around here the studio projects C1 ($200) is hightly recommended- lately we've been hearing a good buzz about the kel HM-1 (99 bucs) I have a rode NT1 ($200) but its shrilly if you don't have a good pre- with a good pre is a good mic. haven't heard the 27, so I can't help you there. Sometimes you get lucky with the oktavas 319 but that is a crap shoot. I have a good one and a so-so one. The AT mics are generally well liked but I find the 33 a little thin for my taste. good luck in your search

The KEL HM-1 is very good and not expensive. It would probably work well in a live situation too if you used the included foam windscreen, which is something that cannot be said for most LD condensers.

Bottom line, ther's a 21 day return policy with the HM-1 ... if you hate it you can get your money back.

What applications is this mic going to be exposed to? Spoken word? Vocalist? What gender vocalist? I use the 87a on female vocals all the time. Not on MY voice ( or really other male's). I use several 27's on a soundstage here. Great on piano, overheads, lots of accoustic instruments, and some STUDIO vocals. My personal experiences with the 87a are that it is great in less-than-friendly acoustical environments(tight pattern), is tough to break it, but the sound can be a bit bright for many sources.
If I was stranded on a desert island, with only 1 mic to own, there are a lotta dudes out there who will say I'm nuts, but an EV RE-20 is hard to beat (literally as well as figuratively).It has a fairly big condenser-like sound, minimal proximity ( no "mud"), doesn't require phantom power(which most small mixers don't deliver on anyway), and, should I happen to lose my hammer while building a hut on that desert isle, an RE-20 has been known to pound a few nails and still come out shining! PEACE.

An RE-20 would be nice....for many reasons. Just a little out of my price range at the moment...

I'm wanting a mic that'll be a pretty good balance at male AND female vocals...maybe it doesn't excel at either, but sounds pretty darn good. Or excels at one, and is at leat pretty good with the other. Something that'd be able to mic an occasional instrument as well...usually picked acoustic strings (i.e. cittern, guitar, etc)....though I have other mics that cover that as well, so, a good vocal mic is my main concern. A friend of mine has a beta 87 and I really like it on HER voice...never tried it on a male voice...

Sounds like you get quite a variety of usage out your KSM27s...though it isn't perhaps mic for live use...that's okay, studio recording is my main concern. What's you experience been like with the 27 on vocals? male/female?

Or an AT4040 ???? Have been browsing the forums and see those coming up as good for vocals and a whole host of other things....

The 87a IS definitely a female singer's mic. The 27 works pretty well on both vocals-men and women. The pattern is fairly tight, so your acoustical environment doesn't have to be the greatest. But I will tell you that if you were at all thinking of using it as a front-line vocal mic LIVE, don't! It is just too sensitive and "big" to pull that off without feedback issues. I use ours in a Christian pop-music format on drums, grand piano, horn sections, stuff like that, for live. In the studio, it works pretty well as a balanced vocalist's mic or for some chorale type applications.
You may notice that for acoustic guitars, a small-diaphragm condenser is less "boomy" and will have more "presence" than a 27. But you stated that you have that covered. Based on the applications you stated (male/female vocals...), I don't think that you can go wrong with the 27...

I would have to be an advocate of the KSM27 if you don't need the polar pattern variations and other features that the KSM44 has. Essentially they are the same mic only the KSM27 has less features and is therefor less versatile. But I love the KSM44 on vocals. Been having problems with my Rode NT1's on my voice but the KSM has been much better. The KSM, in my experience, seems to make even a budget pre sound a bit better.

RAIN0707 makes a good point about the features, but at the budget stated, the KSM27 is a great deal. Another point: Shure is the MASTER of consistent manufacturing QC...no 2 Rodes sound the same.Also, Shure has specialized in the human voice for many decades. They have it down to a science!

Yeah I was saying go with the KSM27 since it is essentially the KSM44 without the features. 8-)

How about the AT4035. I don't know if it's widely available, but it's a cardioid 4050.

John Stafford