Shure
Beta 52A
Dynamic · Supercardioid · 20–10,000 Hz · a rider regular
- 174 dB max SPL — you will run out of drummer long before you run out of microphone.
- The scoop is built in: roughly 9 dB down at 500 Hz against a 4 dB lift at 60 Hz, so the 'kick EQ' most engineers reach for is already in the capsule.
- Its 0.6 mV/Pa output is the lowest of any common live mic; on a quiet source it will sound broken before it sounds quiet.
Frequency response
Read off Shure’s published response graph and re-drawn on the fixed MicSense scale (20 Hz–20 kHz, −20 to +15 dB), so two microphones can be compared at a glance. Points between the entered coordinates are interpolated — no data has been invented to smooth the curve.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for supercardioid. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Shure |
|---|---|
| Model | Beta 52A |
| Type | Dynamic |
| Form factor | End-address |
| Polar pattern | Supercardioid |
| Frequency range | 20–10,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 0.6 mV/Pa · -64.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 174 dB SPL |
| Self-noise | — |
| Impedance | 150 Ω (output impedance) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | None (dynamic) |
| Weight | 605 g |
| Price tier | Mid |
| Introduced | 1998 |
Every figure above is from Shure’s own published datasheet for this model — see the datasheet. A dash means the manufacturer does not publish that figure; it does not mean zero.
What it gets used for
- Kick in
- Kick out
- Bass cab
MicSense tags microphones by the job on a live stage, not by studio category — so you can filter for “kick in” or “monitor vocal” instead of working backwards from “large-diaphragm condenser”.
Compare it against the alternatives.
MicSense lets you put up to four microphones side by side — spec table, overlaid response curves and polar diagrams on one screen. Free with a free Squaresmile account.