Shure
PGA98D
Small-diaphragm condenser · Cardioid · 60–20,000 Hz
- A clip-on condenser for toms at the price of a dynamic — 130 dB SPL, which is the figure to check before putting it on a snare.
- 27 dB(A) self-noise: fine on a drum, audible on anything quiet.
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 PGA98D yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for cardioid. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Shure |
|---|---|
| Model | PGA98D |
| Type | Small-diaphragm condenser |
| Form factor | Clip-on |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency range | 60–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 2.51 mV/Pa · -52.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 130 dB SPL (1 % THD; 1 kΩ load) |
| Self-noise | 27 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 850 Ω (output) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | Phantom 11–52 V |
| Weight | 210 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 | Budget |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Toms
- Snare top
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”.
PGA98D 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 PGA98D’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Shure PGA98D: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
Beta 98AMP
- Same job: toms, snare top
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: clip-on
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Max SPL as high or higher (153 vs 130 dB SPL)
-
Shure
Beta 98AD/C
- Same job: toms, snare top
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: clip-on
- Max SPL as high or higher (144 vs 130 dB SPL)
- ≈ 4 dB more output — about 4 dB less gain
-
Shure
Beta 98H/C
- Same job: toms
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: clip-on
- Max SPL as high or higher (155 vs 130 dB SPL)
- ≈ 4 dB less output — add about 4 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.