TTKs Mic Shoot-Out : Shure SM57 vs. Sennheiser e609
The Tone King | Dec 31, 2009 | Comments 14
Dear All … this is a TTK Style Shoot-Out, where you get to decide which amp microphone is best for you! Watch the video first, then decide which one you like. When you’re done watching the video … scroll down to see which mic is which. I hope you enjoy the video.
Okay … are you ready for the answer?
- Channel 1 / Microphone 1 is the Sennheiser e609
- Channel 2 / Microphone 2 is the Shure SM57
Check Prices on the microphones here : American Musical Supply, GuitarCenter.com
, Music123.com
, Musicians Friend
, Sweetwater, zZounds
Here are some pictures of the set-up :
TTK Jr. helping me set-up the shoot, b/c he loves this stuff about as much as I do 
!!
Channel 1 / Mic 1 = Sennheiser e609 (taped to keep it in place). The ‘dangle’ thing doesn’t work quite as well as you’d think. It needs a little bit of tape to keep it in place!
The handy dandy Shure SM57
The set-up.
Moments before the shoot – TTK Jr. givin’ ya one of them bad boys right there! BTW – Guitar is a Rico Jr. Gary Holt Sig Series Vixen w/ Seymour Duncan BlackOuts.
Back of the head and cabs. I even used the same exact speaker cable for both hook-ups.
Another shot, right before the shoot.
Another shot, showing a bit more detail on mic placement, and the BBE Supa Charger, and my handy dandy Korg PitchBlack tuner (don’t leave home w/ out em’)
These shot were taken AFTER I changed mic placement, so you can see how I had everything set-up.
Filed Under: Reviews
I like the the sm57 off axis, and the
sennheiser e609 on axis.
The e609 is better for cleaner sounds, and sound
more ambiant.
The sm57 is on axis to direct, i like it better
of axis, especialy with the more compressed sounds.
well he didn’t try them at different distances or angles from the amp. there aren’t obviously only two places to place a mic on an amp. i have both mics and i prefer the 609, but you gotta scoot it back 3-6 inches for a more balanced tone. also you don’t have to fuckin tape it. it comes with a mic clip hahaha.
I like how you did a unbiased review of 2 mics, and didnt let us know which one till the end. That way our minds dont make the decision for us. I went into this thinking the sennhieser e609 would prevail. be cause i have its counter partner the e906 which is way better.(In my opinion)More expensive to priced at 189. How ever the Shure SM57 sounded better in the rythym more detailed a little more bass which sounds thicker it was nice. However you did a lead styled riff on the 609 that you did not do on the SM57. I have to say the 609 sounded more define on the higher pitched lead. Never put a mic center cone you will get buzzy sounds… the sweet spot is 4 0′clock 3 to 5 inches away. a friendly tip use a sennhieser e906 for your cab at 4 then add a SM57 or audix i5 at 45 deg as close to the condenser as possible and pan each mic slightly down a different channel stereo imaging is nice trust me
[...] and a lil somthin special: a SHOOT OUT vs a condensor mic [...]
The Shure wins for me. It won 35 yrs ago and still sounds better to my ear – both center and off-axis placement were more defined, more crisp, etc. That said, either the Peavey amp and/or the guitar itself sounded terrible, particularly “cleaned up” – very nasally – no chime, no clarity. That’s one problem with one-channel amps IMO.
I dug the E609 if I had to have just one mic, but combining them with different angles etc gives good results recording. My opinion is if you have the cash grab a few of each!
Rock on TTK!
[...] the time, but The Tone Kings does the most thorough gear reviews / comparisons I have ever seen. This new one is just another [...]
SM57 all the way for me, actually I’ve been looking into both of these mics to buy so found this very helpful thanks.
I think the Sennhieser was better…
I think that I like the SM57 better for the Higher-gain stuff, the E609 might have had the clean sounds a little better though. My final opinion? I would use either, but I think I would prefer the 57 just a little more.
The sennhieser seems to have a little more punch for rhythm but the sm57 seems to be more balanced and have a better lead tone. I think you could use them both. To all guitarist ripp it up for 2010!!!!
I thought the e609 sounded best on the center of the cone, when it was off center it got really muddy, however I think the SM57 sounded the best overall, very clear, it didn’t get a ton of extra buzz and treble, unlike the e609. I think I’m going to pick up some SM57′s.
haha I got the opposite of ModernGuitarist… I thought I would like the SM57 better but turned out I liked the e609 for the on-axis sound… It had a lot more highs and mids but I thought it made the rhythm sound punchier…. Definitely prefer the SM57 for lead sounds and the off-axis sound though. SM57 seems better overall (AND it’s a bit cheaper) xDD
I’m actually suprised the SM57 did better than the e609, given its reputation as a better mic. The e609 picked up a lot of unwanted sounds, IMO. It had WAAY to much mids and highs, and lacked some bass. The SM57 was perfectly balanced to me.