kel HM7U or AKG C535EB or Shure KSM9

[MidoBan]

Hi, i want to get a vocal mic for studio applications, and going to be recording acoustic folk-styled music, male vocals.
I'm trying to decide between the kel HM7U, the AKG C535EB and the Shure KSM9. I know that its somewhat of a weird comparison, since the kel is a LDC and the AKG and Shure are SDCs.

The reason i narrowed it down to these three mics, is that a lot of people say that the kel is a very unhyped and smooth mic, which i think is suitable for my kind of music, and the AKG and Shure are mainly because i heard some recordings of James Taylor with these, which sounded very good to me, and very similar to the music i want to record, for example: link (AKG), link (Shure).

I didn't find any recordings of the kel that i could really decide upon (i found some recordings, but not good enough, or too different from what i'm trying to capture).

Share your opinions on the matter.

Thanks

 

[cavedog101]

Those are all great mics. All have uses. The Kel is wonderful choice for what you're wanting. I have two Kel's and they are great mics. While I do NOT have an HM7U, all Kel mics I've ever seen have been exactly as advertised. The other two mics are more for live performance. But theres nothing that says they arent perfect for studio use. A friend of mine has a nice mic collection and in his studio one of the first mics he puts up for vocal tracks is a Neumann KMS 105. Usually before the U87ai.