Shure
KSM353/ED
Ribbon · Figure-8 · 30–15,000 Hz
- The same Roswellite ribbon as the KSM313 in a larger body, voiced flat on both sides instead of dual-voiced.
- 633 g and 146 dB SPL — a ribbon built to be used rather than protected.
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 KSM353/ED yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for figure-8. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Shure |
|---|---|
| Model | KSM353/ED |
| Type | Ribbon |
| Form factor | Side-address |
| Polar pattern | Figure-8 |
| Frequency range | 30–15,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 2.11 mV/Pa · -53.5 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 146 dB SPL (THD not stated) |
| Self-noise | — none (passive capsule) |
| Impedance | 330 Ω (actual, transformer balanced) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | None (passive ribbon) |
| Weight | 633 g |
| Caution | No phantom needed — passive ribbon; avoid hot-patching or unbalanced cables with 48 V on. |
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 | Premium |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Guitar cab
- Horn / brass
- Overhead
- Acoustic instrument
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”.
KSM353/ED 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 KSM353/ED’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Shure KSM353/ED: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
KSM313/NE
- Same job: guitar cab, horn / brass, overhead
- Same type: ribbon
- Same figure-8 pattern
- Same form: side-address
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Max SPL as high or higher (146 vs 146 dB SPL)
-
sE Electronics
VR1
- Same job: guitar cab, horn / brass, overhead
- Same type: ribbon
- Same figure-8 pattern
- Same form: side-address
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Check: Max SPL 11 dB lower (135 vs 146 dB SPL) — check it on guitar cab
-
sE Electronics
X1 R
- Same job: guitar cab, horn / brass, overhead
- Same type: ribbon
- Same figure-8 pattern
- Same form: side-address
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Check: Max SPL 11 dB lower (135 vs 146 dB SPL) — check it on guitar cab
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.