Behringer XM8500 vs. Shure SM48 Comparison (Versus Series)

Today we compare two budget dynamic microphones, the Behringer XM8500 and the Shure SM48 to determine which is the best for your home studio, stage use, or podcast.
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00:00 - Intro
00:20 - Build Quality Discussion
00:59 - XM8500 Spoken Word & Specs
01:42 - SM48 Spoken Word & Specs
02:13 - XM8500 Polar Pattern Test
02:33 - SM48 Polar Pattern Test
02:51 - Proximity Effect Test
03:05 - 2 Foot Distance Test
03:12 - Keyboard Background Noise Test
03:37 - Handling Noise Test
03:58 - Plosive Rejection Test
04:18 - Music Test (Electric / Acoustic / Singing)
06:05 - Winner
06:15 - Selection for Voice Over
06:50 - Selection for Singing
07:02 - Selection for Stage Use
07:19 - Selection for Guitar
07:46 - Why Did You Pick the Winner?
08:31 - Summary
09:05 - Outro
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[@stevensmith4099]

You totally nailed it in this review. I did a side by side a few years ago with these mics and came to the exact same conclusions. XM8500 sounds better for voice (even better than sm58 to my ears) but the SM48 sounds better for instruments and has better plosives and handling noise. I will say the 8500 still sounds great on a stage even with the plosives and handling.

[@QuickQuips]

I used XM8500 and SM58 together during a small college concert as an A/V guy. The XM8500 held its own, though it has a darker sound (which tbh I like especially on male voices).

[@rbeamish6492]

@@QuickQuips I've used both together, the Behringer blows the Shure out of the water for clarity and feedback resistance

[@nosweatendeavor]

What exactly is 3:15? I'm using obs and I don't want to buy a preamp yet

[@tauttechminusmanagedmusic3778]

You should not be using either for recording instruments.

[@fightermma]

Which one would you recommend for podcasting?

[@NotTheOnlyMattAround]

XM8500 was my first microphone and I didn't realize what a great choice it was until I bought several mics many times its cost later. You can't go wrong with it.

[@joshuajarman]

I use four Behringer XM8500 mics for my weekly Open Mic Nights. Affordable, quality build and reliable. Absolutely worth the money if you just need a mic.

[@kynthiamoosik80]

You are the best mic reviewer.

[@user-ek3xp9hs5x]

I agree

[@triniman1219]

Facts

[@leemsky]

I always watch his videos before buying a mic

[@TheShmrsh]

Ever

[@devilcloudleitung6080]

Can agree

[@taunbeddes7055]

XM 8500 had a warmer tone. The SM 48 sounded a bit thin for voice. Loved the review.

[@KenTeel]

If you're singing rock stuff with screaming high end, where you want to get over the band, the SM48 would do the job. If you're crooning, and want a full sound, the XM8500 would be a better choice.

[@whatskraken3886]

@@KenTeel This is quite wrong. if you're doing screaming vocals or other harsh, aggressive things, you want less high end, and a warmer mic, not the opposite.

[@KenTeel]

@@whatskraken3886 Hummm.... interesting. So do you think that the SM58 is used by screaming vocalist in rock bands (It has a lift on the high end)?

[@whatskraken3886]

@@KenTeel the SM58 is used on quite literally everything, this is proof of nothing

[@KenTeel]

@@whatskraken3886 Yes, it is proof of something, because if what you said is true about screamers wanting to use mics that are warmer in tone, then the SM58 would not be used by them, and we all know that they are used by them. So, much for your theory.

[@enoraso]

I love "versus" and I love "budget" so I love this one twice as much! I like Behringer more, somehow sound was better imo. and them keys weren't as loud.

[@circedge]

Behringer sounds like ass for instruments but yeah it wins on voice. Shure just sounds like it's heavily compressed and unnatural and Behringer's faults can probably be fixed with a little reverb and balancing the mids.

