Microphones
Shure SM58 vs Shure Beta 58A
Quick answer
Buy the SM58 at $109.00 for every position a rota of volunteers and guests will use. Pay for the Beta 58A at $179.00 for a lead worship vocal on a loud platform, where aiming its 126 and 234 degree nulls at the wedges is worth real gain.
Shure SM58 Pro XLR Dynamic Vocal Microphone
$109.00The cardioid industry standard for fifty years. It survives being dropped, rejects the wedge directly behind it, and every visiting musician knows how to use it.
Best for: Every vocal position that does not need to be wireless
Check price on Amazon
Shure BETA 58A Supercardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone
$179.00A brighter supercardioid with a neodymium magnet and higher output, whose tighter pattern rejects more of a loud platform when the wedges are placed for it.
Best for: A lead worship vocal on a loud platform with floor wedges
Check price on AmazonBuy the SM58 unless you can name the specific vocalist who needs the Beta. At $109.00 against $179.00 the SM58 is the correct default for backing vocals, announcements, guest speakers and anything a stranger might pick up. The Beta 58A is a specialist tool for a lead voice that has to sit above a band.
The part almost every comparison gets wrong is how much the supercardioid pattern buys. On published directivity figures it is worth about a decibel, not the transformation people expect. The real advantage is geometric: the Beta rejects hardest at about 126 and 234 degrees rather than straight behind, so a wedge placed directly behind it will feed back sooner, and two wedges placed off to the sides will not. Read the polar pattern chart alongside this.
Side by side
| Model | Price | Microphone type | Polar pattern | Needs phantom power | Frequency range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SM58 Pro XLR Dynamic Vocal Microphone | $109.00 | Dynamic | Cardioid | No | 50 Hz to 15 kHz |
| Shure BETA 58A Supercardioid Dynamic Vocal Microphone | $179.00 | Dynamic | Supercardioid | No | 50 Hz to 16 kHz |
Cardioid against supercardioid where it matters on a platform
The pattern difference is small in decibels and large in geometry. This table is about where to put the wedges, which is the decision the microphone choice forces on you.
Supercardioid directivity is worth only about 1 dB of gain before feedback on paper, and the real gain comes from aiming its 126 and 234 degree nulls at the wedges rather than relying on rear rejection.
| Property | SM58 cardioid | Beta 58A supercardioid | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deepest rejection | Directly behind, 180 degrees | About 126 and 234 degrees | Where the wedge goes |
| Rear pickup | Minimal | A small rear lobe | A wedge straight behind will feed back |
| Distance factor | About 1.7 | About 1.9 | Roughly 1 dB of extra reach |
| Frequency response | 50 Hz to 15 kHz | 50 Hz to 16 kHz | The Beta is brighter on top |
| Output level | Reference | Higher, neodymium magnet | Less preamp gain needed |
| Off-axis tolerance | Forgiving of a singer who moves | Less forgiving | Guest vocalists |
| Price | $109.00 | $179.00 | Buying six of them |
Distance factor is the standard directivity measure, and the difference between 1.7 and 1.9 works out at roughly 1 dB. Anyone promising several decibels from a pattern change alone is describing a wedge that was moved at the same time.
Choose the SM58 for everything a volunteer or guest will touch
The SM58 is forgiving, and forgiveness is the specification that matters in a church. A singer who drifts two inches off axis loses very little, a guest who cups the grille does less damage than they would to a tighter pattern, and dropping it on a tile floor is survivable. At $109.00 a church can equip six vocal positions for less than the cost of a single wireless channel.
It is also the correct choice for the sound of most church vocals. The gentle presence lift flatters a speaking voice and an untrained singer, and the proximity effect gives a thin voice weight when they work in close. The switched SM58S at $119.00 is the same capsule with an on and off switch, which is either exactly what a lectern needs or the thing that ruins a service, depending entirely on who is holding it.
The honest limit: on a genuinely loud platform with wedges either side and a drummer six feet away, the SM58 will reach feedback before a tighter pattern would. If that describes your Sunday, the answer may be in-ear monitors rather than a different capsule, which is covered in in-ears against wedges.
Choose the Beta 58A for a lead vocal on a loud platform
The Beta earns its price in one situation: a lead worship vocal competing with a full band and floor wedges, sung by somebody with consistent microphone technique. The tighter pattern plus the higher output means less preamp gain for the same level, and less gain is less of everything else in the room. The brighter top end also helps a lead voice cut through a dense mix without reaching for aggressive equalisation.
To actually collect the benefit you have to move the wedges. A supercardioid has a small rear lobe, so the traditional position of one wedge directly behind the singer is the worst place for it. Put wedges at roughly forty five degrees either side of the singer, pointing into the nulls. If the wedges cannot move, the Beta will feed back sooner than the SM58 and the upgrade will have made things worse. Miking a worship band covers the whole platform layout.
If your problem is gain before feedback rather than tone, the Audix OM5 at $179.00 is the tighter hypercardioid alternative at the same price, compared directly in SM58 against OM5.
Sources
- Shure published SM58 specifications
- Shure published Beta 58A specifications
- Standard polar pattern distance factor figures for cardioid and supercardioid capsules
Frequently asked questions
Is the Beta 58A just a brighter SM58?
It is brighter, louder and tighter, and all three come from real design differences: a neodymium magnet, a supercardioid capsule and a response that extends to 16 kHz. Whether that is an upgrade depends on the voice. On a bright, sibilant singer the Beta can be harsh where the SM58 is flattering, and no amount of equalisation fully undoes that.
Which one handles a loud church platform better?
The Beta, but only if the wedges are placed for its pattern. Its deepest rejection is at about 126 and 234 degrees rather than straight behind, so it needs wedges off to the sides. Placed behind a supercardioid, a wedge exploits the small rear lobe and you lose the advantage you paid for.
Do we need to change the channel setup when we switch?
Yes, expect to. The Beta has higher output so the preamp gain comes down by several decibels, and the brighter top end usually means less high shelf than the SM58 wanted. If you run scene recall, save the new settings as a separate scene rather than editing over the one that works for your existing microphones.
Can a Beta 58A be used for spoken word at a lectern?
It can, though the SM58 or a gooseneck is usually the better fit. Speech at a lectern is normally further from the capsule than singing, and the supercardioid pattern is less forgiving of a speaker who moves. If the lectern is fixed and the speaker stays put, a shock mounted gooseneck condenser outperforms either handheld.
How many vocal microphones should a church own?
Enough for every regular position plus at least two spares, because a dead capsule on a Sunday morning is the failure you cannot improvise around. For most churches that means four to six SM58s, one microphone per singer plus spares, and a written input list so the same voice lands on the same channel every week.
Researched, not professional advice. This page is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, operator manuals, FCC rules, published standards and owner-review consensus, not hands-on testing. Sound system design, rigging loudspeakers overhead, and any electrical work are jobs for a qualified professional: have flown loudspeakers and their attachment points signed off by a structural engineer or a certified rigger, and have all wiring done by a licensed electrician to your local code. Wireless microphone rules change, so confirm the current FCC position before buying. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.