Shure Beta 57A Supercardioid Dynamic Microphone

Feature:
Not many... But this microphone is the major feature and since I'm so happy with it, I give it a 10!

Quality:
It's a Shure. Not only does this thing weigh a ton and feel like a tank, but it's also survived the famed Shure Drop Test. You can't go wrong with this product in quality. I really expect it to outlive me.

Value:
I would easily, gladly pay twice what I did. I think that Shure's list price is actually quite a fair price. You're buying a product that has been time-tested - one that you know won't let you down. This mic was well worth my money and would be well worth yours, too!

Desirability:
I bought it, my second guitarist is already saving up, and my drummer plans on using it to mic his snare. So, yeah. It has it's appeal!

Sound:
This is where the Shure Beta 57A shines. It sounds so clear. It is a pretty big step up from the older SM57 and since it is a supercardioid design, it has much more rejection to ambience and outside noise. I use this mic primarily to mic my amplifier and it is amazing. I get completely different sounds depending on where I place the mic. It's really a lot of fun. Very clear, real sound.

Support:
I have dealt with Shure. I was asking quite a few questions before I decided to get the mics that I did, because I didn't want to make an uninformed decision. And Shure support was right there to help me every time. I'm very satisfied not only with the product, but also with the manufacturer. Shure rocks!

Overall:
This CAN NOT be beat as an instrument mic. There are much better vocal mics (like the Shure Beta 87A - which I also own), but as an instrument mic, this is simply the best. I am so pleased with this microphone! If anything were ever to happen to it, I would definitely buy another. I love this mic, everyone I know who's heard it loves it, and I know that you would too. This microphone WILL NOT disappoint.

The band I sing for was in some serious need of vocal microphones, so I took it upon myself (since I'm the lead vocalist) to buy a mic for myself and our guitarist. I took what I knew about mics, and what I had read from various live sound techs about what some of the best vocalists (i.e. Maynard James Keenan, A Perfect Circle, Tool) used live. After failing to find the Audix OM7 here on this site, I started to look for a high-output microphone that was good on the warmth too, and I remembered hearing about the Beta 57A being good for warmth (in Mix Magazine, article on A Perfect Circle's live setup) and low on ambient noise, and since our guitarist sometimes has a thin voice on bad days, I ordered two of them. Got them 2 days later, and had to wait for Saturday to roll around. Needless to say, this is everything we've been looking for in mics. Great, great, great. Sounds natural, just like your voice should if you're a singer, true to your voice with more warmth and added bass & mids. Its great. Highly reccomended. Its a Shure. Great microphone.