Apart from sex appeal...

[whyseye]

...what do you all think about the Shure SM55?
I mean, when would you use it? Sure, it's a vocal mic, but what kind of vocals? Crooners? Screamers? Does it suck for instruments? Is it warm? Bulletproof? Live? Recording?

They are so beautiful...it'd be great to be able to justify adding another flavor to my (imaginary) mic locker (besides design lust and history - if I go down that road.................brrrrgghhh!!)

Somebody stop me !!

[Track Rat]

If you mean a the 55 series, I have a 55S and 55SH (freebees). I don't care for them. Now I have a Unidyne III 545 that kicks MAJOR ass.

[Supercreep]

Sounds like a 58 in a fucking box. I use it as a doorstop. Sucks live, it's too quiet. Looks neat though.

[whyseye]

How about the old RCA 77DX Capsule mic?

So beautiful........

D'oh!

[FALKEN]

I dig it. sounds real nice through a tube pre with high gain. mellow. i.e. warm up your digital. it has a real big diaphragm... I plan on trying it on bass drum just to see what happens. I would by no means describe it as "great". or even good really. but I still like it.

[Big Kenny]

Mine sounds okay too. Needs a lot of pre but sounds kinda cool once in awhile

[mshilarious]

Originally Posted by Supercreep

Sounds like a 58 in a fucking box. I use it as a doorstop. Sucks live, it's too quiet. Looks neat though.

Well really it's more like a 58 outside of a box--it's not really that strong of a cardioid pattern, actually kind of an omni. It is 3.5dB quieter than a 58. That combination would make it trickier than a 58 for live use.

It is overpriced new, but after selling all my 57s & 58s last year, I'm pretty happy with the 55SH I just got used for $75.

It sounds more like a 57, its pop filter is less absorptive of high frequencies than that in the 58, but still very effective. The diaphragm is visibly larger than the 57/58, but I don't know the spec.

It seems to have less proximity effect than the 58, so you can eat it to make up for the gain difference. I'm thinking its even off-axis response might make it useful for backing vocals, with two vocalists both 60 or even 90 degrees off-axis--you can't do that with a 57/58, they lose all their highs, but not the 55SH.

Plus it just looks cool

As far as bulletproof? Probably less so than a 58. The case isn't the old hefty nickel finish that Shure used on the vintage version, I think it's cast aluminum. It could probably take a few shots, but it would look nasty, and you'd be looking at replacing half the chassis, not just a wire mesh screen.

[Ape32]

A couple of good engineers that I know in the Seattle area swear by it for bass amp micing - and they mean the new version. Perhaps it is one of those deals where the "shell" does something nice for bass freq.s.

The one guy told me he was working with Jack Endino on a project and put one up alongside Jack's favorite bass amp mic but purposely reversed the labeling on the mixer's strips. He said Jack liked "his" mic better (the Shure).

YMMV but if yours is a doorstop it may be worth a try on a bass cab.

[FALKEN]

I've got an old one.

the new ones actually are a 58.

[mshilarious]

OK I got curious enough to open mine up. The capsule is the same as the 57/58 (I was fooled as to its size looking through the front grill), however it apparently doesn't have any chamber to delay rear signals. Really it seems like an omni version of the 57/58, and given the published polar response chart, I fail to see why Shure labels it as cardioid.

As I suspected the foam inside isn't as dense as the foam inside the 58 windscreen.

[Warhead]

Originally Posted by mshilarious

As far as bulletproof? Probably less so than a 58.

My brother in law used a 58 and decided one night (early 90's, go figure...) he would end their metal band's show by smashing the mic on stage. He threw it at the stage hard at that gig and a few more gigs...before giving it to somebody still working.

Ugly, but working.

War

[Supercreep]

Originally Posted by Ape32

A couple of good engineers that I know in the Seattle area swear by it for bass amp micing - and they mean the new version. Perhaps it is one of those deals where the "shell" does something nice for bass freq.s.

The one guy told me he was working with Jack Endino on a project and put one up alongside Jack's favorite bass amp mic but purposely reversed the labeling on the mixer's strips. He said Jack liked "his" mic better (the Shure).

YMMV but if yours is a doorstop it may be worth a try on a bass cab.

I will most definitely give it a try on the old bass cab. I'm using SP B1 and AKG d112 for such duties right now - but I'm game.