I was wondering what people think of an Avalon M5 preamp used with a Neumann TLM 103 (or whatever it's called!)? I'm going to be saving up for a preamp and a mic, and I really want something that can offer me really high quality sound, along with not being too expensive (under $3000 for both the mic and the preamp).

You're saying "no too expensive: under $3000"
I'm thinking: that is extremely expensive!

I guess I just meant that I don't want a microphone or preamp that's going to be one of those extremely high-end $4000 types. $3000 for a mic and a preamp I guess is expensive, but I don't really have many expenses right now.

The Behringer ADA is a joke, don't even consider it. Comparing it to the Avalon is like comaring a Ferrari to a dead plow horse.

M-Audio stuff is OK, but again nothing in comparison to the Avalon.

You might check out a GML 8302. 2 channels, class A discrete, very, very sweet. They're in the 2K ballpark.

The TLM103 I'm not a big fan of, too much proximity effect.

Is this for general purpose or something specific?

IMHO you can't go wrong with a pair of 414's, and paired with the GML pre would be some nice versatility. Would be some over your $3k budget, but you could get both used for under it probably.

I'm with "where" on this one. Buy something nice, spend a reasonable amount of money - spend it once, rather than be upgrading from something that causes you to think "I wish my xyz was better". For less than $3000 there'd be a lot of options for buying microphones and a preamp.

Maybe if you tell us more about what you want to do Ian we might be able to give you a better idea about what equipment you might really like/get a lot of use out of.

Spratman

I forgot to say that I'd be using it for vocals. I don't have the greatest voice, but I do want to record myself singing - lay down some vocal leads and some harmonizations. I probably wouldn't really use the microphone for anything else, except to MAYBE record an acoustic guitar every few months.

The kind of music I'm focusing on right now is pop music. Very synthetic, electronic pop music. I'm also going to eventually be recording some very synthetic, electronic less-poppy music eventually (think possibly along the lines of Kid A). I want an upfront sound, but something that is still full sounding. Whoever said I don't know much about mics is right - I'm a pianist who actually has a lot of experience in synths. This would be my first microphone, but I do know that I want to get the best possible microphone that I can afford instead of buying something cheaper right now and then having to 'upgrade' to a 'better' one.

Your voice and singing style will determine the best mic for the job. Some people can sound better with a $200 mic than a $1000 mic, and price doesn't always equal quality anyway. If you have an opportunity, try some mics at a store. You might even want to consider two less expensive mics for added flexibility, along with a decent preamp.
Preamps come in many flavors, too, and you'd have to know if you want a transparent preamp or something that adds coloring. I like the idea of having a solid state/tube hybrid preamp with the ability to go from transparent solid state mode to blending in how much tube coloring I want.
I realize I haven't recommended any models, and only added questions to your thread, but I was hoping to get you to look beyond the immediate needs so you can try to cover more bases. Once you start using a mic (or mics) you may find yourself wanting to amp your synths and capturing room ambience, for instance. Having mics opens up new, interesting avenues for recording.

What are the names of some hybrids? I want to look them up.

For vocals I'd go with a Rode NTK (retube it with an EH tube) and the GML. I use this combo probably 85% of the time here, it sounds great.

If you have that money, I would say don't even look at the behringer or m-audio range! You can buy some seriously good kit for up to $3000. But then again, like someone mentioned earlier, price doesn't always buy a perfect match for a vocal mic - some cheap ones are perfect for some voices.

If I were you, I'd definitely consider buying two mic's and one dual channel pre-amp for $3000. That will give you two flavors of microphone - maybe buy (i) a tube mic and (ii) a large diaphram condenser. You will also be set for guitar if/when you need to record acoustic or electric.

To choose a mic, your best bet is to search the web: www.tapeop.com and www.recording.org are excellent places to do searches and to ask questions.

I would also recommend checking out the Peluso Microphones-
http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/

for high quality, and highly praised, boutique microphones that are a bit cheaper than the neumann's etc.

I have a pair of their small diaphram condensers, the CEMC6's, on the way.

And then there is Audio-Technica:

www.audio-technica.com

don't be fooled by their cheaper prices - the AT-4040 and AT-4050 can be found in the microphone kit of many many fully equipped studios.

For pre-amps, I don't know so much, I think for $750 -$1000 you will get an excellent two channel pre-amp though.

so, if you allowed $1000 for a pre-amp, $1500 for one microphone and $500 for another (Audio technica for instance) you would have a truly excellent kit and no excuse to 'blame the tools'.

I'd take the Apogee MiniME into consideration. Absolute highend sound and you get two highend preamps (i.e. for "stereo" guitar recordings with MIC + pickup) and a very good A/D-converter.
The MiniME also has a great soft limiting function.
And the MiniME can also be powered by batterypacks, making it probably the world's best mobile recording solution.

A couple of affordable units: I just ordered two of the Studio Projects VTB1 units (they're single channel only) and hope to have them by next week.
The Presonus Bluetube DP is a dual channel preamp where you can shut off the tube or dial in as much tube as you want.
Besides the hybrid nature, another reason I went with Studio Projects is the ability to switch to different impedence settings, which can help with using a variety of mics, such as ribbon mics versus condensers, which are flattered by different resistance settings.
The reviews of the Presonus were too weird. I couldn't figure out if there was any middle gound, as people either seem to "sort of" like it or really dislike it, and it seems like the tube quality is not easily dialed in. Since I was trying to stay at around $200, I was limited in my choices. I hope to get something with more features later, unless I'm blown away by the ones I ordered.

UNiversal Audio LA-610 Preamp,, or Pick one, they are the best. They have a few models, some with compressors and EQ, they also have a stripped down tube driven 610 preamp,, called the Solo I believe.

As far as mics, You know that one is tough becasue certain mics can sound great to you and some MORE expensive will sound like shite.. I have a Rode NTK (tube mic) and for a medium priced mic, I feel it performs very well for almost everything I run it through... Vocals, Acoustic guitar, Guitar cabs, I have even used it as a snare mic(under for the snares, becasue it has VERY high SPL and can handle it).. SO while it may not be a vocalists "dream", I feel it performs great on voice and great on most other applications too

Thanks for the recommendations and info. I looked into the AKG 414 and it turns out that it could actually be a perfect first mic for me. I also discovered that I was looking in th wrong place in terms of price, so I think I could get an Avalon M5 and an AKG 414 for about $2000 instead of the $2500-$3000 I thought that it would cost. Of course, I do plan to do more research before buying either of them.