Unidyne III "Model SM57" different that new SM57?

Unless it's been abused, it's probably better than the newer ones. I wouldn't trade my Unidyne IIIs for new ones.
 
Track Rat said:
I have a Unidyne III 545. It's a WAY better mic than any 57 I've ever used in my opinion.
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I've heard the same claim from many different people...but what is it about the 545 that makes it so much better than the 57? From what I understand, they both use the Unidyne III capsule, so shouldn't they sound pretty much the same? I know the 545's were made in the US whereas the 57's are made in Mexico..is the build quality really that different, or is it something else? Do they actually sound different?
 
Yep - I have both, whether or not partly due to age, the Unidyne sounds smoother on top. I've checked both out on an RTA and they have nearly identical freq. response, but the III has a less "grainy" top. It is subtle but makes enough of a difference to me that I reach for the Unidyne for certain vocalists (over a condensor) where I might be less likely to with a regular 57.
 
The reason is that when the manufacturing was moved down to Mexico,
Shure sent their old mylar stamping machines (used in mic element) there instead of getting newer ones.

I've sold a good "Mexican" SM57 to a member here previously, but overall the sound quality has declined if you compare vs. the "Made In USA"
in a larger group test field. Forget if the two 545's I sold here were US or Mexico, but they sounded fine too. So it's still possible to find them if you're
lucky, or want to bother going through some.

The 545 model is brighter sounding than the SM57, therefore it will sound better on some sources, whereas the '57 would be preferred for a darker tone on others. Still have a 546 BTW that has a hand selected capsule like the SM7. This model was Sinatra's most used vocal mic at Reprise BTW.

The 548 Unidyne IV is the smoothest sounding out of these three models.
Shure tweaked the Unidyne III capsule for extended bass response on it.
It works the best on cheaper mixers/pre's vs. the other two generally IMHO.

And it was only made in the USA...

Chris
 
i was the "someone" that chessparov sold the mexi 545 to. it sounds fantastic.

i too prefer my 1 US-made 545 to the 2 mexi-made 545s that i have. and in general, i like all 3 of my 545's better than any 57 i've used (which have been all mexis, IIRC) or either of the 2 58s i have. i really like my 545's.


and FWIW, the appearance of "Unidyne III" does NOT automatically mean it's US-made. all 3 of my 545's have "Unidyne III" on them.


cheers,
wade
 
mrface2112 said:
and FWIW, the appearance of "Unidyne III" does NOT automatically mean it's US-made. all 3 of my 545's have "Unidyne III" on them.

cheers,
wade
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True. One of mine is USA and one is Mexico.
 
yeah, just like the others, i've been surprised by the 545. I bought it assuming it would sound like any other 57, and it doesn't. I started using it as a 'always on the stand' mic for quick scratch tracks when inspiration arose, and eventually noticed its larger, smoother sound.
 
Wade (mrface), glad you also assess that 545 as a "good one".

Madonna found a certain SM57 that she's used for an entire album (Erotica),
and on a lot of her other studio tracks. Lennon's fave '57 had a cracked body,
which caused some AE's to look down on it-till they heard his vocals on it!
Supposedly it'd hang with U67's/47's on mic shoot-outs for him.

But then again they weren't using a Behringer "console". :)

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys' AE, Chuck Britz, were huge fans of the 545
on lead vocals BTW. Bill Putnam was also amazingly good on pulling terrific
sounds out of these sorts of microphones too.

Chris
 
does anyone have a picture of the unidyne III SM57, i need one urgently. ive seen one on ebay but its a personal photo, jus wondered if any1 has one from the data sheet or anythign else
would be much appreciated if you could post it on the forum or email it to me.
Thanks . T. :D
 
I like my 545's better than my 57 also. I don't know if it's just because things were made better in those days, or the difference in the design itself. I often refer to using a 57 when in fact I'm really using a 545 just because it's easier and people know what you're talking about.

Do any of you other 545 users have the old 4 prong connector types like me?

BTW Track, yours is a hell of a lot cleaner than mine. They've still got some of that crappy foam gunk from the case stuck to them. I've got one switch model like yours, and a couple of straight ones, all about 30-35 years old.
 
Drake19 said:
I'm curious. I found two places selling 545's brand new. One website is www.avsupply.com. Are these the same as the original 545? Or are they just 57's with 545 body.
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Is it just me or do the prices on this site seem a little steep?
 
Years ago I had a fairly large PA....large ..as in a big club rig..I had 20 SM57's..All of them were UnidyneIII's..I kept 4 of em...I now have two_One of them is the BEST SM57 SM56 PE50 545 565 PE54 PE56 ect that I've ever heard...Maybe it was made on Wednesday.I have 3 SM57 that are less than 10 years old...There is a HUGE difference in sound...I also have two PE50's ..These are much like SM58's only with a switch and from what I can tell an extended bass response.Also a mic which gets very little press...I love mine.As for the Unidyne III, I have no problem recording anything with it...You should hear it on a fine pre.....
 
Holy crap, I bought one of those on ebay last year for $8. Didn't work and was advertised that way, I just liked the retro look of it. Tried to fix it but no go,, so I ended up putting the guts from an old Peavey mic into it, bypassing the switch and rewiring the 4 wires into two wires and a 1/4" plug..and use it as a harp mic of all things.

I feel like I've destroyed a part of history now... :(

Track Rat said:
Here ya go.
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