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.

Rebel ,not many people like the sound of their own voices recorded Some of them have  good reason for feeling that way, but others sound  ok, at least to me they do. I never liked the way my voice came across either in most things but I'm a glutton for punishment and i keep trying...  If you're a tenor then it sometimes helps to get a mic that takes good advantage of proximity effect or has a pleasing and warm boost at the bass end. IOW enhances that range. Higher voiced men and women would be in another category. Many of the bad things in  vocals I have heard are in the mids, but just as frustrating sometimes this is also where a lot of the good tone resides.
 
I think the Rode NT2 has a lot more going for it. If you like the NT1 you might like the different polar patterns you get with the NT2, especially if you're recording piano. There are other dynamics out there that seem to be really great for male vox, I'm thinking now of the Heil PR-40. That mic is great for bass drum and male vox. The PR-40 looks like an LDC ...used extensively for broadcasting because it has great rear/side  rejection and captures male voice really well.Probably not the best piano mic though.
 
I haven't had much luck with trying to make something that went in bad sound good after I recorded it, no matter what I did to it.It was usually so bad that it was beyond me working with it. If I sing in certain keys I can do a little better than in other keys and that has little to do with my mic. Sometimes just jumping down a half step is enough to see an improvement...all voices are different, but I think that all voices have a comfortable zone where the tone is best. Not just the range but the tone.Not sure where you're finding things you don't like, Good luck in finding what works best for you.
 
I am going out on a limb here and I might have mine bitten off by someone who disagrees, but I would be willing to bet ( If I was a betting man) that most large studios with a large mic selection usually have only a few that they use. Kind of similar to a shoe store where they keep many shoes on the shelf to make the customer feel special by trying on a few pairs before they get the pair they know the customer will likely want. If you really wanted to make that interesting you would sneak around and play with the eq just a little bit on the mics that you didn't want to use...." Here let's try you on this vintage MXL990 and see how that sounds...No?" We also have a mighty fine Behringer designed by Uri in Germany....it's ok but I think you might like this AT4033 a little better...shazam! we have a winner!
 
 
 
 

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.

Ever since getting my Mojave MA-201 FET, I hardly touch another mic for vocals, with the occasional exception of my Shure SM7B.  The Mojave is just the silkiest/butteriest mic I've ever used, and works great on every singer that I've parked it in front of.  Mostly running it through a Focusrite ISA Two or SSL XLogic Alpha Channel.

Cryo, yea, my wife sang at another studio into a Mojave - I forget the designation - and it worked very nicely.
 
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There was a great article in the January issue of Sound on Sound on Phil Ramone and how he gets the most amazing vocal sound.  The article is called 'Star Quality'   Not freely downloadable yet but it should be soon I imagine.
 
It is one of the most interesting things I have read in a while.  Phil basically says that the final vocal sound does not have anything at all to do with the vocal mic, preamp or compressor etc (vocal chain)  It is about something else. Four other things actually and they all have nothing to do with technology.  Check it out if you can sometime. It will really open your mind up about how to get great vocal performances down.
 
But it is fun to talk about the hardware for sure. I still feel the Rode Classic top of the line valve mic is very very nice and I have used it for many years on everything and it does a stellar job. It is reasonably priced too.

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'm told to 'limit my options'... I always use an EV Co9 dynamic. I don't have anything else :) For me its just a good all-purpose learning mic before I upgrade, which I'm not even thinking on soon.
Hopefully when I get around to it, I'll get an MXL v67G and a REAL interface that doesn't add 1dB of noise to my recordings O.O

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.. 

You one of those whisky-voiced vocalists?  As long as you have Jack's, it doesn't matter what you sing (taken from an old Chevy Chase joke when Sat. Night Live was funny).
 
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