Shure Model 535
A brass-bodied omnidirectional dynamic that catalog listings describe with the kind of precision Shure reserved for its workhorse broadcast and recording mics.
Overview
Most of what survives on paper about the Shure Model 535 comes from a single catalog entry, and it reads like a spec sheet written by someone who expected the mic to be used hard. The 535 is a dynamic microphone with a rated frequency response of 60 to 13,500 c/s — a range that stops short of the airy top end the condenser crowd chased, but covers the fundamental and harmonic meat of voice and most instruments with room to spare. It is an omnidirectional design, which means it picks up from every direction rather than favoring a single axis; that makes placement forgiving and feedback management less forgiving.
The output section is where the 535 shows its age in the most interesting way. It carries a dual-impedance switch offering two settings: a low range of 50–250 ohms, rated at −83 dB, and a high-impedance setting at −61 dB (both referenced to 0 dB = 1 volt/dyne/cm²). That switch is the tell — this is a microphone built for a world where a given console or tape machine might want either a low-impedance balanced line or a high-impedance unbalanced hookup, and the user was expected to match the mic to the input rather than the other way around. Owners working with period gear should verify which setting a given preamp expects before plugging in.
The magnetic circuit uses an Alnico V magnet, and the case is brass with a satin chrome finish. Brass is a heavier, more resonant-prone material than the die-cast zinc that later dominated microphone construction, and the satin chrome over it gives the 535 a look that reads as utilitarian rather than flashy. It ships with the Model A25 swivel adaptor, which is self-adjusting and tilts the microphone through 90 degrees from vertical to horizontal — a small thing that matters a great deal in a broadcast or stand-mounting context where you want to aim the capsule without fighting a fixed yoke.
Amateur-Tape-Recorder (December 1960, p.48) advertised Shure's broader dynamic line in the same commercial moment as the 535 — the 430 Commando, the 555 Unidyne, and the 330 — which is the closest contemporaneous context available for the model. That context is worth keeping in mind: the 535's omnidirectional pattern made it a general-purpose tool rather than a specialist's spot mic, and it was documented as such.
What the record does not give is a production span. No reliable start or end year for the 535 has surfaced in the available documentation, and collectors should treat any date attached to this model with suspicion unless it comes from a serial-numbered example or a dated catalog page. The 1964 catalog appearance establishes that the mic was in the Shure lineup by that year, and the Amateur-Tape-Recorder advertising of the early 1960s places Shure's broader dynamic line — the 430 Commando, the 555 Unidyne, the 330 — in the same commercial moment, but that is context, not a date for the 535 itself.
The 535 sits in an awkward spot for modern collectors. It is not one of the celebrated Unidyne models that every Shure enthusiast can name, and it does not carry the broadcast-cult status of the later SM series. What it does offer is a genuinely period omnidirectional dynamic with a switchable impedance output, a brass body, and a documented accessory set — the kind of microphone that rewards someone willing to work with its limitations rather than around them. The high-impedance setting in particular makes it a natural match for vintage tape recorders and low-cost period preamps that expect a hot, unbalanced signal.
Condition is the usual story with brass-bodied dynamics of this age: the satin chrome finish shows wear at the grille and around the switch, and the switch itself is a mechanical point of failure worth exercising before purchase. The A25 adaptor is frequently separated from the microphone, so a complete example with its original swivel mount is the one to hold out for. As with any vintage dynamic, the capsule's suspension and diaphragm should be checked for rattle and for the sag that comes from decades of gravity — a 535 that has lived on a stand its whole life will usually fare better than one that has been bounced around in a gig bag.
There is no meaningful collector premium documented for the 535, and no service literature has surfaced in the available record. Buyers should expect to pay working-musician money rather than museum money, and should budget for the possibility that the impedance switch needs cleaning or that the grille foam — if any remains — has crumbled. It is a microphone to use, not to enshrine, and the people who get the most out of it are the ones who treat its switchable output and omnidirectional pattern as features to be exploited rather than quirks to be tolerated.
Similar items on eBay
No exact Shure MODEL-535 listings are live right now — these searches show current Shure and similar vintage audio gear on eBay:
As an eBay Partner, we earn from qualifying purchases. This helps support our independent vintage technology research.