AKG414 XLS

I bought one and it arrived yesterday!

opened it up - there is a great case that would protect the mic from any damage, a really nice velvet case and a pop shield

2 years warranty aswell so you are covered for a while

after doing a bit of recording with this mic i can tell you it's just really great at all purpose recording - a perfectly flat image of the room/instrument - although AKG recommend the XLII for vocals the XLS still performs very well for lead vocals - perhaps it could sound warmer but that is why the mic is so good for all purpose. a great frequency response

lastly when I was eqing i had found with cheaper mics that there is little detail in the mids and low mids - just a vague filler sound - but after moving up to a proper studio quality mic the difference is astounding; I feel like I have so much more control to create a balanced sonic image.