yes, having mic bodies in the gear chain is more gear than not.
Schoeps caps > kc5 > cmc6 > whatever gear
Neumann caps > lc3 > km100 bodies > whatever gear
beyerdynamic CK930 caps > remote cable > CK930 bodies > whatever gear
mbho caps > remote cable > mbho bodies > whatever gear
milab caps > remote cable > milab bodies > whatever gear
all of the options above have the microphone bodies in the gear chain, while the options below do not:
Schoeps CCM series
DPA 4021/4022/4023/etc
Schoeps mk caps > nbox
Schoeps mk caps > vms02ib
Schoeps mk caps > CMR
there's probably more that I'm not thinking about right now, but you get the idea.
To sum up, there's always compromises.
For a lot of people, cost is a big consideration, and having the mic bodies in the gear chain is not that big of a compromise. I was just throwing out some of the better sounding / more affordable options for a low profile recording setup.
edit to add:
and in regards to a power source. Every microphone needs a power source. As a
gross generalization, I think phantom powered mics sound better than mics powered with a battery box. (obviously there are exceptions. Schoeps caps with the CMR cable and battery box, Schoeps caps with an nbox or vms, etc..) I think most people would agree that it's way more convenient to have your mic power source included in your pre-amp and/or recorder. the SD boxes provide phantom power. So does the Marantz PMD-661 and the Fostex FR-2LE. or you could get a small phantom power supply like the Denecke PS-2 and run that into a deck that's even smaller than the three decks I just mentioned. or get a small external pre-eamp, like the Sonosax SX-M2, Aerco MP-2, or the new naiant littlebox. any of those will provide phantom power and gain, and then run into a small little deck. Like I said earlier though, I think it's less hassle to get a larger deck, but only deal with one box instead of two (pre+recorder)
[/quote]
All true, all true. Assuming I upgrade to such a rig eventually, I think the 661 or something like it that has onboard phantom is probably a good way to go.
I thought that actually the Beyer ck930 was a self-contained small mic a la the DPA 402x and Schoeps CCM - i.e., there is just a small body and there is no detachable cap. Am I wrong about that? I'm just basing it on this picture...
http://www.frontendaudio.com/Beyerdynamic_CK_930_Microphone_Set_p/9999-00536.htm