Sennheiser - e 835

Sennheiser e838 or e840 (color is the only difference) second hand. They sound better than SM57/58. You can hardly find them new, because they have been replaced by the very, very similar (the same?...) but more expensive e935. They sounded too good and their cost was too low!

This is a polarizing conversation! I can work with them all, don’t mind the 835, typically choose sm58 for general use. I find that the more specialized the mic is (especially super or hyper cardioid) the more it favours a certain voice type and handling technique becomes much more important. I used to be really really picky about the vocal mic but after feeling like I was going around in circles for a long time I went back to more general vocal mic models, instead relying a bit more on compression and dynamic EQ. I work with one singer who sounds absolutely incredible on a 935 but he sounds really really good on almost anything. However it’s generally not my go-to vocal mic.

Good ol' shure sm 58 , or maybe some Sennheiser, the e825 or 835 should do the trick

I think you're alone dude: ) They seriously crank! I think the e835 beat SM58 for clarity hands down, and the e935/45 are easily superior to the beta 58a. The midrange complaint you refer to is less problematic in Sennys than Shures, IMHO. ☺️

e835 is great, but A/B with the e935 and it's like taking a blanket off the PA.

Absolutely hate the 835. The 935 and 945 can be pretty great on the right voice though

I’ll take an 835 over a 58 as a starting point almost always. I prefer the clarity where as I find 58s boxy. 🤷‍♂️

Try an SM57 for lead vocals onstage at a small gig. I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it is. It's a little bit unusual, but I recently made a whole bunch of excellent singers happy that way, and I even had the usual SM58 available for them. One guy, a certifiable old school jazz legend, specifically requested the 57 after seeing it used by someone before him. For the newbies... Branch out from Shure. Spend the same amount though. EV and Sennheiser make great vocal mics that address different vocal styles. I like a Sennheiser e835 for mousy female vocals where a Beta 87 or SM58 would feed back. EV ND series sound pretty good on a guitar amp for hollow body jazz stuff. Grab a cloudlifter and an inline DI-style phantom power source to round out your toolbox. You never know when you're going to need either of those.

I like Sennheiser e835 for vocals, but the 57 is more versatile.

Theres a lot love for shure sm58. Ive been using a sennheiser e835 for years. Mostly meant for live vocals but foes great in an untreated space, good for micing amps as well

I've been using a Sennheiser e835 for over 20 years, which is pretty comparable to an SM 58. Started out for live vocals but works great for podcasting, and instrument micing.