Why? I know the outcome already. Take a look at gearslutz and you'll find zounds of shootouts
The differences between some very good 200$ or 500$ mics and a legendary 5000$ mic are minimal.
Interesting link i found for mic upgrades : http://www.oktavamod.com

If I have time I will record the same mic on three preamps and people can see if they can pick the $1500 or the $200 one or the tweener. Maybe after New Years.

@Shaveblog: ymmd ;-)

Once had a Radio Shack cassette recorder that came with a little microphone on a coiled cable. That was a good mic. Also had a Mr. Microphone when I was a kid. That was a good mic. Once drove from Berdoo to Newfoundland hauling a 16-wheeler full of irregular underpants and my CB radio had a mic. That was a good mic. Come to think of it, in my life I've used some mics. They were good.

I have about 15 different mic models. Some of which I have multiples so overall I probably have 25 mics. Over the years I've done the same as a lot of folks and used/borrowed/bought a lot of different "favorite" mics of various engineers or forum commenters.

Most of them were returned/sold fairly shortly afterwards as they never really live up to the hype.

The rest I have found certain uses for, that just work. Now I don't even bother reading about new mics and such. Instead of trying to buy my talent with some magical microphone-of-the-day, I spend my time with the mics I have and try new things. It's cheaper and doesn't lead you on a wild goose chase.

However, I think the MOST overlooked part of the microphone discussion is actually preamps. Each preamp can and WILL change the sound of each mic, even if it's just a tiny amount. Take the SM57 mic for example. It sounds best with a low impedance load. It's father, the Unidyne 545, was designed to work best with a 600R load. Same for the SM57. The problem is that a lot of preamps these days are designed to be high impedance so they don't load the mics heavily. The SM57 sounds pretty terrible in this case because it has all kinds of resonance peaks that show up. This is the basis for the "SM57 SUCKS" threads you'll find on ANY audio recording forum. Plug that SM57 into a proper preamp with an input transformer and you'll quickly figure out why professionals still use these mics for damn near everything. (a trick for those of you who only have high impedance preamps.. install a 600R resistor between pins 2 and 3 on your SM57.. Your output will drop a little bit but your mic will smoothen out considerably.)

@mark_the_harp, I'm sure you know the type of musician who just can't seem to keep his hands off the console when you are working... They reach right over you and start to turn knobs like they know better/more than you.. If I have one of those, I'll mult whatever track they want to mess with to an unused channel and then let them play with it until their heart is content. I just don't tell them that the channel isn't bussed anywhere and that they really aren't doing anything! It works everytime too, they suddenly believe that the track sounds better just because they touched it..

10000$ mics.. Look as some of the top end Manley, original C12's, some old U47's.. Etc, etc. There are a LOT of mics over 10K.

My feeling is that somewhere between 1000 and 5000$ is the best mic/cost ratio.

Best trick is to hook it up to a Lexicon 96 :)

We used to do a trick sometimes on sound desks - when a producer was wanting that last ounce of quality: turn one of the knobs clockwise, slowly, while looking thoughtful. Then you'd stop turning it when you'd got it "just right". Then say "how's that?" and they would be happy. Of course, the thing you were adjusting wasn't doing anything at all - but they were happy. Although I was once caught out by one person who said "I don't think increasing the clean feed level will do anything". Usually it did the job though. If you could find an otherwise useless button you could make light up, even better!

@Vitaliy

I used to work as a broadcast engineer. All the on-air talent bitched about the mics, it was a given. After churning through $$$ mics/compressors/processors I learned that the only thing talent really wants at the end of the day is brickwall compression and a hump at 100Hz for that crappy boomy "balls" sound. Once you give them that, any mic is great with them.

Yeesh, the eternal "best mic" thread. It's like kudzu, or ass cancer. No gear geek forum is safe from its creeping tendrils. It can't be killed or blocked, only endured at periodic intervals.

The "best mic" is what sounds best to you on a given project. Sometimes it's a Neumann or a Sennheiser or a Chinese clone or a Korean clone of a Chinese clone. Or an old RCA ribbon. Lots of times - way more often than not - it's an SM57. No mic "sucks". Well, except the EV 635a, and even that one is sometimes the best mic.

The important thing, though, is to absolutely keep this thread alive at all costs, because surely all this geekyak will finally settle this matter once and for all.

Yes the $10,000 mic does sound a bit odd, although I'm sure it is possible.
I've never actually used or seen a $10,000 microphone, other than some hitech head simulations which didn't sound great.
I've used expensive systems, like the Schoeps KFM 360 5.1 Surround Sound System ($18,000) and, well, if I really liked it I would have bought one, but I just don't like so much these "sphere" or "head" systems. Maybe someday. Part of the art of recording is moving the mics around, hard to do that when they are in a sphere. But that isn't really a mic, it is a "system". $18,000 will buy you a pair of DPA omnis, a pair of MK41, and a box of assorted Sennheisers.

Of the expensive mics--and here, why would you ever pay more?--the Neumann Solution D (which I don't like) is $8000. Of course, it isn't just the mic, its digital. The Neumann M149 (which I like) clocks in at $5,000. A DPA 4003 $1800. Schoeps MK41 with the CMC6 (not the XT which does not sound so good) also $1800.
And there are more, of course. A Coles 4040 which is monster ribbon mic, is $1500. Cheap for that mic. A steal.
So a single pattern, handmade mic from Schoeps, which is one of the finest mics you will ever use, is under $2000 complete with a variable voltage preamp.
Basically, there is a price ceiling of $2,000 for a really top end mic and around $3,000 for a multipattern, unless you go for the M149, which is really nice mic but a bit overpriced.
The best microphone in the world is of course the Rens Heijnis modified TLM 170s that I have on my shelf complete with a discrete, 12 pattern power supply and remote control. 12 patterns, smooth as silk.
Why do I mention this? Because once you get over the say $4000 price, you are better off having something custom made, with all discrete circuits, solid silver wire, the whole nine yards, unless you just want the "big name".
As far as I know, of the big four, only the Schoeps are still hand made in the traditional sense. Maybe DPA.

So there is no reason to pay more. Get a pair of Schoeps, or DPA, Neumann, Sennheiser, or whatever and you will have great gear. There is a reason the MK41 has a great rep in the video world, it is a great mic.

As for the under $600, well, the Elation KM201, the modded Oktavas, Joly's 47 capsule, the SP B1, the Stellar CM6 tube, I mean there are some good mics for under $600. And the reality is, the budget mics are just going to get better and better, until there is zero difference. There are some high quality "clone" capsules being made, and boutique outfits that will put that capsule in a custom housing with state of the art circuitry.

Bad jokes have bad punch lines. Maybe this is a good joke? :)

I'm a voiceover artist and I use the AT2020 USB for everything I record at home. When in the studio, I've used mics that cost over $10,000 that sound better than the Audio Technica. However, for most things, you can record at home with this mic, and you'd never know it by listening to it.

If this thread is about choosing a good mic for voiceovers, it should be posted here, regardless of price.

I'd say the only sub $600 mic I would recommend to anyone is the Audio Technica AT2020 USB. At less than $100 on Amazon, it is the best voiceover mic you can get for the money. http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT2020-USB-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B001AS6OYC/

If you are using this solely on the computer, don't get the non-usb version which is cheaper. It is a xlr connection and you will need something like a Pro-Tools box to plug it in. The xlr version is the exact same mic, just without the usb hardware.