Having contributed to this thread at the very beginning and then reading through to the end, this is my take (pun intended), so far. I would have to say that although I would, in principle, agree with Daniel, in that the very best of microphones really have no equal when it comes to capturing the true sound of the source, there are very many people, that the choice of microphone, is often secondary when considering the other processes in the recording chain. i.e. the room, the preamp and the type of music being recorded. I don't mean that it's of no importance, just that there may be no other choice but to go with the best mic they have, even though it may not be a perfect match.
 
Some of us would have one or maybe two mics that are our "go to" selections, and these are made to "make do" on a source that perhaps a mic, with a slightly different response would be better suited. We might purchase a particular, expensive microphone that suits our voice or instrument perfectly, then use that same mic when it comes to recording a different instrument or voice because we don't have any other choice. It's a juggling act. I'm sure the world's top studios would be able to bring out the "perfect" selection for every requirement, but most of us just don't have that luxury, so we compensate with plugins, setups and post production techniques, in order to make the sound as good as possible. Danny is spot on, it's about the music and the other processes. If you can get those right, you can almost always get it so close to perfect that microphone choice is of little to no consequence, and often in heavily instrumented music it becomes almost impossible to tell if a particular microphone has been the perfect choice.
 
I know in my case, most of my recordings are acoustic instruments with various vocals that are the highlight of the song. As I said in my original post, this is a particularly interesting thread, and as a relative beginner in this situation I am searching for something beyond a Rode NT1, that works great on most sources but is just not suitable for my vocals. I have recorded shoot outs with my collection of Rode NT1, SM58, NT55 and various other low end mics in my collection, and can easily hear the difference between the these, especially in the quiet acoustic numbers. Even though I'm not happy with the recorded sound of the NT1 on my voice, it is certainly preferable to the SM58, though I would not consider using anything else when playing live. I am no vocal talent, I need all the help I can get, so it's important that I find a mic that's going to bring out the tones in my voice that do sound good, it's been done before.
 
So, I will keep reading threads like these and hope to come across a mic I can try that will give me what I need. It may be even worth trying to hire/loan a mic, and or preamp, that seems suitable, or contacting a studio that has a good selection and paying for some time to do a shoot out with their selection. I know that I won't be spending $4k on a mic on the off chance that it will be the perfect match for my vocals. It's all food for thought.

I've really been happy with my cheap AT 2035.  I think it was only $150.  I always check Sound on Sound for reviews on inexpensive equipment.  They've been fairly accurate from what I've seen.

Cryo, yea, my wife sang at another studio into a Mojave - I forget the designation - and it worked very nicely.
 
@

My trick for liking my own voice involves monitoring (cans) loud enough to reduce or negate mechanical vibrations thru the bones and voids (watch it!) in my skull, then working what the mic (and others) hear till I like what I get. Some lucky folks either hear what other people hear, or some other combination of airwaves and skull resonance, that gets them on pitch and minus scary artifacts, when they sing, but when I'm singing, everything sounds wonderful, till I play it back, at which point, I realized, I have to get my own mechanical resonance out of the equation cuz it doesn't help.
 
Mic Theory:
 
Many people will rave about the quality of the most expensive mics.
 
Many many people will rave, individually, about whatever mic they own or just used.
 
Bucketheads just rave, period.
 
Strike all that.
 
When you find more than one professional, (the more the merrier), with the experience to know firsthand, raving about a mic (and or pre, mic/pre combo) that's much less expensive than the one's you judge they COULD afford...look at it HARD.
 
Coupla such beasts...
 
SM7B
 
C414UL
 
 
 
 

I have dozens of nice mikes,,, it really doesn't matter which one I use...as long as I add this to the signal chain.. 

I've tried a lot of different mics over the years, and on my voice I find that the Blue Blueberry is PERFECT!!  It adds an airiness as well as a bit of grit in the mid-range that I need. 
 
What intrigues me about mics is that the one that sounds great on one voice may well sound dreadful on another.  You never know until you try it for yourself.

Early March I ordered one of the new TLM 107 microphones and am not so patiently waiting its arrival.  All sources who were lucky enough to audition one say it is a wonderful vocal mic and a Multi-Pattern Neumann for under $2000 besides.  I usually order in pairs but I wanted to test a single out first to see if it is worth it.  I am hoping it is a versatile all-rounder.

Rumley, I'll be excited to hear if you like what you hear. I'll be surprised if it's anything but good news considering that mic.

Jbow, hope you find what you're after.. The only down side to this thread so far has been ebay prices....I swear they are going up:)
Don't talk yourself out of the KSM44. If I told you what I paid for mine you wouldn't believe it. The first thing that needs to happen though is we bury this thread:)

It's the oldest argument in the world? 
 
I can get these women? They're not bad? But they're not "HOT!"
 
But I only have to pay "this much?
 
--------------------
 
I can get THESE OTHER WOMEN!!! They're not cheap, but you have to pay THIS MUCH!!!
 
---------------
 
The problem is? We want both... The ultimate problem is? "you can't get both!" People will tell you that you can? You'll search for it? It doesn't exist... 

Rumley, I'll be excited to hear if you like what you hear. I'll be surprised if it's anything but good news considering that mic.

 
I just heard that I should get it tomorrow.  I'll see how it goes.

I don't have time right now to read all this thread, and I hope I'm not killing the topic here---but---
 
AKG C414.  The gold one.  I record a lot of female vocals and I am rarely disappointed with the quality it produces.  In fact tonight as I had a session I was just smiling all night.  I even told the artists the story of how I got my 414.
Here it is--
 
About 3 1/2 years ago I was working with a singer.  We wanted to record some songs, and I thought it was time to get a good vocal mic.  I starved myself for a week so I could afford a 414.  I used it on the sessions and fell in love.  I have since used it on every female vocalist that has come into my studio and I've never been disappointed.  I told the artists that, listening to them through the microphone, it was worth every penny I paid and that week of hell I went through to afford the microphone.
 
 

The Blue Blueberry is a great example of an affordable mic that was designed, and is built as an antidote to the less than pleasant effects that modern cost saving technology has lent to most contemporary microphones.
 
It does not conform to the *small parts*, high technology used in the current big "brand name" low noise floor designs and it doesn't conform to the build it cheap and sell it cheaper no name copy cat designs either.
 
It is an expression of using good sounding technology and good construction quality to achieve a good sounding mic.
 

I was thinking about the innards of the Blueberry rather than its appearance.
 
The Blue line up only has a few mic with commendable innards. The Blueberry happens to be one of them.
 
It would be interesting, to me, to learn how/if/why that mic has changed as construction moved from its original factory to the new facilities.

I have never really considered Blue.  Some of their mics sound pretty good, but one of those looks like it must weigh 70 pounds and require its own city power grid.  Their retro-chic design is definitely a modern copy of the old Neumann-Gefell CMV 563, though I have never looked into the guts of their mics.  Once a manufacturer starts playing around with USB mics and selling in the Apple Store, I kind of loose interest. 
 
As far as surface mount modern components vs. classic thru-hole designs.  There are good arguments to support that the latter is still superior in terms of durability and reliability.  Though when it comes to sound and performance, there isn't really a difference any more. 
 
Surface mount parts are less expensive and can be easily installed by a machine, combine that with a pressed aluminum body instead of one lathed out of a solid block, and you can have a microphone that is at least $1000 cheaper.  If your conscience can handle the knowledge that piece of gear put dozens of people out of work, then you have a great sounding microphone.  (guilty)