GLS Audio ES-58

I was looking for a Shure SM57 when i stumbled upon youtube tests & reviews of this GLS Audio clone. I was skeptic at first but some of those tests are extremely well done and convincing. I thought what da hell, let's give it a shot. I bought a bunch of them because a friend who is an audio engineer was interested in some too. We tested this 57 and also the 58 against a much more expensive Shure Beta 58 (one step above the SM58). We had the Shure mics set up in the same way as the GLS mics and we preferred the GLS takes every time. The GLS mics are a touch more sensitive so they require less gain resulting in less noisy recordings. They are also less muddy and more defined, and somehow seem more neutral. They sound like EQ'd versions of the Shure's. The bothersome frequencies are removed, making mixing easier. In fact you don't need to EQ the GLS takes much at all, whereas the Shure takes definitely need a fair bit of EQ.

In terms of solidity etc, these seem just the same as the originals. Their aspect is virtually the same, with some minor differences, but weight and size are equivalent.

I sold my Shure SM58 a while back and don't regret it. I doubt i'll ever buy a Shure SM57 now that i have these.