[@thetrashpanda9085]

I use the XM8500 plugged into a PreSonus AudioBox USB 96 and I love how it sounds. I use it for doing the voice over on a weekly radio show and it works perfect for what I do. I highly recommend this mic for anyone looking for a budget mic.

[@furkna8692]

I use the same setup but I can't get a usable signal without cranking up the gain to max and that makes it too loud and hissy. It is really bad and unusable for me

[@AudioforContentCreators]

I've been gearing up to do a video all about the SM48 for entry level podcasting - I feel like it's such an under appreciated and under talked about mic. Especially if you're doing mobile podcasting, traveling or flying, and want something less expensive than your studio mics in case of damage. Great stuff as always!

[@danmagoo]

Great reviews and excellent comments, with well-reasoned and clearly explained conclusions. It's exactly the kind of info people need.

[@MagicCyclops]

behringer sounds better to my ears -guess we are going to go snag a few of those

[@henrihelvetica5835]

I'm shopping around for a mic, exclusively for podcast needs and I'm glad I watched this as I was super curious @ how the XM8500 sounded. Really glad I tuned in. Thanks for that and that was a great review. Cheers

[@RudyVisuals]

This was JUST what I needed! Really seems like the XM8500s are superb for the price!

[@PassportBigBro]

finally an audiophile giving me what i want and none of the extra bs thank you bro

[@Kobrar44]

KZbin quality much audiophile!

[@Jeerven]

Im glad I bought The xm8500. I was about to buy the Sm48 but it was to Expensive for My budget. But the Xm8500 Sounds better than Sm48 for Voice at least.

[@DashenBoi]

I feel like they are pretty similar but im still getting the sm48 for the boosted treble and the authenticity of the brand.

[@PatrickLaFratta]

The explanation of the sensitivity of the XM8500 is much appreciated. I was quite confused by the “-70dB” when I saw it on the data sheet on the Behringer website. And I couldn’t find an explanation when searching around on Google. So many thanks for the help with that.

[@Breathinggg]

For less than 90,- I got: - XM8500 - Microphone arm set with windscreen and popfilter + cable management stuff - UCM22 - XLR Cable 6M Definitely better than getting a Blue Yeti condenser mic since my room isn’t treated well and I hate background noise :)

[@sebastiana.p.7084]

Amo estas comparaciones. Van directo al punto.

[@skinnyTheCat]

Wonderful and great video and comparison shootout! Your just great at what you do! Thanks! :)

[@theozimbro]

Man, your comparison was pretty good! Thanks!

I have this Behringer and i love this mic for voiceovers.

[@b-ill2195]

I have the Sm48 and just ordered the beringer xm8500 can't wait to hear it and Thanks for the review 👍

[@DashenBoi]

Bruh just stay with the sm48

[@nicksregor4208]

Thank you for doing the guitar comparison!

[@BanditDragoon]

This is a great review i keep looking at other reviews of more common microphones like the snowball ice from blue microphones and the last thing they do is show how it sounds when you are typing on the keyboard with the microphone, i dont have a mechanicle keyboard so the noise is not an issue but im always worried about the vibrations running through the desk. So yea this review gets a like from me.

[@Podcastage]

Happy to hear it helped.

[@ShadowTheLight]

I'm in love with how the XM8500 sounds on instruments!

[@ReeseRyanWrites]

I completely agree with your assessment. I would only be doing voice, so for XM8500 would likely be my choice. Thanks!

[@IOS.mobile]

Great job on all of the videos. I would like to hear these budget microphones running thru the Rodecaster Pro. The XM8500 might be perfect for the guys that need to purchase 4 mics.

[@t4iga121]

Exact calls I would have made and great ideas for testing. Overall very good video.

[@CamilleGarifull]

Perfect review, thank you!

[@ChrisGardinerBill]

Excellent review. Completely agree. For the record I love my XM8500 but I only use it for spoken word!

