Not disputing any of the negative experiences folks have described, and acknowledging the fragility of the cables, the CA-14 cards and the CA-11 mark 2 omnis have become my go to favorite mics. Given their relatively low cost, I tend to grab extra sets whenever used ones pop up the yard sale so that I always have some on hand. In fact, the speed with which used CA-14s and CA-11s get scarfed up in the yard sale by TSers speaks to their sweet sound, low cost, and the issues that some folks have had in getting new ones directly from him. I have not had such problems getting new ones, but, again, I am not disputing what others have reported experiencing.