Members KillDozer Posted October 6, 2005 Members Share Posted October 6, 2005 There is a thread in the Amps forum regarding Eric Johnson's claim that vintage SM57s sound better than newer ones. One of the respondents added it was the 57s marked "Unidyne III" that have the vintage sound. Here are my questions: 1. Anyone else think the older 57s sound better than newer ones? 2. Anyone know if the 1960s Shure 545D/SD mics that look like SM57s (and also tagged with the magical Unidyne III) sound good/equivalent to a 57? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kiwiburger Posted October 6, 2005 Members Share Posted October 6, 2005 Ahh, can't beat a 30 year layer of spit and nicotine man. Can I sell you some pre-faded batteries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dogbreath Posted October 6, 2005 Members Share Posted October 6, 2005 I submitted this picture to enhance this thread. In my opinion, my 545D Unidyne III does sound better than my 57's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dogbreath Posted October 6, 2005 Members Share Posted October 6, 2005 OK...so the picture didn't post as "open". This was my first attempt to add a pic. Any input would be appreciated on how to do this bigger and better. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Daniel Smart Posted October 6, 2005 Members Share Posted October 6, 2005 IMO a 57 isn't worth losing sleep over. Whether it's a new one, old one, or a 545. This 'holy grail' of 57s is exactly the same to me as 'vintage' guitars, and gold-plated power sockets. Plug the thing in, press record and play some decent music. Nobody's going to listen and say 'Ah-ha, that was clearly recorded with a 2005 vintage SM57 made in mexico.' They are going to notice if the guitarist sucks, the tone is nasty (heck of a lot more down to source and placement than it is to the age of the SM57), or the mix is bad. FWIW, I own a 545 and have used 57s. My ATM63 sounds better than all of them to my ears. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the russ Posted October 6, 2005 Members Share Posted October 6, 2005 i have 545's and 57's. the 545's and 57's sound a little bit different. however, they sound similar enough to be interchangable. there's nothing that i'd use a 545 instead of a 57 on and vice versa. they both sound like 57's though. you *can* tell a little bit of a difference though. eric johnson is a bit of a kook anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted October 6, 2005 Members Share Posted October 6, 2005 Eric Johnson is a complete obsessive compulsive. He claims he can hear the differences in battery brands. Yes I understand that different companies have slightly different levels of "full charge", but I would love to blindfold challenge that and slap him silly when he fails. His disease has severely limited his productivity as an artist and cost him his wife. The question to me is what constitutes better? As electronic components age, their efficiency changes. This can contribute to a sweetening or failure depending on usage. If you saved a production line SM57 from today and compared it to one in 50 years it would probably sound a little different. But I bet that difference could be negated by a slight movement of the mic, twist of a tone control, gain on a preamp, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kiwiburger Posted October 6, 2005 Members Share Posted October 6, 2005 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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