USA Unidyne SM57 or 545. which to buy?

C

chess999

New member
Hey guys, I realize I'm probably splitting hairs on this one but any recommendations on the better of the 2? Need to make a quick decision.

Shure SM57 Unidyne USA (vintage)
Shure 545 Unidyne USA (vintage)

I've read the 545 has a significantly lower input level...maybe that's why they are billed as "harp" mics but I've also read the SM57 was just a 545 painted black. My applications for this will be general recording..cabs,snare,toms,etc

Thanks,
DG
 
chess999 said:
Hey guys, I realize I'm probably splitting hairs on this one but any recommendations on the better of the 2? Need to make a quick decision.

Shure SM57 Unidyne USA (vintage)
Shure 545 Unidyne USA (vintage)

I've read the 545 has a significantly lower input level...maybe that's why they are billed as "harp" mics but I've also read the SM57 was just a 545 painted black. My applications for this will be general recording..cabs,snare,toms,etc

Thanks,
DG
Click to expand...

I've got both and find them interchangeable as far as sound quality goes. But if the ones you're looking at are like mine, consider this: my 545 has an old 4 pin (on the mic end) cable to a 1/4" jack--it's hi z instead of the more common lo z. My unidyne 57's are regular XLR lo z. For short cable runs (like in my studio) it doesn't make a bit of difference in sound. I just have to put the 545 in an instrument jack.

The concern is the cost & convenience. The cable for the 545 (it's called a 4-pin amphenol, by the way) are more expensive and harder to find than a regular XLR mic cable.
 
Not all vintage 545s are Amphenol, many are XLR. The impedance should be selectable--on the Amphenol I think it's just using the different pins; on the XLR models it was (and still is) internally selectable.
 
Not sure about the 545, but in my experience, the 565 (2-pin screw-on version) was a lot hotter than the SM58, not a lower level....
 
mshilarious said:
Not all vintage 545s are Amphenol, many are XLR. The impedance should be selectable--on the Amphenol I think it's just using the different pins; on the XLR models it was (and still is) internally selectable.
Click to expand...

I've got two vintage 545's and they've both gota regular 3-pin XLR, but I've never cracked them open to see about the impedance (switches). They do take a lot more gain than my 57's though, so there's your answer...the two mics have different impedances. Thanks for the hint though, mshilarious :) I'm gonna see if I can switch it and get a better gain out of it and maybe keep one regular and change one for a different sound. Where exactly are the switches located on it?
 
Carny1122 said:
I've got two vintage 545's and they've both gota regular 3-pin XLR, but I've never cracked them open to see about the impedance (switches). They do take a lot more gain than my 57's though, so there's your answer...the two mics have different impedances. Thanks for the hint though, mshilarious :) I'm gonna see if I can switch it and get a better gain out of it and maybe keep one regular and change one for a different sound. Where exactly are the switches located on it?
Click to expand...

See the user guide--note this is the current user guide; the older models could be different. Shure used to have the best resource for all of their older models and older user guides, but they messed it up a couple of years ago and I can't be bothered to sort through it now:

http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/WiredMicrophones/us_pro_545sd_ug

Note that the low impedance setting is only 2dB less sensitive than an SM57. The high impedance setting is nominally higher sensitivity than the low impedance (because it has more windings on its secondary), but that's into an open circuit--if you load it down with a low-impedance load, its sensitivity will drop quite a lot, and more importantly its frequency response will get screwy.
 
As far as the availability & cost of each goes, a used 547 is way cheaper than a Unidyne III 57. I've seen auctions go from $75 $150+ for the 57 and the 547's going for under 75 even w/ a 'buy it now'. There's no need to bid though if you do a wide all cities search on Craigslist at frequent intervals, they can both be found as of May '09 for decent prices. Most people that list them either don't care or aren't hip to the fact that they could get more $$ for vintage and just sell them for average asking prices. I just got 3 Unidyne III 57's for $150.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top