Not all Shure SM57 are created equal... or are they?

I try to find out how different Shure SM57s from different eras can be to each other and in general, how large the tolerances between SM57s are.
I take 13 Shure SM57s, starting with vintage made in the USA SM57 Unidyne IIIs, going over various different Mexican made models all the way to contemporary 57s that you can buy today.
Speacial thanks to ‪@lordgraga‬ for letting me borrow two of his mics for this. You're a stud, mate!
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Time stamps:
00:14 Intro
01:31 What's the plan?
02:12 Meet the Mics
02:42 Four different ears of SM57s - What I've learned about 57s
08:38 Meet the Test Rig / Tools
10:02 Graphical Analysis
18:12 Audio AB test with and without normalization
21:36 Audio Samples
21:37 Mic A - Unidyne III USA 1
21:53 Mic B - Unidyne III USA 2
22:09 Mic C - Unidyne III USA 3 (Jacob)
22:25 Mic D - Old Mexican 1 (Jacob)
22:41 Mic E - Old Mexican 2
22:57 Mic F - Old Mexican 3 (Broken)
23:13 Mic G - Intermediate Mexican 1
23:29 Mic H - Intermediate Mexican 2
23:45 Mic I - Contemporary 1
24:01 Mic J - Contemporary 2
24:17 Mic K - Contemporary 3
24:33 Mic L - Contemporary 4
24:49 Mic M - Contemporary 5
25:04 Mic N - Hybrid (F handle, J capsule)
Signal chain:
DI Track recorded with a Charvel So Cal with SD Black Winters into an Audient ID24
Reamped with a Radial Reamp Box into the Lichtlaerm Audio Prometheus
Mesa 412 OS with 2003 Celestion Vintage 30s
All Shure SM57s
Audient ID24
Reaper or REW
KZbin
Your crappy phone speaker
your ears

[@sparella]

And the six sigma award goes to... Shure, for the SM57!🎉

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I can't express how awesome this comment is

[@franzkindermann434]

Tested 4 different SM57 recently too wirh a re-amped track and same mic position. The oldest sounded most open, aggressive with a higher output. But I found out, that wirh the older 57s, the foam in the grill is totally dried, crumbling and lets more sound through. After replacing the grill with a new one (17€ in Germany) it sounded just like my contemporary one. More balanced, less aggressive. So my conclusion, SM57 sound very alike, no matter from which built area. Its just the natural degradation of certain parts like the foam in the grille.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Had to replace a few of those on a couple of mics too. Getting the clip ring out and back in again takes some practice

[@KaddysJamKave]

Your sense of humor alone deserves a thumbs up 😆

[@luca4352]

This is a little offtopic, but what I've found out while recording every guitar speaker/cab in my setup: And it sounds like total nonsense, but if you put tape around the miced spot onto the grillcloth of the cabinet (like you do to remember where the mic goes), that can change the highend response of the recorded tone significantly. I encourage you to try it, just mark a spot with the tape, put the mic there and record. After that dont move the mic and just strip off the tape and record again. Just a little funfact I guess but it totally blew my mind lol

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Funny you should say that. I just spoke to Nolly Getgood about this a week or two ago and he said the same thing. He sent some sound samples to me and I can tell you, it is not nonsense. It affects the high end noticeably.

[@alfredodurango8868]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne Gentlemen, thank you for confirming what I had already noted years ago, marking with tape changes the tonal response.

[@slofty]

You and Jim Lill doing the good man’s work!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

High praise!

[@ericburkman2055]

Nicely done! I know the differences are subtle, but i do like the sound of the unidyne 3. To me, the mids are rounded and sound smooth.

[@image66media]

The biggest variance with the old Unidyne III capsules is the condition of the “foam” as well as the solder joints. I always resolder them as that generation of solder will tin-whisker and also crystallize. The foam of the first generation Unidyne III capsules turns hard and then into powder. I remove the chunks, clean them up and will sometimes refoam them. Personally, I prefer the sound of them with the foam entirely removed, but the curves are different. The original Unidyne III SM57 and SM58 does slightly tend to be a little more low-mid forward. As to the on/off switch, that was the SM57 SW model.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I know what you mean. I also have two old 548 Unidyne IV. The foam in both of them just disintegrated. Also resoldering is a good idea. I've had several old mics that had issues prior to resoldering

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Great video. Great effort went into it, I'm sure! Thanks!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thank you, Mr. Nielsen!

