[FrankHudson]

I am not a golden ear.

I have a thin voice that many condenser mics don't seem to favor. I don't have access to a vintage or modern high-end Neuman. The SM7B works well for me. I've also used it for my vocals in live recordings, and think it works great for that (other than it's recording my voice, but it can't help that). It doesn't seem to have any more issues than a SM58 or the like would have with live feedback, and it's not overly fragile other than the foam windscreen can tear and eventually decompose over time and need to be replaced.

In broadcasting, it's one of the standards, along with the similarly priced ElectroVoice EV20. Either of those are my own choice for spoken word stuff, and they have the beneficial side effect of not being highly sensitive to environmental noise or as impacted by untreated room acoustics compared to condensers.

Yes it needs lots of gain. I use a Cloudlifter with it and that solves that. I use an non-descript Yamaha mixer live, or inexpensive Focusrite Scarlet pre-amps with the Cloudlifter and my SM7B. Am I getting the ultimate in quality there? I wouldn't presume, but it works. As has been mentioned, the SM7B is used in studios for some singers, and of course those classic studios have great preamps with great reputations.

It's probably not a good mic for a subtle, low volume, small-voice singer. If you have a beautiful airy top end you want to capture, it may not be the best choice there either. Sounds like you've already auditioned one with your voice and been pleased with how it handles it. That alone says something.