Shure
Beta 57A
Dynamic · Supercardioid · 50–16,000 Hz · a rider regular
- The supercardioid instrument Beta: about 5 dB hotter than an SM57 and tighter, with a hardened grille that survives a drummer.
- Same capsule as the Beta 58A behind a different grille — the pair are as closely related as the SM57 and SM58.
Frequency response
No response curve yet.
MicSense only draws a curve redrawn from a graph the manufacturer publishes — it never estimates one from the microphone’s class. No published graph has been redrawn for the Beta 57A yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for supercardioid. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Shure |
|---|---|
| Model | Beta 57A |
| Type | Dynamic |
| Form factor | End-address |
| Polar pattern | Supercardioid |
| Frequency range | 50–16,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 2.8 mV/Pa · -51.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | — not published by the maker |
| Self-noise | — none (passive capsule) |
| Impedance | 150 Ω (output) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | None (dynamic) |
| Weight | 275 g |
Specifications: Shure datasheet · last checked 2 Oct 2026. These are the maker’s published figures for this model. A dash never means zero: “not published by the maker” means the maker’s documents give no figure; “not yet checked” means MicSense has not confirmed one yet. Spotted an error? Tell us.
MicSense notes
| Price tier | Mid |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Snare top
- Guitar cab
- Horn / brass
- Toms
- FOH vocal
MicSense tags microphones by the job on a live stage, not by studio category — so you can filter for “kick in” or “monitor vocal” instead of working backwards from “large-diaphragm condenser”.
Beta 57A alternatives: closest in published specs
Based on published specifications only — always listen at soundcheck. These are the microphones in the MicSense library whose datasheet figures sit closest to the Shure Beta 57A’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Shure Beta 57A: max SPL not published by the maker · response curve not redrawn yet.
-
sE Electronics
V7 X
- Same job: snare top, guitar cab, horn / brass
- Same type: dynamic
- Same supercardioid pattern
- Same form: end-address
- ≈ 3 dB less output — add about 3 dB gain
-
Sennheiser
e 906
- Same job: snare top, guitar cab, horn / brass
- Same type: dynamic
- Same supercardioid pattern
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Side-address — aim it from the side, not the end
-
Shure
SM57
- Same job: snare top, guitar cab, horn / brass
- Same type: dynamic
- Same form: end-address
- Cardioid instead of supercardioid — deepest rejection at 180°, not ±126°: check where the wedge sits
- ≈ 5 dB less output — add about 5 dB gain
Compare it against the alternatives.
MicSense lets you put up to four microphones side by side — spec table, overlaid response curves and polar diagrams on one screen. Free with a free Squaresmile account.