[@JGStonedRaider]

Since the first time watching Johns V30 video, I've owned 5 different V30s including a 1993 that is unlike any other that I've heard*. Hoping my meagre supply of 4 SM57's will be enough once I've watched the whole vid! *The 93 was only used as a midrange driver in a weird PA setup. Darkest but most focused V30 I've ever heard and it's 16 not 8ohm which is a surprise. Might be willing to send it to you in the future (when I'm less poor from buying too many V30s (nothing to do with the Sg1820A I bought the other day))

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Sounds really interesting. I wonder if that V30 got broken in to specific frequencies resulting in its different tonal character

[@lordgraga]

How on earth did you stumble upon that weird PA?

[@JGStonedRaider]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne To quote the guy I got it from "It was part of an old pa system , was used for mids ! Was a really odd set up , all home made boxes etc. There were 4 mids, 2 sub's and 2 horn tweeters" In regards to the "break-in" that's exactly what I was thinking could have happened (having seen your vid). Happy to post it to you if you'd like to have a listen to it.

[@zanthraxus]

Very interesting! I have to admit though, that after normalizing I barely heard a difference - I would have never known (in all likelihood) that some little bit was missing in the contemporary mic if it wasn't pointed out explicitly (at least on these speakers)... Cheers and thanks a lot as always!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Zanthraxus! Thanks for sticking around since the beginning! I appreciate you!

[@zanthraxus]

​@@TheOtherJohnBrowne I think you don't give yourself enough credit - your entire content is awesome! Cheers mate!

[@CHRISMCCOMBS5150]

In the U.S. Shure did offer a version of the sm57 with a switch.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Oh cool! I did not know that. Thanks for filling in the gaps in my knowledge

[@Ottophil]

57s and v30 is my go to combo since well, forever. 20+ years

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

It's the dream team

[@K707OR30]

Interesting stuff. My takeaway is that I think a lot of people would end up EQing the idiosyncrasies of whichever mic they have out of the mix in post to make it sound most pleasing to their ear, so I’m not sure how much it the differences really actually matter in the grand scheme of things, unless you’re committed to doing no tone shaping in post and taking what you get.

[@christianboddum8783]

Many years ago I recorded for an album and we tested 2 57's, the USA Uniyne lll was the clear winner vs. a regular 57, the sonic difference was obvious FWIW

[@SimonHosford]

Awesome video John!!! I've often noticed slight differerences in my SM57's in the studio, so now I know there might actually be some. But you're right, the consistency of production is quite astounding!! Thank you so much for taking the time to do that. All the best from Down Under 🤘

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thanks, Simon!

[@serpentsbane9166]

You hit another homerun with this comparison Mr. Browne! I could definitely hear a subtle, yet noticeable difference listening through my mini HiFi system. Nothing truly worlds apart, but more like different flavors of Vanilla Ice Cream: French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Old-Fashioned Vanilla, etc.... Listening while keeping my eyes away form the screen, except to check which ones caught my ear, my favorites in no particular order, were microphones B, D, F, H, I, J, M... I really listen for chunkiness and definition in the palm mutes and clarity for chords, overall saturation; also looking for more brilliance / sparkle in the high-end rather than noise. So hear me out on mic F, the broken one... I think that mic would be PERFECT for Black Metal & Black-Death tones, not just the Lo-Fi underground stuff but I've heard professionally produced releases from bands where they still roll off a lot of bass for a tight, cold and evil sounding mix! It could possibly work also for ultra-modern, super down-tuned stuff, I really do believe many players just don't take into account how much high-pass filter gets put on the guitars to make them fit in the mix, and a damaged SM-57 should give somewhat of a similar result, you could even take advantage of this by close-micing your speaker further away from the cone than normal to get a darker sound, that could be interesting to see you check this out Mr. Browne! That last blend between the broken / non-broken mics was really good too, that blend gets runner-up! P.S. - I would like to remind you about a comment I left regarding Shure manufacturing the Realistic brand of microphones for RadioShack, I do hope we can see a video on that rabbit hole somewhere down the line, not to mention the SM-57 copycats out there from Behringer & Pyle which I've seen in other comparisons with the real thing, and they sound just as good, albeit a little bit different sort of like vanilla with a touch of fudge or raspberry... Keep up the good work Mr. Browne! \m/ Your videos are an inspiration to always improve your ear for good tone!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Cheers! Thanks for the comment. I really like your analogies too. I also agree on the broken mic. I can see applications for it. I'm between two minds whether to leave it as it is or try and take the capsule apart and attempt to repair it. I remember your RadioShack mic comment too. Sounds cool and I'd love to look into it. At the same time, being in Europe, I've never even seen one and the chances of finding one or even several of those for a test is very slim. Looking into SM57 clones however, that might happen.

