The Beta 56A has a frequency response of 50-16,000 Hz. The Beta57 boasts added features that some would justify spending an extra £22 on - especially if touring - but both microphones produce different results.. Used it last Saturday at my farewell gig with the band. No wonder the old Beta still rocks, as it is more than twice as expensive! Hi, For snare only, has anyone used the beta 56 or compared it to the sm57, what's the difference, and which one would be recommendable. beta 56 versus sm57. Jump to Latest Follow 1 - 11 of 11 Posts. Well yesterday I went back to the 57 on the snare going to a Chandler Neve. Ran it thru a Lexicon MX 110. I picked up a Shure 56A from Ebay New for $97.00 plus shipping. Last week I used the Beta56 going to the same pre. I like it more than SM57, which tends to add some strange cloudy midrange, but still it is not as good as the original Beta 56a. On low tom, PGA56 sounds even better, wider and clearer – a bit better than I thought it would. E. elo ... Just to add one more to the list. It worked and sounded great. What do you think? Beta 57A vs Beta 57 vs SM57. The Beta56 was a bit rounder and fuller to my ears, maybe too much; but different drummers, different drums and different eq settings on the Chandler Neve. The Beta 56A is a dynamic, supercardioid microphone with a frequency response extended 1,000 Hz upward from Shure's well loved default. Like the Beta 52A , it is mounted in a very convenient way for drums, and allows adjustments to be made without compromising the entire setup. Both the Shure SM57 and the Shure Beta 57a are great microphones within their own rights. I've never been amazed listening at a soloed good sounding snare recorded with a sm57, flat. Also why is the sm57 such a standard?