Shure 55SH Series II Iconic Microphone - Vintage Style, Rich Sound Quality, Rugged Construction, Shock-Mounted Noise Reduction for Vocals & Instruments-for Live Performances & Studio Recording

I have owned the Shure 55SH mic in the past, and though it's looks were killer, I was never happy with the sound. It doesn't matter how good a mic looks on the stage, if it doesn't sound good, then it has no place there other than being a prop. At first I was turned off by the blue foam of the Super 55, but then I was struck with the idea of pairing it with bright blue XLR mic cables, and I thought it would really be a "signature" look and would pop. My biggest concern, of course, was the sound. I did a little research, and was happy to read that the Super 55 is a supercardioid mic based on the Beta 58a, which I love. This mic looks great and sounds great too. Bright and clear, with a great "sweet spot," and also does well on the lows. Some reviews have dinged this mic for being bad with plosives (b's and p's), but even using it with novices at an open mic, I found this not to be the case at all. Excellent gain before feedback allows for this mic to be close to stage monitors and gain cranked without any worries. Love my Super 55's!

Perfect mic. It did exactly what i needed it to do.

I was using a decent condenser mic that was dropped and only half of it worked. I was looking for a replacement, but didn't want to spend a ton. I needed a good mic for both gigs and studio recording. Well, after researching quite a bit, and finding out that this mic doesn't need phantom power to work, I decided to splurge a bit and get it. I'm a singer/guitarist (singer first, guitarist second), and I love condenser mics for how they capture vocal sounds. I expected a lot from this mic because it's a Shure, and I am NOT disappointed as all! The sound quality is stunning both live and in-studio. The only thing I've noticed is that when I use it live, the PA gain has to be turned up quite a bit, which has (sometimes) caused some feedback when the guitar gain is up as well. I don't think that's a problem with the mic, though. It's more of a problem because I play guitar quietly sometimes. The fact that I have a condenser mic that does NOT REQUIRE phantom power is wonderful. It adds so much more to the mic's usefulness and versatility. But really, I can't get over the sound quality. Stunning. For the price, which was a little steep for me, I think it probably far outshines other condenser mics out there. In addition, it seems to be very well built. And, it's gorgeous to boot. Note: I (like several others) purchased the Aenllosi hard carrying case as part of a bundle from Amazon. I strongly recommend getting a hard case for this mic if you plan to move it around. It's well-built, but it's still a condenser mic, and I don't want to take any chances.

I bought a PA a few months ago and haven't found a Mic that could cut through the music until I tried this one. Clear sound, filters feedback, be sure to position correctly for best sound.

Sweetwater is a great, reputable company. The Shure Super 55 is comparable to the SM58, but looks 10x's better. Good Mic to have on stage

I'm doing a Remembering the Rat Pack show in October. I am wanting to put on an over-the-top show, and so when I saw this style of microphone I made it to the peak! It not only looks and feels awesome, but it also compliments my voice in a way that far exceeded my expectations. I'm running this through a power mixer, so there is plenty of power available for hitting the back of any dance hall through this setup. One of the most annoying occurrences while singing is that "pop" noise you get with lyrics that start with "b" or "p" (and others). I'm not sure if it is my experience alone that makes me avoid this sound or it may be the blue screen that surrounds the pick-up coil. Either way, I can belt out some of Frank's loud songs from about 9" away and it sounds amazing with no "pops." I highly recommend this microphone for anyone who is looking for that retro look and still wants to be heard!

The iconic look of the Shure 55SH microphone is enough to justify it's purchase, but it helps to compare it with the similar (and considerably more expensive) "Super 55" also offered by Shure. While the 55SH is more affordable and offers the additional feature of a switch, it isn't as sensitive as some of Shure's other excellent microphones. You can compensate for this either by increasing the gain on the amp or using a PA preamp, and with those considerations the mic performs extremely well, especially in live conditions. The effective "super-cardoid" pickup pattern means that monitors can be placed directly in front of the singer and it will not feedback. I've used it for several months now in a swing band, and we love the way it looks and the way the singers look and sound when they are using it. The only cons I can offer are a) we thought we would like the switch on the front, but it turns out that the switch can accidently be turned off by the singer (problem until the singer figures out what happened), and b) a singer who prefers to hold the mic in their hand will not like the heavy weight... it's meant to stay attached to the mic stand. We solved the first problem by putting a clear plastic guide over the switch plate to hold the switch in the "on" position. Remember this mic is meant to mimic the "good old days" when microphones were big, heavy things and no one held them in their hands. Elvis used mics like this when he first started, and radio announcers could hide behind their mics. Shure holds it's retailers to a minimum retail price, so it's hard to get a deal on one of these. We were happy with the sturdy brushed chrome construction and performance of the mic, and I've already been asked to allow friends to borrow it for special functions. This one's a keeper! Bottom line is... you can get smaller Shure mics that sound just as good or better, but if you want both retro looks and great performance, the Shure 55SH will be your first choice.

I've had this Super 55 for nearly 3 years now, and not once have I had a single issue with it. Admittedly, by itself, the Super 55 is nothing really to talk about. It has a hard time picking up lows and mids, but when attached to an interface that you can equalize, it sounds perfect. With no need for phantom power, you can plug this in anything from a 3.5mm jack (which I will never recommend) to a quarter inch jack (better) or natively into any XLR input (best). Use it at parties, use it at home, use it to sing, or to record voice overs. The possibilities are endless.