Shure
Beta 98AD/C
Small-diaphragm condenser · Cardioid · 20–20,000 Hz · a rider regular
- Shure lists a net weight of 12 g: the electronics are not in the head but in the RPM626 in-line preamp on the cable.
- It shares its spec sheet with the stand-mount Beta 98A/C; the D version adds the A98D drum mount with a flexible gooseneck.
Frequency response
No response curve yet.
MicSense only draws a curve redrawn from a graph the manufacturer publishes — it never estimates one from the microphone’s class. No published graph has been redrawn for the Beta 98AD/C yet, so the numbers are in the spec table below.
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for cardioid. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Shure |
|---|---|
| Model | Beta 98AD/C |
| Type | Small-diaphragm condenser |
| Form factor | Clip-on |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency range | 20–20,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 4 mV/Pa · -48.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | 144 dB SPL (1 % THD; 1 kHz, 1 kΩ load; Shure's user guide adds 150.5 dB into a 2500 Ω load) |
| Self-noise | 30 dB(A) |
| Impedance | 179 Ω (output, at 1 kHz) |
| Connector | TA4F to RPM626 in-line preamp (XLR3M) |
| Powering | Phantom 11–52 V (phantom 11–52 V (via the RPM626 in-line preamp)) |
| Weight | 12 g |
Specifications: Shure datasheet · last checked 2 Oct 2026. These are the maker’s published figures for this model. A dash never means zero: “not published by the maker” means the maker’s documents give no figure; “not yet checked” means MicSense has not confirmed one yet. Spotted an error? Tell us.
MicSense notes
| Price tier | Mid |
|---|---|
| Introduced | — not recorded |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Toms
- Snare top
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”.
Beta 98AD/C alternatives: closest in published specs
Based on published specifications only — always listen at soundcheck. These are the microphones in the MicSense library whose datasheet figures sit closest to the Shure Beta 98AD/C’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Shure Beta 98AD/C: response curve not redrawn yet.
-
Shure
Beta 98AMP
- Same job: toms, snare top
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: clip-on
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Max SPL as high or higher (153 vs 144 dB SPL)
-
Shure
PGA98D
- Same job: toms, snare top
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: clip-on
- ≈ 4 dB less output — add about 4 dB gain
- Check: Max SPL 14 dB lower (130 vs 144 dB SPL) — check it on toms
-
Shure
Beta 98H/C
- Same job: toms
- Same type: condenser (small diaphragm)
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: clip-on
- Max SPL as high or higher (155 vs 144 dB SPL)
- ≈ 8 dB less output — add about 8 dB gain
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.