As I am new here, I do not want to rock the boat, but to VA Taper...you do not have quite all the facts correct. There are a couple of ADK models that 797 Audio Still make, however most or more than 80% of the mics ADK offers up is from Feilo. Feilo is a huge company that used to make Marshall, but not anymore. Feilo also make SE Electronics, so if you look at both the ADK and SE Electronics web sites, you will find many similarities in the head grills and bodies. Feilo also make Cascade mics, PPA mics, Some Nady, some Joemeek, and the list goes on, but not all of them are identical..
As for my mics, we only use 797 to build Studio Projects and have for many reasons. Specifically, they build what we tell them to build. You can call me what you will or just think that I am all hype as I am a manufacturer as you say, but unless you come to our facilities and see what we do, then with all due respect, you are talking out your ass...No offence by this comment...
The funny thing is that some of you guys blasting certian mics makes me laugh. Not that you are not entitled to your opinions, because you are. It is just that it is my contention that your ears make you foolish. You see, if you came to our studios and we put all of these mics up including some Neumanns, AKG's or other good mics, turned you around and fed you some program material. I bet you would come up with different results on each of the program material we fed you. In fact we have done this many times and have made a lot of Pros feel very foolish.
I am not here to change yours or DB's mind, but if you are in a good room, and know what you are doing, you will get good results out of many different mics, no matter what the cost. Not every mic is right for every situation and many pick the wrong mics most of the time for the applications they need them for.
As for Full Sail, well probably 85% of the people coming out of Full Sail have no ears to begin with, and don't know shit from shinola other than they think they can be a recording engineer. If they did know what they were doing, they would all be hit making producers...but guess what???
So lets get down to the bottom line here. Any mic no matter how much, or how little it costs can be the best mic for a given application depending on the room, the conditions, the talent, and what equipment you interface it with, as well as how you gain stage the gear as well.
So again, you can think certian mics are crap, but in reality, you just never used them in the proper manner to really listen to them. If you think you have, and still don't like them, then you would know that they are not crap...you just picked them for the wrong job.... There are many Grammy winners out there using these mics!
Peace all...