For many years, the most often seen VO mic has been the AKG C414B ULS(All I do is VO, mostly in VO/Post studios in Philadelphia/Baltimore.). A quite similar mic is the Beyer Dynamic MC34(?), though not as often seen, by me, it's very nice.
I would have NO trouble recommending the RE-20. It does not offer the "sound" of the AKG, but is very easy to work with, particularly for those who are not VO-proficient - and it sounds just fine - Both mics are as "pro" as it gets... If you want variety, get an RE-20(Or a Sennheiser 421 - very similar type), a 414 ULS and a 414 TLS(The new AKG models have different numbers/features, but are the same mics). The TLS is said to be "tailored to VO". I'd say, more likely "tailored to SOME VO"... Be nice to have all 3. Other than these three(4), you'd have to get very pricey and rather esoteric - A waste for "normal" broadcast(Even very good broadcast), for the most part.
Of course their are a million mics out there, all of which may work just fine - but the key word is "may"? The the RE-20, the 414 and the 421, have the "proven over many years" ability to do the job, day-in, day-out, very, very well...
Whatever you get, make sure you also buy the "factory" shockmount(Usually the spider kind).
If you want to get a little "esoteric", maybe the Beyer Dynamic M160? A "ribbon" mic? Very cool, but I'm not sure how much of a beating it would take and it may need a "high gain" pre?
A Stedman pop/blast filter should be mandatory for at least the condensers.
Preamp? For a "no operator" set-up, any quality "straight"(On/off/gain control) pre should do. The Grace designs 101, would be marvelous in every respect. For something with some "kick", one of the "channel strips", could be very good. They offer a preamp plus compression, EQ, De-essing, etc. Something in a pricey(Worth it), very cool, tube preamp, with lots of "strip" features to adjust if you want but you can use the pre all by itself? The Pendulum Audio Quartet. Many others around that are solid state, which may be "better" in a broadcast facility?
Spending "someone else's money"? I might consider Summit Audio? They range from affordable to "Are you serious?". I'd get these model numbers wrong, too. Go to their site and find the pre for around 600 dollars(US) - that's it. Also, they offer a "companion" leveler(Easier to use than a standard compressor), the TLA-50. About the same price. These two would provide a very nice "VO chain" all by themselves, paired with a nice mic. You can also add a "de-essing" EQ(Almost any parametric?), in "sidechain", if you like. These are solid state OR tube gear, but "simple" tube gear, with "easy" tubes.
TG