[@onurcandemirbilek4874]

It s the best review i ve ever seen. Very usefull and honest. Thanks for share🙏

[@elle3452]

best review ive seen of anything reviewed ever

[@itmspeakers1294]

I own both, but I have 4 XM8500 mics. I use them for field, multi-speaker podcast recordings and for open mics. I agree that the handling noise was pretty awful on the XM8500s, but I use them in boom mic stands, so that isn't an issue. I think they are great value mics, and I recommend them all the time.

[@lundsweden]

I own the XM8500, I quite like the sound. I also have a Rode M2, which is a nice handheld condensor mic and a AKG D5. All mics are good and have their strengths and weaknesses, but I like the XM8500 on male spoken word. I think it is good to have a few different mics to try out on different sources.

[@juanpablolasserre7934]

My GOD you are the BEST!!! BEST Test comparation of this MICs forever. Thanks from ARGENTINA!!!

[@kobalt_ren01]

I've been looking for a microphone to use for electric guitar, and I love your guitar tones!

[@MemerDad]

That was a sick solo. I was rocking so hard with it

[@BenjieMoreno]

thanks bandrew! gonna have this budget podcast setup (xm8500+h6)

[@ale_filmmaker3513]

Man, first I wanna say that your content is golden! What do you recommend for LEts Play/Podcast, Xm8500 or the Q7?

[@ayhancapan]

Sir thank you for your reviews with Beringer xm8500... Would it work with Zoom H6... I consider to have an economic microphone for my future street interviews. I don't want it gets all the ambiance voices around. O i consider buying this one. Thank you in advance...

[@andyoclover]

Exactly!I just bought xm8500 and it will do just right for speech.I like how it sounds.Yeah, and your reviews are class!Thumbs up

[@robr471]

Awesome video and comparison

[@ricklynn6176]

Sm-48 for me. I’ve had both and my shure is still around. Enough said. Behringer for to me is always just ok. And their prices reflect that. (I’ve tried a ton of their products anywhere from guitar amps, to “pro audio interface equipment “ ) you get what you pay for. Amazon has the sm-48 for $30 worth every penny of the extra $10 to me. Great video.

[@armsby]

You have some great reviews, really down to earth practical comparisons. In this case the Beringer wins for me.

[@ShadowTheLight]

Wow now I know that I can talk into the side of the mic to sound like I'm on old radio instead of using noise filters, this is more fun than I thought.

[@savanaviolenta]

I tought so

[@demofactory]

Have you checked out any of the mics from Thomann's Music? I'm hearing mixed reviews, but I suspect brand bias has been an issue. Thanks for all the hard work and great reviews!!!!

[@perkeleman1265]

The SC400 condenser is kinda cool for it's price, although I think the best cheap Condenser is the Superlux E205. The ~200 eur T.bone Tube mics also sounded pretty interesting, although I only heard online comparisons.

[@TekEvolved]

Just got myself a XM8500 for voiceover after my backup mic - EditorsKeys Sl150 started to fail. I went with it over the Shure SM48 because of my main mic RODE Procaster has made me a fan of darker sounding microphones

[@ShmouelTordjman]

Hi, I realy liked your guitar solo part, I want to hear much more of that.Please .....

[@praveenkumar-wi3ej]

Xm8500 better to my ears, thank you for versus

[@buddhistsympathizer1136]

Many thanks for the great review - I completely agree with your review regarding the sound of the Mics. My ears registered the same as yours (XM8500 a fraction more mellow/deeper and the SM48 a little more shrill). I have an XM8500 and please with it.

[@Podcastage]

Glad you are happy with the mic you have. Here's to many years of great recordings

[@RobKristjansson]

Do you have any interest in looking at field recorders for podcasting? (e.g., TASCAM 60D mkII, Zoom H4 or 5, etc.) A versus would be dope, as the kids used to say!

