Testing the old with the new

By Steve Trimble
Edited by Edward Frebowitz

I suppose one of the most impressive tests I have ever seen with a Shure SM58 is a signal comparison between one made in 1975 and one that was brand new out of the box. The comparison was done in a complete anechoic chamber test and the results were amazing. We all know how rugged and durable a SM58 is. That's not part of this discussion. When the two microphones were compared, there was less than 2db difference across the entire frequency band from the old microphone to the new one more than 25 years later. This is one of the primary reasons that the Shure SM58 microphone has become the cornerstone of sound reinforcement throughout the years. Show after show, night after night, the artist and the engineer know exactly how this microphone will perform.