I agree, the BETA58A sounds muffled when close micing and the e945 sounds much fuller. Thank you for this review, I truly loved it. I wanted to get the e945 and now I am totally convinced.
Having used both mics, I could instantly identify them in the blind test. To me, Sennheiser wins for vocals. For instruments, Shure wins. Both are decent mics. Great comparison!
I Agree, i work with both mics, and i thing that too Sennheiser E945 for vocals its better, for instruments Shure its Better, but you could use both for both things !! Love this two mics!
I'm usually terrible at blind A/B tests, but it was obvious which one was the Shure, with fuller low-mid and less harshness. I like the standard 58 better than either for voice.
Both are too bright for me. I had the Beta 58a but went back to the SM58 and SM48. I'm amused that Podcastage has trained my ears so well that I was instantly able to identify the two mics. I've watched your channel way too much! 😃
@@chuckfriebe843 we now own not just the 835 but we also have the 945 both in a wired mic format and a wireless microphone Capsule on our Evolution wireless G4 love and both
This is pretty much vid I've been trying to find for weeks now, all the reviews for the Beta 58A are all from 3+ years ago and I was just wanting a fresh perspective on the mic. Super happy to have a Beta to start playing around with now. Thanks for the reviews Bandrew, your vids are always a delight to watch.
I have to say, I'm a bit surprised. I started watching this being familiar with both the E935 (which was my go-to mic for sports P.A. announcing for many years) and the SM58 (which I've never particularly cared for the sound of). I knew the E935 had a bit of an upper midrange boost, so I expected that to translate over to the E945, but to my ears, the E945 came out sounding a bit **too** boosted in that area, to the point of making the nasal range sound fatter and more saturated than it should. By the same token, I was not expecting the Beta 58a to be that bright. The SM58 has never sounded that bright to me, and the dullness of it is part of why I don't like it, but the Beta 58a sounded like just the right balance across the spectrum compared to the E945. The other interesting difference that stuck out to me was the handling noise. The E945 seemed to have more low frequencies while the Beta 58a seemed a bit more toward the low-mids. So if I were using them handheld, I'd rather go for the E945 and just roll off enough to make it less noticeable. Too much information in the low-mids to try EQ'ing it out on the Beta 58a. But if it's staying on a stand? Beta 58a all the way.
My big issue is ambient sound. The SM58 is regular cardioid and picks way up too much ambient stage sound compared to the Sennheiser e945 and its super cardioid pattern. If you play with musicians with a loud stage volume, it makes a huge difference. The e945 filters out ambient stage sound way better.
Just to be fair, if you are listening in your computer or phone that is an invalid test comparison. Unless you have reference class headphones or similar ultra clear speakers and a good external DAC you actually don’t know what they like. Shure is very old technology yet oddly Millennials and younger see it as the badge of honor. Kind of warms my heart cuz that is the mic all the arena rock bands used in 60’s and 70’s. If you hear the sonic difference between Shure Beta 58 and Senn e945, it is striking. Senn is a smooth and extended frequencies. I would also add in Heil PR22 for amazing sound less than $199
Finally, I understand why Sennheiser (presumably intentionally) has such a boosted top end, which typically sounds fatiguing. It DOES sound better lip-to-the-grill as you said 6:26
The sennheiser is best. I also own and use that one. It's highs and mids are clear and present. The only thing with the 945 is that you need to be close to it to keep a consistent volume when singing quietly. The Shure is muddy in comparison. For female vocalist, the Shure is good, but for guys, the Sennheiser is spectacular.
Both are great mics built specifically for purpose. Similar yet different. Neither will let you down so it comes down to application and preference except for mit cupping. Mit cupping is bad.
My voice sounds good with the sennheiser E945, but pretty bad with most other mics. It’s worth trying one if you get weird results with other mics. It’s loud, clear and not boomy somehow - at least for me. And having done sound for 15 years I have convinced many diehard sm58 users to try the sennheiser for a song or a set and about 90% of the people that have tried it switched. It’s a very forgiving mic. It’s easy to settle into. Has less feedback mostly due to its super cardioid pattern. It’s good m’kay?
I’ve enjoyed using a Shute 57 beta For years. I bought several other mics and I like them all. I have an AT, a Blue, an EV and a Rode. I’ll use them all for singing, drums or guitars. It depends on the nature of the song for the he pick of it he mic.
