Des just sent me some quick clips comparing the old standby [amazon_link id="B0000AQRST" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]Shure SM57[/amazon_link] with the el cheapo [amazon_link id="B001W99HE8" target="_blank" container="" container_class="" ]GLS Audio ES57[/amazon_link].
Have a listen.
[display_podcast]
More about the ES57 in these other AGZ articles:
http://www.audiogeekzine.com/?p=424
http://www.audiogeekzine.com/?p=430
Also Interesting:
I’ve never tried the ES57 mikes, but from your mp3 clip the GLS sound better than the Shure. The Shure SM57 sounds dull. The GLS ES57 sounds more alive. Cool!!! Someone mentioned the GLS have neo magnets. Does anyone know if this really matters?
You know, the Neo magnets might be the reason for the brighter sound.
I’m quite sure that the Beta 57 has a neodymium magnet, so I guess that will be the next shootout.
Before jumping to conclusions on the superiority of one mic verses the other I would like to hear how Des performed the experiment. Were the mics in the mics in the same location on the speaker and at the same angle? did the guitar and amp settings remain constant through out the test? Same cords/processing etcetera? Thanks for this test! i have been waiting for awhile but Jon is a lazy bastard~! go borrow a 57 Jon!
Des tells me the two mics were side by side with capsules touching, going into his Firepod. The mic was borrowed from Chris, who bought it from me.
So there.
Write your own articles Matt!
:p
Jon, I would love to hear the GLS ES57 vs. the Shure Beta 57. That would give us all a better idea if the neodymium magnets are the reason for the better sound on the GLS Audio mics.
Sorry for the double post. Has anyone done any sound files of the GLS Audio ES58 vs. the Shure SM58? I’ve read on other forums that the GLS 58 mics are better than the Shure SM-58 mics. I think I’m going to buy 10 of each. How can I go wrong at a price of only $23 each!!!! The GLS Audio price is so low compared to the Shure microphones.
Hey Noel, don’t worry about the double post, comment as often as you like.
Ryan Canestro is planning a more intensive shootout for our second podcast.
The Home Recording Show: Episode 1 should be up this weekend. and hopefully we can get episode 2 up not too long after that.
I bought the 10 pack and after shipping and customs fees it came out to $30 each. If you’re in the states it should be much cheaper.
Wicked. Thanks for the double checking Jon. I might buy 10 of those myself… we will see how they do in Ryan Canestro’s Shootout. Hopefully he busts them out on some drums.
Well, I did it. I bought the 10 pack of GLS Audio ES-58 mics. I live in the USA. I ordered them on Thursday and they arrived on Friday. I was shocked that I got them in 1 day.
Now for even more shocking news: The ES58 mics sound way better than my Shure SM58 mics. It’s amazing that a $30 mic could sound better than a $110 mic. But they do.
I ran some A/B tests side by side with my mixer and amps all at the exact same levels. The GLS Audio blew away the Shure.
I love finding great products like this.
Thanks for posting about them.
I found that the GLS Audio mics are amazing for the money, but I do not see them as a replacement for the Shure counterparts.
I did a couple tests with guitars and voice and found that the lows and mids are lacking a bit with the GLS Audio products, but the treble has some bite to it.
I just finished the review on my site.
Ryan, cool review.
I’ve been using the GLS ES-58 mics for a couple weeks and I really think they’re great. They do sound different than my Shure’s. But, I think the GLS sound better. I haven’t had any feedback issues like Ryan mentioned. I’ve used the 58′s at two of my shows. I love the extra attack they provide over my Shure’s.
I picked up a 3 pack of the ES-57 mics last week. Ryan, you are totally right about the extra bite the GLS has over the Shure. I love the way they sound on my guitar mixes.
So now I’ve spent $250 (10 pack of 58′s) + $90 (3 pack of 57′s). So I’ve saved about $1000 over the Shure’s pricing. Sweet!
The es57 sound clip is quite a bit louder. After normalizing the the two sound, the es57 sounds like it has a big bump in the mids, where the sm57 sounds a little mid scouped in comparison. I’m not hearing this “livliness” or “brighter” in the es57 sound clip at all. I think the es57 has the duller sound of the two. Applying a little eq to the es57 sound clip went a long way, and I wouldn’t have any problem using one of these, but going from the raw clips, the sm57 would be my first choice.
I have just started doing some home recording, did my whole metal band using one behringer xm8500 mic, with pro tools. The drums were tricky given that i only had one mic, but i did the best i could. I decided i needed to upgrade to at least 2 or 3 mics for recording drums and looked into both these mic’s.
I was going to buy two shure sm57′s but ended up getting 3 es57′s for nearly half the price. I went with the reviews and after this one i think i made the best decision. 3 gls mics would have to sound better on a drum kit than 2 shure mics! If you wanna check out my recording it is (www.myspace.com/overthrownmetal)
I love the GLS Audio mikes. Thanks for the tip!
2 years ago I started buying the ES-57 (GLS AUDIO) Shure 57 copies and found them to be a hotter/more gain before feedback kinda mic. The
Shure sounds smoother with less gain in a side by side checking vocals. The ES-57 has just about the same freq response with more bite to it w/o distorting. I use them for micing up guitar cabs and the occasional drums. Best copy out there for 1/3rd the price. Shure 57 will set you back about $90.00,,,,you can get 3 ES-57′s delivered for the same price. Your wallet,,,you decide. Give it the side by side test and you’ll see what so many others are saying about this mic.
I have been a pro recording engineer for over thirty years and there is no such thing as a good or bad microphone,it is simply the application and resulting sound you get from it.
I use beta 57 clones(4) on drum s and guitar not because the sm57 is a bad microphone(it is a mexican built mic though and is definately overpriced)but because it is brighter and a little distorted which really bring rock drums and guitar to life,if I were recording soft jazz drums I’d use something different.USA and the good ‘ol sm57/8 is the best thing is total bullshit!
I have ES-57 ordered and I own Audix,Shure,Rode,Sony,Takstar,Superscope,Behringer & clones that range from $27- over $1000 each,and all are good for some application but unsuitable for others.None are just good or bad.
Harmonica players love really tinny sounding mics because they give that 1920′s sound,soft singers may need neodium mikes live to get headroom without feedback,loud singers sm58,Opera singers Rode NT2,and so on and so on.
Take my advice buid a collection and experiment,so many of these forums appear to be trying to make one mike do everything well…forget it,it won’t happen.