Shure
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Shure Incorporated is a consumer and professional audio electronics corporation. Shure Incorporated mainly produces microphones and other audio electronics, but also produces in-ear monitors (earphones) for a variety of audio applications including MP3 players.
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[edit] Background
Shure was founded in 1925 as The Shure Radio Company under an audio magnate named Sidney Shure. The company is based in the United States, and has been a Chicago area company since its founding, when Sidney Shure worked out of an office in downtown Chicago. The company moved to Evanston, Illinois in 1956. In 2002, Shure Incorporated relocated to an award-winning [1] office building in Niles, Illinois. The building was designed by renowned architect Helmut Jahn, and was originally the headquarters of HA•LO Industries. At 65,000 square-feet the Technology Annex houses the Shure’s Performance Listening Center opened in 2005 [2].
The company's products including their wireless systems and microphones are ubiquitous in well-known music award events, such as the Grammy Awards.
[edit] Brief history and milestones
Up until 1933, The Shure Radio Company strictly made radio systems. Since then, the company has expanded its audio horizons to microphones, phonograph cartridges, discussion systems, mixers and digital signal processing, and recently headphones, including high-end earbuds.
Shure introduced a stylus force gauge, which eventually became the industry standard. The SFG-2 Precision Stylus Phono Gauge (essentially a balance) can measure the tracking force of a cartridge to within a tenth of a gram. It is useful in setting up the configuration of a record player.
[edit] Phonograph cartridges
In 1958, Shure introduced one of the first phono cartridges designed to play stereophonic discs. Shure produced numerous cartridge series as well as replacement styli, in many cases continued offering dedicated 78-rpm styli as an option for its cartridges.
Shure continues to produce fine cartridges, but the highly-acclaimed V15 Type V-MR has been discontinued.
[edit] Microphones
Shure has produced a vast array of microphones for decades, among which are the well known SM and Beta series of dynamic and condenser microphones. The series includes the SM58 (the standard and most-used microphone worldwide for live vocals), SM48, SM86, SM87A (primarily for vocal reproduction) and SM57 (used to mic guitar amps, drums, brass instruments, etc...), SM94 and SM81 (often used for strings, pianos, overhead drum mics, large choirs). The Beta 52A and Beta 91 are two of the most common microphones used for kick drums. The SM57 and SM58, and their more modern variants, the Beta 57A and 58A, are some of the most widely used microphones in the world, particularly for live sound reproduction. The SM7 is also a widely used vocal microphone for broadcast and voiceover work as well as low frequency instruments (kick drum, bass guitar).
The elite line of Shure microphones is the KSM series. These mics are primarily used in studio recording, but do have some applications to live sound, such as overhead drum mics or for use with guitar and bass amplifiers. The KSM series includes the KSM27, KSM32, KSM44, KSM109, KSM137 and the KSM144. The new KSM9 microphone recently debuted. It is the first microphone in the KSM line made for use with live vocals, and features both cardioid and supercardioid polar patterns.
Shure's dynamic mics are popular because they are relatively inexpensive, and are extremely durable. For example, in the 1970s Roger Daltrey of the Who often used industrial tape to secure a Shure SM58 to his microphone cord, then swung it around in huge arcs from the stage. On occasion, it would strike the floor or PA equipment, yet kept working.
Shure's 55SH Series II microphone is a fifties-era iconic mic that is still popular today among musicians and radio personalities.
Other Shure microphone series include the Performance Gear (PG) introductory professional series, Specialty Consumer Microphones, and Microflex and Easyflex installed conferencing systems for commercial installed applications.
There is also a full line of wireless microphones, most of them wireless versions of their wired models.
[edit] Personal monitors
Shure introduced their personal monitoring systems in 1997. These systems enable musicians and professional audio producers to fine-tune all music and its related background notes with minimal distortion and clear frequency. Shure's personal monitor library are tailored differently to fit different budgets and recording needs of many musicians and professional audio producers.
A pair of Shure's sound-isolating earphones (called in-ear monitors in the professional audio channel) can be included as a part of a personal monitor system—prior to its earphones being available through consumer channels, Shure's sound-isolating earphones were only available as a part of a personal monitoring system package.
[edit] Earphones
Introduced as an accessory included in the company's personal monitor systems, Shure's earphones became an independent product with the rising popularity of portable audio devices such as the iPod and when musicians, professional audio producers, and even audiophiles utilized the company's earphones on devices other than Shure's personal monitor/mixer systems.
Shure introduced two versions of their E series earphones to the pro audio and consumer audio channel when these earphones were first released for independent purchase. Later on, Shure expanded their consumer earphone line with dedicated earsets for use with cellular telephones but opted to combine its cell phone earsets with premium audio components found on the E2, E3, and E4 to form the "I" series, a band of two-purpose earphones that can be used with both music and cellular devices (with a trim for the Treo smartphone available). Shure wanted to cater to mobile gamers with the G variation of the E series earphones.
Shure sought to simplify its earphone lineup for the consumer channel by introducing a three-armature earphone called the E500 (later renamed SE530) with a unique "Push-to-Hear" accessory also introduced. [3]). A few months after the E500 was first released, Shure took a drastic step in simplifying consumer earphone variety with the SE earphone series, in which each of these earphones have collapsable cables, and in some cases, problems from the E series addressed (i.e. SE420 earphones utilizes pre-emptive crossovers instead of a cooperative crossover). [1] [4] [5]
When Shure released the SE110 earphones, the company finally reserved the E series for the professional audio channel (now called the SCL line) with the SE earphones taking over Shure's consumer earphone mainstream.