This was an easy one to differentiate between those two microphones. And I bet you'd prefer the Beta 58a's overall sound over the Sennheiser (when lips not pressed at the grill) - and I was right 😄 I know your preference and how it differs a bit from mine. Beside preferences I think the more uplifted higher frequency of the e945 can be helpful for live performances. They may make it easier for the main vocal to overcome the instrumental and chorus part.
I sing close to the mic and my E945 sounds great on my voice, used a BETA 58A for years, it didn't suit my voice well but was a workhorse. I have a Nexadyne on the way to see if it is better at feedback rejection.
Both are great and I love them. It depends on what you need to mix. For backing vocals, ENG production - Senn rocks, but for some setups I would rather use Shure...
Pidcastage2, I think you might agree with me that the e935 does enough rejection as a cardiod pattern / and just sounds very natural and better over the e945. Also a lot of gain (not as gain hungry as the SM-58, I have personally found). e935 conclusion for me ? I can get by with a ton of gain before feedback issues vs the SM58. But those are my thoughts. What do you think ? Thanks in advance as always!
It's interesting to see how many people here prefer the E945, which is fair because mics are really subjective. Though, from my (somewhat limited) experience, I actually really hate the Sennheiser E945. It's a very similar issue with the 945 as I had with my E845 - that being that it just sounds harsh and ear piercing. I like bright microphones and clear/detailed sounds (one of the reasons that I adore my Klipsch speakers with their aluminum horn tweeters), but both of those Sennheiser mics I've mentioned take it way too far for me. It's somewhat difficult to describe at times, but it's less of an issue with the tone and more of an issue that I can only describe as there being that extra bit of high end in the Sennheisers that makes me cringe and turn the volume way down, even if the microphone is being listened to at a normal level. With the Shure I hear none of that, thanks for this little video confirming that I made the right decision to go with my Beta 58A!
Dayum, they are very similar. The Overall Sound is on the 58a Darker, what I rly like. Handling Noise I would say.. is the Sennheiser a little bit better because its not on the high tones.. ? When you want to take it Handheld, then I would pick the E945. Only on a boom arm or something, I would pick the 58a because it sound better for me :D
As a live sound engineer, I prefer the Beta 58a. I had an artist during a show switch out my Beta for her personal E945, and it honestly sounded terrible. Way too harsh, thin sounding, and more plosive issues. She would have sounded much better if she had just stuck with my Beta.
We use the Sennheiser e835 why microphone and the Sennheiser e835 Capsule on the evolution wireless G4 the e835 has not so many high frequencies on it so it sounds more natural
The Shure does better on P's, B's and S's. The E945 did far better while handling the microphone. The Shure has a tad bit warmer tone which I personally like. It's all so very slight though, so in all I think both microphones are winners.
Strange...it is opposite in my system (AH CQ18T Mixer, Crown CDI 1200W Amp, JBL SRX15 speaker), the Beta 58 always sounded clearer and more defined than the Sen 945. The 945 sounded muddier.
What would be the best choice for recording demos in small (11 m², acoustically treated) control room with studio monitors on (usually loud)? Supercardioid vs cardioid? e935 vs e945 vs sm58 vs beta 58a?
I'm recording vocals primarily in a car but also other applications. Is there a hand held condenser Mic that's more for the studio anyone could recommend with low self noise?
The beta 58a is a great microphone but doesn't seem perfect for voice overs as the bass is too low. A few days ago sure beta58a mexico version I bought a microphone
For most people the v7 is better because it is more forgiving of technique, and I would prefer (I don't have one currently) one for speaking over the e945. If people you don't really know compliment your singing voice and you are trained to shape your technique as you work with a stage monitor, the e945 is going to be the best fit, hands down. If your voice is too bright even with careful use of the e945, then the e935 is worth trying-- it's a cardioid like the v7.
@@christopherwillson everyone says something different about this. I've seen various comments stating that they would always pick beta58a. I've ordered one from Amazon, but so undecided. I'll be mostly recording flute at home studio.
@@mustafaunsoy The SM58 makes for a great instrument mic if you take the cap off because then you more or less have an SM57 and that's kinda the king of instrument mics. I personally went with the sE Electronics V7 for vocals but the Shure one you mentioned is also great. Sennheiser also makes a few mics in the same price range that I'd pick over the SM58 for vocals.