Shure
SM35
Electret / lavalier · Cardioid · 40–20,000 Hz
- 153 dB SPL — headroom built for a singing drummer.
- 72 g including the boom, and it runs on the 5 V DC bias a bodypack supplies rather than phantom power.
- 39 dB(A) equivalent noise is high for a condenser, and irrelevant an inch from a mouth.
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 SM35 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 | SM35 |
| Type | Electret / lavalier |
| Form factor | Headset |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency range | 40–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | -59.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 153 dB SPL (1 % THD; 1000 Ω load, measured with the RPM626 preamp) |
| Self-noise | 39 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 2400 Ω (output) |
| Connector | TA4F (bodypack) or in-line XLR preamp |
| Powering | Bias voltage from the bodypack (bias via bodypack (5 V, TA4F); phantom 11–52 V via the RPM626 XLR preamp) |
| Weight | 72 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
- Monitor vocal
- Theatre lav
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”.
SM35 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 SM35’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Shure SM35: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Sennheiser
ME 3
- Same job: FOH vocal, monitor vocal, theatre lav
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: headset
- ≈ 3 dB more output — about 3 dB less gain
-
Shure
Beta 54
- Same job: FOH vocal, monitor vocal, theatre lav
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same form: headset
- Supercardioid instead of cardioid — deepest rejection at ±126°, not 180°: check where the wedge sits
- A wired XLR microphone with phantom power, not a bodypack mic
- ≈ 3 dB more output — about 3 dB less gain
- Check: Max SPL 12 dB lower (141.4 vs 153 dB SPL) — check it on loud sources
-
DPA
4088 CORE+
- Same job: FOH vocal, theatre lav
- Same type: electret / lavalier
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: headset
- ≈ 15 dB more output — about 15 dB less gain
- Check: Max SPL 14 dB lower (139 vs 153 dB SPL) — check it on loud sources
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.