“Well, if we don’t value a pleasant voice, why is there an “as if”? Or do you also think the rest of his list of qualifications aren’t maalos for a baal tefillah?”
I didn’t say we don’t value it. My point is that if the chazzan says it then it means he doesn’t have a pleasant voice and if he doesn’t say it, you can’t bring a raya from it (unless he skips just those words).
“Also, the O”T is against being haughty about a nice voice, not against having one.”
Popa is assuming that if the chazzan has a nice voice he will be haughty about it (and incidentally he will also be lying).
“The M”B is against using niggun in a way which ruins the davening, not against its proper use.”
Again, Popa is assuming that it’s guaranteed that a chazzan who songs will fall prey to the Mishna Berurah’s concerns. Which is actually not such a far-fetched assumption.
“As the Briskers say, it doesn’t say in Shulchan Aruch that a baal tefillah has to have a nice voice, because if he doesn’t, then he’s not a baal tefillah.”
And as the anti-briskers say: That is an invalid argument because you can make up any halacha and then say that the Shulchan Aruch doesn’t say it because it’s pashut. E.g. the Shulchan Aruch doesn’t say that a baal tefillah has to where techeiles, because if he doesn’t then he is not a baal tefillah.
Disclaimer: I didn’t notice my pun until after I wrote it.