[@srgarcez]

Excellent comparison

[@kenbest7660]

Good comparison. Agree with your conclusions.

[@reggiep75]

Gotta love a content creator who sub-ironically goes 2 seconds over 10 mins to shame those that only go 1 second to grab that dough from 2 ads rather than one haha. I clicked like before 5 seconds in... I always do, as this is a good, honest and entertaining channel with the right balance of loads of things!

[@Podcastage]

Yet I didn’t take advantage of the mod roll ads that you gain from this feature. Ha.

[@prakashwadhwani]

Great Review!! How about a PG48 vs SM48 review ?? Similarly ... a PG58 vs SM58 review ??

[@williamofockham5042]

You know what the PG stands for? Pretty Good. I

[@miguelkieling532]

I'm considering buying the XM8500 + M Audio Solo interface. The purpose is podcasting and voice overs. I was just wondering if a fethead would be useful or would you say the difference in sound quality would be negligible? What are your thoughts? Many thanks for this review and your time. Appreciated.

[@sapelesteve]

Terrific versus review as always! Gotta give a big thumbs up for Bandrew's "Rambling Thoughts", great guitar playing, and so so singing, just saying............ :)

[@Podcastage]

That’s because I’m not a singer and I cannot afford to hire a professional to do 50+ sessions per year. Ha.

[@Kragatar]

Nooo.... The SM48 is officially my least favorite mic outside of the "obvious garbage" range. It just has this harsh, gritty, cheap sound that I can't stand. Makes voices sound grainy and made the electric guitar painfully shrill. It really sounds like a $10 junk mic to my ears... not sure if there's something wrong with my ears, or if people just assume it's good because it says Shure on it. (I'd LOVE to see it go up against some other cheap-o mics in a blind test). The XM8500 sounds nice and smooth but is lacking in the "oomf" department. It sounds like a mic they'd use at a corporate seminar or something. Still, I'd much rather work with a boring corporate mic than one that sounds like sandpaper. (angry typing fingers lol)

[@MaximusAdonicus]

Ha! The SM48 was MILES better than the XM8500 here in guitars!! The XM8500 sounded dull and dead, but SM48 was very fine. Both did fine on vocals thou. At 4:53 anyone with ears can hear how the sound changes from airy and rich to something recorded with a 5$ computer mic, lol!

[@ciru.]

@@MaximusAdonicus well for voice xm8500 sounds better...

[@DYNAMiXRap]

@@ciru. with a bit eq´ing its sounds similar like a sm7b

[@elSean]

Does the XM8500 need a shockmount? I'll use it for streaming, podcast and singing

[@dailymemies]

Im getting this mic for singing, do i need an interface?, i already have phantom power supply

[@Zeno-rs8bt]

interface for more professional sound

[@alextrin683]

The XM8500 is a Dynamic mic, which does NOT need phantom power. An audio interface with phantom power turned off will sound great with it.

[@christiangutierrez4436]

@@alextrin683 do you know if I can use the behringer mic with an adapter tu plug the mic to my laptop with 3.5 line?

[@KenTeel]

Absolutely accurate. Good job.

[@fernandogalido1557]

Nice review info

[@LiraeNoir]

Overall agreed. Nice versus!

[@Hzuuuu]

Bandrew! Have you tried the Red5 Audio RVD30? I've seen a video where its hyper cardiod polar pattern rejects ALL background noise, standing outside during a very windy and noisy day. Ps. 4:18 sounds is the theme song of Bandrew vs Shirley (I forgot her name lol)

[@radziahradzi]

Sorry for noob question, but can you teach how to connect XLR if you just have a laptop? Or do you need to buy mic with usb? I need a budget cardioid dynamic mic for simple voice over recording but the samson q2u and the range is over my budget in my country. Do you have recommendations for that within this behringer budget?

[@DerJoshbert]

basically agree with pretty much every point. For podcasts or streaming on a budget, the Behringer XM8500 is really nice. If you record other stuff, take the Shure.

