As I noted, the contour control adjusts the "forwardness" of the midrange. This is not a simple midrange volume control. As set (20 ohm "default"), I like the vocal detail it affords and when I listen to direct cuts, it sounds similar to me. I listen to disk after disk with no fatigue. Often I strive for a more vocal from my seat!
You need to realize that sitting on the couch puts my head back to the cushions and when recording, the mic stands forward of that. Even a couple inches can have a profound effect when you are dealing with this sort of thing and it is not quite so forward as it sounds in the track. I can also engage the "Tube Simulator" to take a bit of vocal "edge" out on bad recordings.