During the E series earphone era, all earphones had the same performance although there are cosmetic, packaging, and naming differences. With the separation of earphones, Shure's consumer earphones and SCL earphones now have noticeable differences in how the earphones perform.
All of Shure's earphones and/or earsets utilize a unique closed-canal sound isolation technology — blocking outside noise from interfering with the audio without active noise cancellation (which would require batteries). This makes the earphones lighter and more portable while also blocking out more noise than noise cancelling headphones. [6] In addition to its canal-blocking noise isolation technology, Shure earphones utilize a variety of foam and plastic sleeves to ensure a good fit on all ears. [7] Getting the proper fit [8] when inserting these is key to getting the best sound and blocking out the most noise.
Some of Shure's earphones utilize a unique internal vent in the earphone assembly, which improves airflow around the low-mass balanced armature. The improved airflow allows the armature to perform as if it were in a larger enclosure without any size penalty and because the earphones and its internal vent is sealed, there's no loss in isolation. Shure's "internal vent" technology is called either "Tuned Port" or "Tuned Bassport". [9] [10]
[edit] Products
[edit] Phono Cartridge Series
- M44 series starting in the early 1960s,
- M91 series in the early 1970s,
- M95 series in the mid-1970s,
- V15 series beginning in 1965, followed by the V15 Type II in 1968, V15 Type III in 1973, V15 Type IV in 1978, V15 Type V in 1982 (discontinued).
- M97 series in 1990s.
- Whitelabel Spin/Mix
- M44-7 Turntablist
- M44-G Club/Spin
- M35X House/Techno
- M25c General Use
[edit] Microphones
- Performance Gear Series
- SM series, starting in the 1960s
- Beta series, starting in the 1980s
- KSM series condenser studio microphones
- KSM9 cardiod/supercardiod live performance microphones
[edit] Wireless Microphones
VHF Technology
- T Series
UHF Technology
- UT Series
- PG Series
- PGX Series
- SLX Series
- ULX Professional Series
- UHF Series
- UHF-R Series
[edit] Public Address / Vocal Amplification
- Shure Vocal Master PA mixer & speaker columns (1960s - 70s)
[edit] Earphones
| In-Ear Monitor | Also Known As | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| SCL2 | E2 | One miniature dynamic high-energy magnet (Formerly available to consumers as the E2C and E2G) |
| SCL3 | E3 | One Low-Mass/High Energy Dynamic Driver (Formerly available to consumers as the E3C and E3G) |
| SE110 | SE110 | One Low-Mass/HIgh Energy Dynamic Driver with Shure's "universal earsleeve" compatibility, expandability, and Shure Push-To-Hear compatibility [11] |
| SE210 | SE210 | One Low-Mass/High Energy Balanced Armature Driver with collapsable cable and Shure Push-To-Hear compatibility[1] |
| SCL4 | E4 | One Low-Mass/High Energy Dynamic Driver with internal air vent (formerly available to consumers as the E4C and E4G) |
| SE310 | SE310 | One Low-Mass/High Energy Balanced Armature Driver with internal vent, collapsable cable, and Shure Push-To-Hear compatibility[1] |
| SCL5 | E5 | Two Low-Mass/High-Energy Performance Dynamic Drivers (one for treble, one for bass) on each side with cooperative Inline Crossover (Formerly available to consumers as the E5C) |
| SE420 | SE420 | Two Low-Mass/High-Energy Balanced Armature Drivers (one for treble, one for bass) with in-ear pre-emptive inline crossover, collapsable cable, and Shure Push-To-Hear compatibility[1] |
| SE530 (formerly E500) | SE530PTH (formerly E500PTH) | Three Low-Mass/High Energy Balanced Armature Drivers (Two armature woofers for bass and one tweeter for highs[2]) with pre-emptive (in-ear) inline crossover [12], and internal vent [3] with collapsable cable and Shure Push-To-Hear compatibility (PTH included with SE530PTH) |
| I2C | I2C-T (for Palm Treo models) | One miniature dynamic high-energy magnet with VoicePort Microphone |
| I3C | I3C-T (for Palm Treo models) | One Low-Mass/High Energy Dynamic Driver with VoicePort Microphone |
| I4C | I4C-T (for Palm Treo models) | One Low-Mass/High Energy Dynamic Driver with internal vent and Shure's VoicePort Microphone |
SE Series Works Cited can be seen by clicking here
The SE incarnations of the E3, E4, and E5 will undergo a major facelift, while the E500, when renamed to the SE530, will retain its design. [13]
[edit] Works cited
- ^ a b c d Horowitz, Jeremy (2007-01-02). Macworld Expo 2007: The Complete Guide (P-Z) (English). iLounge.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-18.
- ^ Source: E-Mail discussion between Mark Kim and Chris Siuty of Shure Customer Service—the discussion lasted from 2006-09-05-2006-09-13
- ^ Source: Shure E500PTH Multi-language instruction booklet included with the Shure E500PTH Consumer-grade IEMs
[edit] See also
- Earphones
- Audiophile
- Microphone and wireless microphone
- Head-fi
- SM57 and SM58
- List of microphone manufacturers
[edit] External links