[@saltyphucker777]

Are all SM57s created equal? I'm not Shure.

[@everyonexist]

that Shure is funny

[@firelandmetal2933]

super interesting. thanks for the video. did you know that you can extract a freq responce from another in REW? I have done similar test but using a reference mic with that you can extract the freq responce of the cabinet so you would have a more flat view more close to the real freq responce of the mic. you could also substract the new mic freq to the old one so you can show just the difference. the problem with the spectrum view is that there is like 100db so seeing differences of 3 db gets difficult. you can also use fab filter on the eq match function to show just the difference.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I did not know that! Thanks for the great advice

[@M3dicinePYT]

Jacob's is my fav. It seems to dial's out a little more fizz. But, they're all pretty close.

[@stephenchow5161]

you are the man……. i love all your content.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I appreciate it!

[@7171jay]

Excellent demo and info on these mics!!! I've done far less scientific comparisons myself and found little appreciable difference between the older mics and the newer ones. If some people want to spend a ton of cash on 57s that say U.S.A. on them good luck to them. I currently own four Mexican 57s and one U.S.A. 545 but have owned many 57s, PE54, and other Unidyne III mics over decades and I'd say just grab one and get to recording as there are plenty of other things that actually really matter that you should be thinking about like the quality of your sound source, where you place the mic exactly, and gain staging of your recording chain rather than worrying about tiny differences between different vintages of Unidyne III mics. I have heard a few 57s and 58s over the years that were clearly damaged and not working properly (usually a serious lack of low frequencies) so you do want be positive that the mic is working correctly but besides that don't sweat it.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Appreciate your comment and absolutely agree. I think I might sell at least one of my USA 57s

[@7171jay]

​@@TheOtherJohnBrowne I'd say the only reason not to grab the cash right now for an old Unidyne is that the price on them could possibly go even go higher. I'll probably keep my U.S.A. 545 because I've had it for 30+ years now and the 545's don't bring as much as money as a 57 does anyway. The 545 is one of the few mics I have owned for that long (many have come and gone) so it does have that going for it too.

[@fekiee]

Awesome, love these vids man, keep them coming please 🙏

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

I'm only getting started

[@lordgraga]

Great test! I’m on crappy phone speakers this moment but look forward to hearing on monitors. I guess the insane man’s move would now be to cross check all capsules against select transformers to see what really makes the difference here. One thing I would like to know is the distortion charecteristics, i.e if any of the mics added more harmonics than others, as transformers are never 100% linear. Loved your setup. I did the same test with my mics (that you also tested) and I feel that my Unidyne III had more top than my other 57s. Your test kinda confirms it. I personally don’t love mine for rhythm, but it sounds good for overdubs.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Cheers, buddy! Thanks for the loaners! They'll be on their way home tomorrow

[@DrGand]

The contemporary SM57 sounded better than the old one haha

[@Fl4ppers]

You'll get more tonal variation by changing the head basket than from comparing the insides which have been made to the same spec for over 30 years.

[@MingTian666]

😁 ... rrrrrrrrr ..... i see in the background the Lichtlaerm Prometheus .... I hope I can get it when it is available again .... ahhh .. sorry .. apart of this amp very interesting

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Gushing over sick amps is always appropriate

[@rokku87]

whoa that means ultimately we should be using our EARS?! who would have thunk

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Yep

[@Eliphas_Elric]

Very cool video!

[@lyricbread]

I wonder how years of dust, spit, and other contamination contributes to the frequency response.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

"Mojo"

[@LucasLeCompteMusic]

I liked the 57 the best.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

To each his own, I guess

[@yagizdolgun]

Every contemporary mic sounds different from each other. Some of them are more mid rangy, the others are brighter. However, they are generally pretty close. The same applies to the old ones as well. I think it's best to buy the new and cheaper ones and stick to them. The difference can easly be compensated with the tonestack of an amp or DSP.

[@eduardzemlianoi]

Thanks for the great comparison! But why this sm7b hums so loud? Check the cables, please 🙏 My ears will be grateful 🦻

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thanks! Yeah, I think I need to get a better power supply for me 500 series preamps. I think that's the source of the noise

[@chrismonaut]

Fuck yes, been waiting for this video. Have you tried the Shure SD 545? It's still made in the USA. *edit* ooops, now I'm at that point of the video :D

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Love the 545SD. I have four of those for some reason...

