Sennheiser - e 865

58 is a desert island mic. On a desert island with phantom power the 865 is my choice. (Desert islands typically have D&B or L'Acoustics rigs, right?) Rather have all vocal mics same in any situation.

Shure beta sm87 for lower stage volume band or Shure sm58 for loud band. The 87 has more top end and cab be more difficult to control at higher volume levels. Sennheiser e865 or e965 are also good choices. Truth is you should demo any of these before purchasing. At least do a lot of research if there's no place near to demo them.

While I’m a Shure SM86 fan for life, the Sennheiser e865 is my second to go choice for vocal mics. Condenser mics sound better to my ears!

My *preference* is always 3 of the same mic, because they'll react the same to EQ, gain, pattern control, and feedback. That said, plenty of times I'll substitute my preferred mic out for something that just works way better on an individual voice. When you become familiar with the response of your different mics, you'll know when switching might be a smart idea *after* hearing a voice on your default mic, but it's hard to predict just from genre of the vocalist. Perhaps you're working with a deep baritone vocal, but you need upper midrange clarity to make his vocals hold with the other vocalists: the e865 might be the solution, even if it doesn't seem like a 'baritone' vocal mic. Another baritone, in another ensemble, maybe not so much. To answer your specific question, if I had one of each, and those vocalists, I'd *start* with the SM58 on the belter, the e865 on the classical soprano, and the Beta87a on the alto jazz singer.

I LOVE their condensers (865, 965), but I share your disdain for the 835. 845 is more usable, 935 and 945 are usable, but I don't love them.

That is surprising to hear! We have a very tumultuous relationship with the 865, massive handling noise and not very flattering for any bad technique at all. The 965 on the other hand, absolutely amazing mic, sounds like a lot of other large diaphragm condenser mics, but can be used on a wireless transmitter!

The e8xx are the budget range, you can't expect too much from them. There is a reason they are cheap. A better comparison would be the e9xx mics. I much prefer my e935s to the SM58.