SM4 from Shure anyone excited?

[CoolCat]

So the Shure SM4!!!
$200 to $300 with kit.
Cardiod Only
12mv/pa
No Pad, No HPF

I think it's China made, but could be Mexico.

For me it seems more a $99 mic range, for the Chinese , cardiod Only, no Pad, no HPF. AT2020? MXL? etc..etc...

The KSM27 was similar *but has pad and HPF.
The KSM 32 was a little hotter not much and seemed pro's accepted that one.
The KSM 44 was the flagship to be a U87 wanna be, multi pattern etc...with good noise specs at 28mv/pa sense.

then dropped KSM27 to the SM27, then dropped the SM27 China to the new SM4 ....seems to me?

is anyone peeing their pants in excitement?

 

[leddy]

I can’t tell from the website if it’s dynamic or condenser. For 200 bucks I’d definitely grab one and check it out.

 

[Nola]

Not really. I highly suggest reading the book "Poorly Made in China"...it would probably quell any excitement about anything coming out of there.

 

[rob aylestone]

Its a dual diaphragm 1” condenser, but it is interesting. I am actually totally happy with some chinese mics. They can make some excellent ones, and have been doing this for years, but when people buy a chinese mic for the price of a happy meal, should we be surprised its terrible? More expensive chinese mics can be really good value. Country of original matters little if it’s decent. Quality control has to be paid for somewhere. Is two hundred quid a fair price point for a dual diaphragm mic? Maybe, but im not quite sure why it has to be dual diaphragm? Looking at the shure video, its not two back to back diaphragms like we get in Neumanns and 414s with variable patterns, its a single capsule, with the usual front and back diaphragm as in just cardioid? 87s and 414s use two capsules, each one having two diaphragms, because one is really a back plate, not a diaphragm? Are shure just playing with words? They are quite clever in the shure website text, not even mentioning the word condenser or capacitor unless you dig deep. A fixed pattern condenser for 200 quid doesn’t really excite me at all. I like buying mics, but the nexedyne offered something so i bought one. Not sure on this one.

PS thanks for the book suggestion, I read the preview pages and have ordered it!

 

[Xenon 6]

This is what it looks like:

Smooth and Natural Audio Reproduction: Equipped with a brass 1-inch dual-diaphragm capsule, the SM4 captures clean, controlled low-end and smooth, detailed highs. The uniform cardioid polar pattern provides superior off-axis rejection of unwanted noise, and the large “sweet spot” reduces proximity effect.

Optimized to capture a wide range of sound sources from soft vocals to loud instruments including drums, guitar amps, and horns with exceptionally high-SPL handling (max SPL of 140dB).

 

[arcaxis]

The older Shure KSM42 also is a dual diaphragm cardioid mic. Dual diaphragm design reduces the proximity effect.

"The KSM42 uses a dual-diaphragm capsule, but the rear diaphragm is not wired into the circuit. According to Shure, the dummy membrane in the KSM42 capsule helps reduce proximity effect by “[creating] an acoustic phase shift at the rear of the microphone [capsule].”"

Shure KSM42 | RecordingHacks.com

KSM42, Cardioid Condenser Microphone - detailed microphone profile, specifications, manuals, reviews, frequency-response graphs, self-noise data

recordinghacks.com

 

[rob aylestone]

That's interesting. Does anyone have one they can compare?