When the yeshivas were established in Europe, there was a shift of emphasis from choosing a chazzan with a kol na’eh to selecting a tzaddik to lead the davening — regardless of his voice or ability to carry a tune.
I didn’t know that, but I can bring a smach to that. The sh’atz says in his teffila: ???????? ??????????? ??????????? ????? ????????
????????? ????? ????????? ???????? ???????? ??????
?????????? ???????? ??? ????????????
So apparently the assumption is that those are the things that the sh’atz isn’t: a zakein v’ragil, with a nice beard, and a nice voice, and well liked. Rather, they hire a young beardless jerk with a terrible voice who knows the nussach well.