In a message to Al Thompson  Jim Miller wrote:
JM>  There are 2 reasons why I stick with SM-58's for vocals...first, I'm
JM>  used to its sound and I never fail to get a good sound with it, that
JM>  3k peak not- withstanding (frankly, I've never noticed it but I do
JM>  notice that when I use other mics they're TOO responsive...maybe
JM>  that's what you're talking about). And B, it's the only mic that I've
The 3K peak was designed into it because that emphasises the consonants and 
sybilance (SP?) required for intelligability in PA (Public Address) 
situations.  In other words, you can understand the words more easily in a 
high-noise situation, or where you don't really have an optimal sound system. 
 It may not sound GOOD, but you can at least hear it.
JM>  ever seen get slammed down onto a hard concrete floor and the worst
JM>  that happens to it is it gets a dent in the windscreen.  Other mics
JM>  will surely crumble and fail when that happens, but not a Shure.  I
JM>  do a lot of gigs at a lot of different places and I need a mic that
JM>  isn't a wussy.  All other mics are wussies.
Yeah, the 58 is one of the most bullet-proof mics around.  They make a good 
part-time door-stop/wheel chock.
Don't discount mics that are less durable, since all things are a compromise. 
 There is a LOT of sound gear which is less durable, but which sounds better, 
than most of the very low end stuff.  A Peavey mixer will withstand a lot 
more abuse than a Midas or Neotek, for example, but the difference in sound 
is pretty astonishing.  A SM58 will definately take more abuse than any 
Neumann, but there is the same difference in sound.
You can paraphrase an old racers' phrase:  Quality costs money - how good do 
you want to sound?
When I was doing sound for a living, it wasn't uncommon for us to have 
$40,000 in mics with us (only four of which were SM57/58).  We carried a 
handful of Neumanns (84s and 87s), a lot of Beyer, AKG, a couple of 
Telefunkens.  We also carried a few spares, since a U87 will generally last 
only until the first time it gets dropped.
It's all about compromise.  
 
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