1989-1995? SHURE 849 aka SM94

CoolCat

Well-known member
I was listening to some old takes of mics Ive done over the years and a brief test of the Shure SM81 acoustic guitar tracks sounded good, then it seems I even compared the new ones to the old ones because some said "oh you have to have the old ones!" but I didnt hear anything different really, then I even grabbed some PG81 which also sounded great and almost exact for $120 pair....and then comparing these SDC to my KSM LDC and a Dynamic...the SDC were really the best of the bunch for my taste on acoustic. A nice sparkle and sound very pleasing without effort. Having sold all of the SDC mics due to GAS, I decided to grab some SDC again.

while travelling around the internet, stumbled on an odd SHURE 849.
Almost an unmentioned mic, it lead to deeper reading in the rabbit hole that its nearly identical to the SM 94. (half the gearhead fun is the search).

Why offer the 849/94? I think it was SM81 fame, but now with battery option!! powered and a on/off switch. The capsule looks good, and one improvement is the 894/94 fits in a standard SM57/58 clip, a more universal diameter...instead of the skinny body. Shure makes stuff for a reason and most likely they saw a market. You dont have to have a battery, Phantom 48 volts works.

The Shure 849 build quality are excellent, same as the SM81. Champagne, color with serious weight and paint that holds up well...Shure tank tough feel. I got a pair in at $120 pair, and in mint shape. Average price is $99 each used. So 2qty for less than one new SM81.
In a picture most would think this is a SM81 and the sound is near identical imo too. But the Pro's used the SM81 and the 1970's made SM81 famous on acoustics with the Eagles etc...etc..

These 849 came much later, 1989 seems they were introduced, but not clear on when they were born or made obsolete.
Shure doesnt even mention them unless lumped in with other mics , mainly the SM94. 849/94 overlapped and though the spec is near identical, the 849 is 600 ohm and the 94 is 150ohm. Why does Shure release so many models? Why 150 ohm and 600ohm?
Either way, great mics, great price, professional brand and build quality.

Made in USA , Shure 849. Condenser , SDC ......from the land of obsolete marketed mics.
*add soudclip SM81, KSM27,MXL BCD, 849 at 12th and 849 at low bridge

** After some more tracking and spec research, the SM81 is almost double the sensitivity(louder) and the 849 needs a decent amount of gain for acoustics on this a acoustic guitar. SM81/PG81 have sparkle like the KSM44 where the 849 is more detailed and similar to the KSM32. It seems flat compared to the 81 which seems to have a more eq'd sound. Probably might want a outboard preamp for the 849 at 2.6mv/pa....where the 81 is 4.5mv/pa.
 

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  • Shure 849 grill.jpg
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  • Shure 849 600ohm.jpg
    Shure 849 600ohm.jpg
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  • Shure849 a.jpg
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  • SHURE 849 .jpg
    SHURE 849 .jpg
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  • SHure 849 94 spec.png
    SHure 849 94 spec.png
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  • Acoustic Mic 81 27 bcd 849 12 an Bridge 2020 mixMP3.mp3
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