[@chrismonaut]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne IT'S NOT HOARDING WHEN IT'S COOL STUFF ;)

[@CIRCLEOFTONE]

Nice. I call it the 5%. It's never night and day when you A/B things like studio grade cables, vintage mics etc. But when you have 15 things in a row in a signal that incrementally helps capacitance by 5% on each step THAT is what I enjoy/why I use Evidence lyric/forte etc cables, vintage wire in guitars etc. It's all about capacitance and metallurgy along with shielding/clean power. Newer copper etc can get watered down with pot metal without manufacturers even knowing about it. China dumping cheap metal on the UK' USA etc in the 90's started the ball rolling on sub par connections but the manufacturing tech is really catchup up despite corners being cut. I listened on earbuds but I'll come back and listen on my monitors. Great content.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Cheers!

[@henri-fillipbauer6579]

2 sounds best

[@FlankinspanK]

Oh no not again! 😂

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

PREAMPS NEXT!!!

[@Chugg.Norris]

A super patriot who wears american flag underware definitely started this bullshit 😂😂

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

LOL

[@Greg25815]

Nice. I really appreciate your job with mic as well as with v30. Noone else could handle it. You are great. Keep on dooing good content !

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thank you, Greg! Feels good to read comments like this

[@silvestrslusis]

Thank you very much for this comparison! I like how the broken mex3 sounds! It removes all the unnecessary muffle from the bottom that the others are capturing. Pair it with a nice ribbon ang you are golden!

[@lukzriffs1564]

Nothing wrong with you , we all are special 😂😂😂Like and Love For the Content , for the algo , for you Bro ! Awesome vid 🤜🤛

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Bro ❤️

[@everyonexist]

perfect test

[@PippPriss]

Subtle differences. I liked the Mex Int 1 and 2 the most, closely followed by the Contemporary 1. Jacob however struck gold with his SM57, they both sound really great and smooth. Your's were a bit harsh. But in the end, it does not really matter too much. An SM57 is a SM57 is a SM57. But still curious to check later on at home in which category my SM57 falls. Awesome video, as usual!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thanks, buddy!

[@R3CT0-CC]

Interesting! I actually preferred the contemporary, sounded ever so slightly more balanced.

[@chrismonaut]

Guitars = contemporary snare = old one or 545s for that little extra crack on top!

[@KevinMarquezRocks78]

Thank you for taking the time to gather all this information. I'm waiting to get my FIRST SM57 lol, and start the recordings! So nice to see your face brother, subscribing after a while watching your comparison videos.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thanks, Kevin! I appreciate the comment!

[@booganaga123]

Very interesting. It's really impressive how consistent they are across the decades. That said, in the A-B I actually preferred the smoother sounding contemporary mic.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Honestly, the consistency really surprised me too

[@needsLITHIUM]

The one with the switch likely has been wired to the handle base of an SM58-S.

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

That's what I was thinking too

[@OTTOAUDIO]

Love it, it's been a fun journey man!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Yes it was!

[@guitarzpt]

Been trying to find the serial number for v30 of that era early 2000s. Would you mind telling the serial of yours?

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

They don't really have serial numbers as such. You're looking for an alphanumerical date code consisting of two numbers (day of the month) and two letters (month and year). If you're looking for V30s from the years 2000 to 2003, look for speakers where the second letter is K (2000), L (2001), M (2002) or N (2003). For the years 2000 and 2001 the date code will most likely be a stamp on the outside of the speaker frame, for the years 2002 and 2003, the date code will most likely be printed on a white sticker on the magnet.

[@guitarzpt]

@@TheOtherJohnBrowne thanks so much for the reply. By serial number I was thinking on the cab. Not usual seing v30 of that era by themselves

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

@@guitarzpt my Mesa cab has SN C2-50643

[@greysonferrari7553]

Really appreciate the work and depth of detail you pour into these videos. Thanks to you, I learned I have one contemporary and one later Mexican SM57 with me here. Cheers from Texas! 🍻

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Awesome! Thank you very much!

[@lexvogelaar834]

Wonderful! Thanks for making this. Btw, love the base tone 👌

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

Thanks man!

[@Shadowsreach1]

wow very cool comparrison on these mics. Thanks for sharing the video!

[@TheOtherJohnBrowne]

You're very welcome!