I know who Athenaeum is, my friend is like super fan or something, he's gonna be glad to know there's a taper out there wanting to tape them, and he keeps hoping I'll drive him up to nc or atl one of these days to catch a show, lol. But I've heard mike's pretty picky about what he let's out and what he doesn't. anyways, if it were me I'd go w/ the at853's or any other mini stereo cardioid over the c1000. First, if you're gonna go AKG, save your money and get something good. I haven't heard a C1000 recording in a while but I don't remember ever hearing a stellar one, not enough to give up my 853's anyway (I upgraded to oktava about a month ago, still keep the at's around). Plus the C1000s are pretty large, I didn't realize this till I saw them up close, and to run two (which you'll want to do, especially when running cards, you might be able to get away w/ a mono recording in a mic w/ an omni cap) you'll have to buy a more sturdy t-bar and shocks, plus the xlr-> 1/8" mini isn't cheap. The only plus with the c1000s is they look to perform a little better on the high end and have a higher spl. FWIW, I've rarely had bad recordings with my at's. Just run them through a batt box and into the md and you're good to go.