Even if you’ve never heard of an SM57 or an SM58, you’ve almost certainly heard an SM57 or an SM58. As two of the world’s most popular dynamic microphones, each has appeared on countless recordings and at pretty much every live venue across the globe at one point or another. Whether it’s your local recording studio or the arena in your city center, you’ll find both of these mics hard at work thanks to their versatility and legendary build quality.
If you’re looking to pick up an SM57 or SM58, you may be wondering which you should go for. After all, they’re pretty much the same microphone just with a different grille right? Kind of. There’s a little more to it than that, so to help you decide which to go for we’ve opted to lay out all the pros and cons in one place, and hopefully help you cement your decision.
