Cheaper, but doesn’t have the cool factor. And yeah, I used to do VO and I used to do it with either a 77 or a 44 at the studio where I was managing, but I couldn’t afford it when I struck out on my own. I do have a Neumann U87 large diaphragm condenser which sounds damn good though.
And I wouldn’t plug a ribbon mic directly into the 48v anyway. The power could literally break the ribbon. Or at least that’s what I’ve always been told.
My unrealistic “if I were rich” dream would be to open an all pre-1950s technology recording studio. Mics would be things like 77s and 44s, the board would have only pots, no faders, and it would record straight to a vinyl lathe. No multitrack recording, no tape, not even stereo. If you want to digitally master that vinyl somewhere else, go for it.
I actually looked into actually doing in back in the 90s and back then, it would have cost me over $200,000. I was in my 20s and there was no way I could get that kind of business loan, so it never happened. I wouldn’t even want to know what it would cost now, but I would do it in a heartbeat if I could afford to. I think it would be pretty popular with a certain type of musician. Especially if they played something like folk or roots or blues.