I have an Audio Technica condensor microphone, and feel that they do make products of fine value. I enjoy making nature recordings with my DAT/SBM ADC and AudioQuest mic cable, and hope to successfully record a Thunderbirds airshow soon. That'll be fun, but almost impossible to avoid clipping. Thunderstorms have been the hardest so far, but I have a feeling these F-16's will be a gargantuan task...I don't think you're right about the finacial stability, or the discount. How much did you get this OC-9 for, less than dealer cost?