[@jonsubs9998]

Some notes on the XM8500: It does sound great on guitar. First off, you don't just place it wherever and complain about the boominess. Just move the mic around to a few spots until you hit a good location. It's the same with any mic. Second, eq the thing, if you get more low-end because the mic is giving you more, just cut some if you want. It's not a worse mic because it has a more complete eq curve. For vocals, the only negative I have on the mic is that the proximity effect is more aggressive and transitions more awkwardly than an SM58. It's not a deal breaker, but you have to work harder during singing vs a 58. Personally, I wouldn't buy the 48 for any reason. The XM8500 is overall a better mic in terms of detail. Buying a 48 is a step down. If you want something slightly nicer get a 58.

[@jonsubs9998]

@@---pp7tq Yes. I have better mics, and when recorded right, the acoustic guitar is hard to tell which mic is better. If I show you 3 recordings, one the XM8500, the others a $200 mic and a $300 mic, you might be able to pick them apart but it would take serious listening several times in solo. In short: You can definitely get good guitar recordings with the XM8500. Good placement, and DAW treatment are more important.

[@TheDartFrog]

Hello! I'm considering upgrading from my blue snowball to something more like this, would an xm8500 with something like a umc22 or um2 be a good choice for youtube videos?

[@johnnyfrisco5354]

Yes sounds good

[@allzcheque]

You are still the best mic reviewer in 2021!

[@spikeimperial]

So I want to kinda upgrade my audio game from purely gaming headsets to one of these two, could I get away with using the USB Sabrent adapter from your previous videos with the xlr to 3.5m to use the xm8500 mic for KZbin Gameplay Commentary videos?

[@BeigeBoy]

both great mics but i went with the EV RE320 for my podcast or my videos bit of a price difference, i think i went with it cause i recently found the h3h3 podcast channel and just binged watched their videos, yep I'm a fan, i watched ur video on the EV RE320 vs the rode pro caster and loved the sound of the EV RE320 so i Amazoned it up and spent £300 oh and a cloud lifter, dude as someone who has been watching ur videos since you were at like 6k subs i think really grateful that there is someone like you doing your vids so someone like me knows if i shud buy a mic or what i need to get so i dont get frustrated btw i still drink coffee while watching Bandrew says episodes,

[@chennainagarajanbagavadhar2864]

I do live shows with two powered monitors with 8 mic mix down from a mixer. Should I use a unidirectional mic or cardiod pattern ones to avoid whistling sound?

[@TheShmrsh]

Which to pick , xm 8500 or shure sm58 ? I'll be just singing in headphones

[@midtown3221]

This is exactly the video I needed for my tiebreaker. Since I just want to use a vocoder I'll be getting the XM8500. As far as recording my accoustic guitar, I do agree with your assessment. Though I am partial to the warmer tone of the XM8500, I like bass and I will be going into the "Voice of God" territory.

[@bigtastyben5119]

Yo bandrew do you have the Shure 545 and 565 on your back log? They are basically the modern iterations of the predecessors to the sm57 and 58 respectively.

[@yasuh4550]

your guitar skills are actually nuts tho

[@Liowen]

I don't know I felt the XM8500 sounded really nice and not as shrill as the Shure SM48 even on the guitars, now it could be I am under the weather but I do prefer a deeper tone in microphones. Even the handling noise sounded about the same....again though my head is really plugged up so I might be missing a lot of sounds.

[@radiozelaza]

Hey, I'm interested in you reviewing that freakish ASUS ROG Strix Magnus gaming mic, which supposedly has some nifty "environment noise cancelling" which can even defeat the obnoxious Cherry MX Blues key stomping noise during lively gameplay. You are the perfect guy for testing its capabilities.

[@DanyelGomess]

Can I connect the XM8500 directly to the PC with a XLR-P2 cable without losing quality?

