As I understand it, the really nice studio condensers get unbelievably expensive; around 4-5 grand in Canada, and up! By affordable, I guess I mean up to $400, though really something in the $2-300 range is probably what I'm most interested in, given my set up. The travel considerations and performance applications are great points to consider. I know I've had gigs where I was given "half" a 58 to sing into; ie the top of the mic was gone and the guts of the mic were totally exposed. Mmmm. sounded terrific. SB