TTKs Mic Shoot-Out : Shure SM57 vs. Sennheiser e609
The Tone King | Dec 31, 2009 | Comments 11
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’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.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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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
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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.
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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!!!!
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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.
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I think the Sennhieser was better…
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SM57 all the way for me, actually I’ve been looking into both of these mics to buy so found this very helpful thanks.
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[...] the time, but The Tone Kings does the most thorough gear reviews / comparisons I have ever seen. This new one is just another [...]
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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!
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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.
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[...] and a lil somthin special: a SHOOT OUT vs a condensor mic [...]
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