mb85 beta vs sm58?

[Phil]

I has some money going spare whilst doing my thomann order the other week so I decided to get some cheap mics. The t.bone mb85 beta and the mb87 beta.

I have compared the mb85 beta to a sm58 and they are practically identical, handling noise, feedback rejection etc and the overall sound! I havent throroughly tested them mind but they seem great mics. And at a 3rd of the cost of a 58 nearly! (and I prefer the t.bone - apart from the name and the fact that bands feel comforatable with a well know brand like shure)

I also tried a mb78 beta - ie beta 87. I couldnt get a chance to compare the two but the 78 has a bass roll off on the lower frequencies - even when set to normal!.

Anyone tried any of these?

Phil

ps dont get me wrong, id far sooner prefer to have stuff like shure but when im starting out and still in school its more of a hobbie that gets me a bit of cash. These mics seem to suit the purpose for what I need em for.

[shepz]

I hae the mb78 beta, VERY good mic for the PRICE.

Bass roll off? even when you set it to flat? more than likely the quality of pre-amp you're using...

[Phil]

Yeh, set to flat. Wouldnt be surprised if its the behringer pre amps or does the mic generally not have alot of bass compared to a 58?

[Mark]

I think if you drop it on its head a few times, have it swung about get the grill dented, and it still works then you will know which one is better lol!
meanwhile i have noticed the 58 compaired to the Beta 58 has a more prominent bass responce but if your talking about the bass being rolled off then thats strange i find a 58 can be very boomey when eq'd flat compaired to the beta.

[Phil]

Yeh I cant imagine them being very robust but I'll see how they do. Them seem to be alright though for what I'm using them for and for how many gigs im getting etc. I dont want to be shelling out much more money when I havent really made much back off it lol. Anyway GCSEs are the priority at the minute - last year! woo!

It was the mb78 (shure beta 87 style condenser) that I was saying about having not too much bass with it.

Is there much of a difference in sound between the shure beta 87A and sm58? I know they can be a pain in the backside for feedback in some places - Only used one once ages ago!

[pete]

Just read through this;
I know your just starting out Phil but do you not wonder if it would be better to buy one quality rider acceptable mic than lots of cheap ones?

[soundmanjim]

have to agree there - unless you cheat and stick a 'shure' label on the side of it, you may come up against some 'snobbery' from some bands / venues. Not all deservedly so.

people really do look at labels - some of the cheap thomann stuff is good - the kick mike they make (t-bone jobbie) worked brilliantly for years in my old venue - but it wasn't until i tried an E602Mk2 i realized what i had been missing!

its all in the comparison. if you are going through a top notch system, a cheap mike WILL sound like a cheap mike.

however, if your doing a lot of pub gigs with a small system, i defy anyone to notice the difference between a 58 and a cheap copy. YOU will be the one fighting the feedback and eq'ing the hell out of it to make it sound right. LOL.

I've just found a place in the US that is doing Sennheiser E945 's for $70 - if the shipping isn't too sad i may buy a few of those!

[Phil]

Yeh I totally agree about the rider friendly bit. I just wanted some cheap stuff to get me by for the gigs with some of the bands I play in. Anyways Im trying to keep my hands off the sound stuff for a few of months (is that possible?) GCSE time soon! Then finished school!!

I can get my hands on 58's any time for nothing to be honest. Its more the FoH and mons side im trying to get covered first and its dead easy to get hands on mics.

[shepz]

Yeah there is a rider friendly thing but if you're not doing hefty work which requires specific riders then why bother to start out?
Next it'll be Klark Teknik GEQ's to start out...

[Simon Ryder]

The difference a good quality mic makes is unbelievable.

I suggest you get one of the cheapies and AB it through headphones with the genuine article. Notice a difference? Then pay attention to things like handling noise. Then set up a wedge and see hich one you can get louder in the wedge without feed back with no eq.

Once you have done all of this you will find out why some mics cost more than others.

[Phil]

I only briefly tried that through some JBLs but not with headphones as of yet with a 58.

I find the cheapy 58 copy has a little bit of a brighter sound compared to the 58. I guess that is why I think they can pass as a not bad mic.

What is your preferences between the shure sm58 and shure beta 58?

When I eventually get the cash to get some of my own shures would you reccomend me getting sm58s or beta 58s as my main mics. I like what I have heard from the betas.

[Simon Ryder]

The Beta 58s are a little graunchier in the upper mids. They are more sensitive, more directional and slightly less prone to feedback. The SM58 sounds more natural and is cheaper. The only thing I generally prefer a Beta58 on is a beat boxer.

If it was me I would look at getting 6 x SM58 and 2 x Beta58

My personal preferences lie a long way away from all things Shure. I prefer Audix OM6, Senn e945, MD431, Beyer TGX80 (having REALLY good results with these at the moment) Beyer M88s and M69s.

The industries' love of the 58 is because it is cheap, reliable and is almost NEVER the wrong choice to use on anything. Even if you go with other brands later on and you own the "second coming" in vocal mics, everyone still wants or will accept a 58. Not so with the more exotic choices out there.
Condenser wise I like the Neumann KMS105 and the Senn e865.

[soundmanjim]

love the tgx80 - simon and i have a few, they sound brilliant on the snare - even though drummers look at them and think they are a fisher-price mike!!

[Simon Ryder]

What do you think of it on vocal Jim?

[soundmanjim]

As good. Its a bit tatty nowadays but im suprised how good they are on just about anything. we keep one or two in the mike bag in case we need an extra something or other.