[@EasyPost99]

I don't know if KZbin does some sort of audio compression on the videos uploaded , but even without using headphones just hearing on the desktop speakers , I would say the SM48 sounded more crisp and clearer . The audio out of the XM8500 sounded like those Bass Boosted headphones where as the audio out of the SM48 sounded more like a flat sounding headphones like the Shure SRH440 , maybe . My 2 cents .

[@FSXgta]

KZbin does volume normalization. Right click and find "statistics for nerds" and it will tell you how much, or rare cases it's not on and will show 100%/100%

[@SgtPnkks]

The guitar comparison really shows the big difference in the midrange... The behringer seems a bit scooped

[@sherrillshaffer579]

I agree with you and with Steven Smith.

[@user-ek3xp9hs5x]

please do on behringer xm8500 vs samson q7?

[@nickwilschut5356]

maybe blending the XM8500 with a SM57 would sound great for high gain guitars, since the 8500 seems a bit dark and the 57 is quite a brite mic. Im gonna try this out myself, pretty interested in the results.

[@devokidd]

Very helpful easy to deduce

[@johanflod]

I just wonder. Initially I really liked the XM8500, but then I started to like the the SM48. Is it just me or is the XM8500 a bit muddy in the bass register? I mean it is really easy to remove some bass In post.

[@krassebewegtbilder]

Could you please review the Behringer TM1 ?

[@cplb2381]

Hi guys, I was just wondering if anyone can help me with decision making. So the xm8500 is out of stock in our country and said it will take longer for them to have another re-stock. Will the PGA48 be good enough to substitute in for the xm8500?

[@justaytacc]

which one would you recommend for recording vocals in a room?

[@zokisvasta]

I bought the XM8500 per your recommendation in another video and I can't figure out why I have to be right next to the mic for it to pick up anything. We're talking mouth on the mic. Even with the gain on the preamp all the way up, with everything turned off in Windows that's usually recommended in the videos and articles explaining how to fix low input volume. I've since given up and went back to my HyperX Cloud 2 headset, which is sad because there's no way that mic should perform better than the Behringer.

[@toshobg]

if you decrease the gain will the background noise (keyboard) disappear or at lost not hearing it so much?

[@IssaAzad]

8500 Very close to SM7B. Very smooth and a natural sound. Put through a Tube preamp!

[@Kombi-1]

The Behringer actually sounds more natural, I think!

[@ConfidenZeTheHumanTorch]

What if I wanna podcast with an occasional music session which mic is best?

[@Mexgadget]

This was a great video! I have a question, would any of these two mics sound different (bad) plugged into a cheaper interface like the BEHRINGER UMC22? thanks!

[@xylophone1128]

I know your comment is 4 months old but if your still interested, I use the XM8500 plugged into the UM2 and they sound great! Cost me less then $100 between the mic, interface, stand, and xlr cable.

[@mwys92]

@@xylophone1128 did you have to put gain to the max or was there some left for adjustments?

[@xylophone1128]

@@mwys92 I set the gain at about 65%, seems to be the sweet spot.

[@erickluisdejesus]

Im from Dominican Republic but i wacth all your reviews... Thanks

[@ManuelBergher]

The noise rejection of the Behringer is amazing.

[@poshprincessAlexandraMJ33]

Thank u so much!

[@rbelson356]

As many people have already commented, the XM8500 has a warmer tone and is much more suitable for spoken word, so for those who are after an affordable podcast setup, the XM8500 is the better option. Just don't forget to add a much needed pop filter to your cart. The SM48 sounded better for the guitar because of its brighter, sharper highs, but it sounded too thin and "metallic" for spoken word.

[@Mohit-gg2vd]

thaks

[@pekokopiko943]

Hey do you think if i use XM8500 & Behringer UMC22 for streaming and music covers will be a good idea? or do you think i should go with another mic?

[@johnnyfrisco5354]

Sounds like a good idea

[@larzy5249]

Sweet, thank you