Elgato Wave:3 vs Shure SM58
A side-by-side look at Elgato Wave:3 and Shure SM58 for podcasters: pricing, features, and where each one wins.
Shure SM58
The world's most gigged dynamic mic, now in your home studio
See site
Check price on AmazonAt a glance
| Elgato Wave:3 | Shure SM58 | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | See site | See site |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | No | No |
| Best for | - | Podcasters who need a dead-simple, road-proven dynamic mic that handles poor room acoustics |
Key features
Elgato Wave:3
Shure SM58
- Dynamic cardioid XLR, no phantom power needed
- Frequency response 50 Hz to 15 kHz
- Output impedance 300 ohms
- Built-in spherical wind and pop filter
- Weight 298 g, all-metal construction
- Industry-standard clip and stand adapter included
Pros and cons
Elgato Wave:3
Shure SM58
Pros
- Extremely forgiving of close-talking and plosives
- Near-indestructible build, lifetime warranty on cartridge
- Works with any interface, mixer, or preamp - no fuss
- Consistent off-axis rejection for noisy rooms
Cons
- Frequency response rolls off above 15 kHz - lacks airiness of condensers
- Needs a decent preamp for adequate gain at normal speaking distance
- Designed primarily for vocals, not instruments or acoustic sources
The verdict
Choose Elgato Wave:3 if
Choose Shure SM58 if
Podcasters who need a dead-simple, road-proven dynamic mic that handles poor room acoustics.
You will not find a more field-tested vocal mic for the money. The SM58 rejects off-axis noise aggressively, which saves inexperienced podcasters from room reflections destroying their recordings. The caveat is its 15 kHz frequency ceiling - modern condensers go…