I was having an interesting discussion with a colleague of mine who works in broadcast audio, and who also has a home studio. I was bemoaning the fact that a I couldn’t afford a Neumann U87 or an Avalon 737 (more to the point, my wife wouldn’t allow me to spend the cash!). His reponse was, do you really need it?  His argument was, by the time you have processed the signal the listener would not be able to tell the difference between, say,  a U87, a Studio Projects C2 or a Rode NT-2A. Yes but wouldn’t the U87 would inject some magic to the vocal, add a quality that would be more engaging to the listener? It’s an interesting question, it possibly depends  on the style and the artist. I suspect that Jack White’s vocal on Seven Nation Army could be recorded on anything. Maybe Nora Jones really shines using microphone esoterica. And Bono is reported to be happy with his Shure Beta58 for recorded vocals. Maybe you could record a hit song on an iphone. So is high end gear going to be the difference between a hit song and an also ran?As my wife says, when I suggest I need a new microphone pre, the question is why?  You already have one!  I still want a Neumann.