Which Mic To Buy? Options

[rcross73]

Hello everyone.

I'm about to throw down some of my Christmas gift money for a better studio condenser than the functional but low-end one that I have now (an MXL 990). My question is simple: what should I get?

In the running:
Rode NT1a ($199)
Rode NT2a (is it really worth the $399?)
MXL 3000 (pre-amp built-in, I can get it new for $129, list is $399)
Studio Projects C1 ($240)
AKG Perception 200 ($159)
M-Audio Solaris ($299)

I want the best quality mic in this mid-price range for my male vocals (big range baritone-tenor, strong and clear) and acoustic guitar (high-end Taylor, steel-string, mostly strummed). I am a singer-songwriter playing modern rock (I don't know, think Radiohead, Counting Crows, and Coldplay). I can get a separate small-diaphragm condenser for the acoustic if it will really make a difference. But if one of these above is both a fantastic vocal mic and versatile enough to get the best sounds for the acoustic too, that would be best. I don't have all the money in the world.

I'll be recording into the system you see below, into Logic 7 through either my M-Audio USB Mobile-Pre, or my Line6 TonePort - lots of preamps to choose from. I'm also thinking of springing for the new Alesis iO/14 at some point.

So, which mic would you say?

[rcross73]

Hmmm...seems like the original post never made the daily e-mail. And after a couple of days, no one seems to have an opinion yet.

Narrowing things down: At this point, I'm looking at the Rode NT1-A ($199) vs. the MXL V67i ($149) [or the MXL V67g ($99)]. Opinions? All things being equal, I'd go for the one that's cheaper, but I'm thinking that the price difference might indicate here the difference between cheap-but-good on the one hand and low-end-but-puffed-up on the other. What should I do?