How long has this been going on...I bought 7 of them at $20 each from a pawn shop in 2002...Im pretty sure they are the real thing though from looking at the wires going from the input to the innerds.
I don't know. The $28.00 "SM57" I bought a month ago came in an unopened "Shure" box dated 2002, and came with full documentation inside. The contacts inside the xlr were numbered, but it also had the silver bar. And it had a Cable inthe box too. By all reports, it must be counterfiet.
I've got 2 ES-57's and one Shure Sm-57. I haven't A/B'd the two, but to me they sound very similar. I'll try to get some samples of each and post them. I've also got an Audix i5 that I'll throw into the test. Give a few days and I have it done. The ES-57 got great reviews on another forum (either gearslutz or studio-central...I can't remember which one).
I don't know. The $28.00 "SM57" I bought a month ago came in an unopened "Shure" box dated 2002, and came with full documentation inside. The contacts inside the xlr were numbered, but it also had the silver bar. And it had a Cable inthe box too. By all reports, it must be counterfiet.
Like I said, most of the information on what is counterfeit is based on the current model of that product. The knock-offs are based on a previous generation of SM57 and are probably only distinguishable from the real ones by weighing them or using other, more invasive techniques.