Well, I can offer up this:
I have over a half a dozen mics in my closet. Almost exclusively, I record Grand Piano, a difficult instrument to capture the sublties(sp)of. Here's the list and a short critique of each one:
AKG C1000S - An OK mic for vocals, disappointing on acoustic instruments.
Shure SM57's - 'nuff said, we all know these mics.
Shure SM81 (matched pair) - Really, really nice on acoustic instruments, made the bottom end of the grand piano a little muddy though.
CAD- not sure of the model- a PZM mic, really hot mic gotta really watch the levels on this one, but as a boundary mic, it does what its supposed to.
Neumann - TLM 103 (matched pair) - At $900 a piece, it doesn't get much better than this! I was using them to record the Grand Piano. I placed them under the lid, in an "X-Y" config. and one of
the Shure SM81's on a floor stand under the piano. I played, I recorded, I played back. Suddenly, there it was! That soft, sweet tone of the piano, no color added, just clear and crisp! The sound I had been trying to capture for so long, finally rang through my monitors.
Anyway, my point is, mic selection depends on what your trying to record.
[This message has been edited by Michael Jones (edited 07-10-2000).]