# Shure SM57

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/shure-sm57
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/xlr-microphones
- Placement: #2 of 18 in XLR Microphones, A tier
- Brand: Shure
- LP on this board: 807
- Last researched: 2026-09-23T18:24:49.423Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Dataset: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062813 - every board at once, one dated snapshot per release, same licence, prices and photographs left out
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

Placed sixth as the universal workhorse for instruments and a capable vocal mic, offering indestructibility and very low cost despite being less flattering for desk speech.

## For

- Indestructible dynamic microphone
- Excellent for instrument recording
- Very low cost
- The default instrument and snare mic for decades
- A perennial fixture of every serious mic guide

## Against

- Less flattering for close-up vocal speech
- Slightly niche in a podcasting-weighted category
- low output requires significant gain for vocal use
- Not a voice-first recommendation

## Evidence

Consolidated from 28 cited sources across 27 outlets

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tone Tailors | - | - | https://tonetailors.com/shure/shure-sm57-review/?srsltid=AU7gw4VgoYkR4xdXTigiTmULStKaZeZiqJ-VfDS7ygiGApTh9LQ5sAVJ | fetched and confirmed |
| High on Technology | - | - | http://www.highontechnology.tech/2025/11/review-behringer-sl75-vs-shure-sm57-vs.html | fetched and confirmed |
| r/microphone | - | - | https://www.reddit.com/r/microphone/comments/1skezsk/should_i_buy_the_shure_sm57_mic_for_my_home/ | outlet blocks automated checks |
| CIRCLE OF TONE. | CIRCLE OF TONE. | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Y-TyT8Fj0 | fetched and confirmed |
| Podcastage | Bandrew Scott | B | https://podcastage.com/rev/sm57 | fetched and confirmed |
| Podcastage | Bandrew Scott | B | https://podcastage.com/rev/sm57vsm201 | fetched and confirmed |
| A Joyful Noise Music Studio | A Joyful Noise Music Studio | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfcIEpOJpYs | fetched and confirmed |
| Vi Control | vi-control.net | D | https://vi-control.net/community/threads/microphone-recommendation-for-woodwind-and-ethnic-string-like-ronroco-recordings.167059/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Sweetwater | Sweetwater | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_e4vX0xwwM | fetched and confirmed |
| Anas's Studio | Anas's Studio | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-f0Wq4iONI | fetched and confirmed |
| Anvill Music & Media | Anvill Music & Media | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Wp3AORMRw | fetched and confirmed |
| The DIY Recording Studio | The DIY Recording Studio | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV7O1GF5Ml8 | fetched and confirmed |
| Andrew Chapman Creative | Andrew Chapman Creative | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ4u3Ax-1uE | fetched and confirmed |
| darrenhigginsmusic | darrenhigginsmusic | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCY3kvmNQIE | fetched and confirmed |
| Modern Music Studio | Modern Music Studio | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUqD27FibSQ | fetched and confirmed |
| Danny Lightning Audio and Reviews | Danny Lightning Audio and Reviews | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2QiwNRYGkg | fetched and confirmed |
| Worship Sound Guy | Worship Sound Guy | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sitI3S6tWkE | fetched and confirmed |
| Mikey Scott Studio | Mikey Scott Studio | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzVOiQu707E | fetched and confirmed |
| Chainmix | Chainmix | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JmT_nmA0-c | fetched and confirmed |
| Garrett Lindsay | Garrett Lindsay | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bck49xgguM8 | fetched and confirmed |
| PODHEAD by Podluck | PODHEAD by Podluck | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6UBztXiUFM | fetched and confirmed |
| MusicRadar | musicradar.com | B | https://www.musicradar.com/news/the-best-microphones-for-recording | fetched and confirmed |
| WIRED | Parker Hall | B | https://www.wired.com/story/buy-it-for-life/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Guitar in action Music and production | Guitar in action Music and production | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMoBizt3DXE | fetched and confirmed |
| FoxBolt | FoxBolt | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvmDrzxeEow | fetched and confirmed |
| Higher Hz | Brandon Schock | S | https://higherhz.org/reviews/equipment/shure-sm57/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Guitar World | guitarworld.com | B | https://www.guitarworld.com/features/best-microphones-for-recording-guitar | fetched and confirmed |
| Linkedin | linkedin.com | B | https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-every-major-studio-has-neumann-u-87-produce-like-a-pro-eobme | fetched and confirmed |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Rode NT1 | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/rode-nt1 |
| 3 | Rode PodMic | A | https://stierproducts.com/products/rode-podmic |
| 4 | Electro-Voice RE20 | A | https://stierproducts.com/products/electro-voice-re20 |
| 5 | Shure SM7dB | A | https://stierproducts.com/products/shure-sm7db |
| 6 | Shure SM58 | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/shure-sm58 |
| 7 | Shure SM7B | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/shure-sm7b |
| 15 | Neumann KM 184 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/neumann-km-184 |
| 16 | Rode Procaster | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/rode-procaster |
| 17 | Logitech Blue Sona | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/logitech-blue-sona |
| 18 | Aston Origin | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/aston-origin |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/xlr-microphones.

## What this tier means

- A: Excellent. Strongly recommended, beaten only by the very best.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/shure-sm57.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.