I recently acquired, as a gift, a “JBL PBM100” mic and previously was considering buying a “Shure SM58.” I only made one recording with the JBL so far and so far so good (I recorded keyboard drums sent through an amp, placing the mic in front of the amp). So dunno yet from trial and error but it is probably the best mic I currently have regardless, so how do I know if the Shure will be better?.. I got the PDF’s on both to compare technical specifications which seem similar… The only thing I noticed peculiar about the JBL is it’s light -weight (“.24 Ibs”) …about 4 oz’s. compared to the Shure at “10.5 oz” …that’s more than double the weight.
I don’t know anything about it. If it works and it sounds good, it’s good!
The specs won’t really tell you how it sounds.
Both mics are cardioid (directional). (1) That’s usually good because it reduces unwanted noise pickup from other directions, and it helps to prevent feedback when used live.
From what I found the JBL has a 6.3mm connector which is “odd” but I assume the other end of the cable has a regular XLR microphone connector.
The SM58 and very similar SM57 are the most popular stage mics of all time! They are rugged and they usually “last forever”.
Dynamic mics tend to have low sensitivity (compared to condenser mics) and vocals are sometimes a bit “weak” when used with an audio interface. (some interfaces have more gain than others so it’s not always a problem.) Pro studios often use an SM57 for drums (especially the snare) or in front of a guitar cabinet.
For some reason, dynamic mics are popular with radio studios, but not the SM57/58. And I see a LOT of SM7B’s (also dynamic) in podcasts.
It’s almost impossible to overload a dynamic mic with loud sounds.
For almost everything else in pro studios (including drum cymbals and drum overhead mics) they’ll typically use a “cardioid large diaphragm condenser”. Condenser mics tend to have a more “crispy” sound. (Stronger high frequencies.)
(1) Cardioid mics tend to have a “proximity effect” that boosts the bass when you get close. It can give male voices a resonant announcer effect. (But at-least one of the super-popular broadcast mics does not have this effect.)
The SM58 is built like a tank. They are extremely robust. They do start to overload when the sound level gets very high, but they handle overload conditions without sounding bad.
A friend of mine dropped one on the way to a gig and ran over it with their car. They knocked the mesh ball back into shape with a hammer (the mesh ball can be replaced) and used it at the gig.
There are better sounding stage mics these days, but SM58’s are still widely used due to their reliability and known characteristics. Every professional sound engineer is familiar with an SM58.
The JBL PBM100 is an inexpensive dynamic mic for the consumer market (hence the 1/4" jack rather than XLR). JPL is a well known brand, so it is likely to be reasonable for the price, but it is still a cheap mic. If you are happy with the sound, then use it, but I’d suggest that you avoid running over it with a car.
Thanks Doug… I think of Bing Crosby on a nice old condenser mic. Smooth, no dynamic mic for him.
Thanks Steve, and with a funny while poignant ending, “…avoid running over it with a car.” Okay I guess that’s it for mics, for now anyway, though I’m still left wondering how one can know the difference between an “okay mic” from a “wow what a great mic” before investing? Word of mouth?
“Sound quality” is mostly frequency response, which can be tweaked with EQ. There is a Mic Modeling Plug-in that tries to make one mic sound like another (with EQ adjustments). It doesn’t officially support Audacity and I haven’t tried it. And I’m pretty sure your JBL won’t be on “the list”.
Beyond that, there are considerations such as sensitivity (and overload), pick-up patterns or other features. Some mics have switches for different pick-up patterns or low-frequency roll-off, and since condenser mics have a built-in “head amp” that can be overloaded, they sometimes have a “pad” switch to knock-down the signal.
The head amp in condensers also generates some noise, so condensers have a noise spec. (The noise is usually lower than the preamp noise, so the higher-output of a condenser is usually a good trade-off).
If you boost the highs to get the “crispy” sound of a condenser, you’ll boost any preamp hiss so sometimes that’s it’s better to use a condenser if that’s the sound you want.
…Of course that’s just a generalization and not all dynamic mics sound “dull” and not all condensers sound “bright” or “crispy”.
First, get Bing Crosby! 
I wouldn’t trust word-of mouth too much.
There’s a LOT of mythology in audio, but the recording and pro community isn’t as nuts as the audiophile community!
And, pro studios usually have plenty of expensive and vintage mics to choose from for every situation.
I’m reading Ethan Winer’s book and here’s a quote:
**Thanks DVDdoug, an interesting quote from Ethan Winer book… my thoughts on that are, ‘all of the above’ -why no one gets the good old sound, I think there are many more reasons than the quote alludes to, like analog v. digital, a big one … and then there’s what people are listening on!! People used to be into having good stereos… now they seem content to just use their cell phones! What a joke. Maybe Bluetooth their cell phone to a sub-woofer-something to cheat the low quality. There still are record enthusiasts though… but are the new records AAA (analog to analog…)? Probably not, more likely they’re DDA (digital to analog). -A good old stereo, with some old records, what memories *