Shure
Beta 87A
Handheld condenser · Supercardioid · 50–20,000 Hz · a rider regular
- A handheld condenser that reaches 20 kHz, at 207 g.
- Supercardioid, so the null sits at about 126°: point the back at a wedge and you are aiming the rear lobe into it.
- The Beta 87C is the same microphone with a cardioid capsule, for singers who wander off axis.
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 87A 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 87A |
| Type | Handheld condenser |
| Form factor | Handheld |
| Polar pattern | Supercardioid |
| Frequency range | 50–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | -52.5 dBV/Pa (Shure prints −52.5 dBV/Pa "(2 mV)"; −52.5 dBV/Pa is 2.37 mV/Pa, the figure on Shure's product page) |
| Max SPL | 140.5 dB SPL (1 % THD; 1 kΩ load) |
| Self-noise | 23.5 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 150 Ω (output) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | Phantom 11–52 V |
| Weight | 207 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 | Pro |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- FOH vocal
- Wireless handheld capsule
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 87A 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 87A’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Shure Beta 87A: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
KSM9
- Same job: FOH vocal, wireless handheld capsule
- Same type: condenser (handheld)
- Switchable pattern — set it to supercardioid
- Same form: handheld
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Max SPL as high or higher (152 vs 140.5 dB SPL)
-
Shure
Beta 87C
- Same job: FOH vocal, wireless handheld capsule
- Same type: condenser (handheld)
- Same form: handheld
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Cardioid instead of supercardioid — deepest rejection at 180°, not ±126°: check where the wedge sits
-
Sennheiser
e 865
- Same job: FOH vocal
- Same type: condenser (handheld)
- Same supercardioid pattern
- Same form: handheld
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Max SPL as high or higher (150 vs 140.5 dB SPL)
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.