Shure

[Malcolm Boyce]

Just curious...

[macrae11]

Prefer the Beta 58 in general. Just cuts a bit better.

[Jef]

...you know... both mics deliver a very good sound quality for rock vocals,
but it depends entirely on the vocalist in question as to which mic works better.
It's been my experience that in a live situation, the Beta 58 works better with
vocalists who sing in the higher range (still talking about rock music) and female vocalists.
The SM 58 seems to respond better to vocalists who sing in the lower frequency range
and particularly with less 'screaming' type vocals.
To compare one of these mics to the other would depend entirely on the situation.

[Malcolm Boyce]

The SM58 still has it's place in the toolbox, but for me, I would use the Beta for live vocals over the SM if given the choice. The SM can be the winner in quieter setups, but then I would go to a condenser like the Beta87 strictly for quality, this as I said, when given the choice.

The SM is still one of the greatest mics ever made, and for spoken voice, you will not find a more all purpose, works every time mic.

I was one of the guys who originally thought it was a mistake for them to call the Beta a "58", but then I realized it got all of us to try a mic we may have passed on if it were called something else, and won them a new "Classic".

The price on the Beta58A is so low now, there's no reason not to be using them everywhere if you likey the Shure.

[oddioguy]

I'm pretty much in the Beta58 camp as well. Gain-before-feedback has always been a factor for me, and the Beta gave me that long before feedback destroyers were economically feasable.

[weatherstation audio]

well... after seeing the glaring difference a Beta-58 makes on the Boardwalk gig... It's way obvious that it rocks for rock !

[Malcolm Boyce]

well... after seeing the glaring difference a Beta-58 makes on the Boardwalk gig... It's way obvious that it rocks for rock !

Perfect example of a gig where it's the only "58" that works.

[stosostu]

Whilst I've bee an SM58 user for longer than I care to remember, I recently got four CAD25As. I A/B'ed them against Beta 58s, since they are super cardioid I didn't bother with a comparison with the 58s (apples vs apples etc) and couldn't pick the difference, and for about one third the price they got the gig.

That said I still have a couple of SM58s and a beta58 in the bag. You never can tell when they might be the only mic that cuts it.

[oddioguy]

http://www.cadmics.com/CAD25A.htm

Certainly worth a look.
Installers of commercial audio will love the on-off switch.

[Malcolm Boyce]

http://www.cadmics.com/CAD25A.htm

Certainly worth a look.
Installers of commercial audio will love the on-off switch.

And no version without a switch, or at least a lock on the switch, guarantees it not getting used on any "big" stages.

[stosostu]

Yes, the switch was a concern for me, but it is well recessed and I 'locked' them with by wiring across the switch.

[Alain Benoit]

I own all three and I will mostly always choose a Beta58 over either the SM58 or the Beta58A.

[Malcolm Boyce]

I never had a huge preference between the the Beta58A and the original Beta. There is a difference, but they both perform super well, and unless you had one next to the other, you'd be hard pressed to know which one you had.