 kohm inputs still found on cheap mixers without costing level and low end.