I'm with Nick in the fact that I wouldn't put the beyers in the same class. They are most definitly in a class
above the akg's 480's and neumanns 184's. Personally, I can't stand the sound of the 480/ck61. The neumanns are nice, but nothing special. Sound muffled on the top end (why I prefer the beyers). Owned two pairs (930's and 803's), both for at least a year and have run with a wide variety of preamps/ad's. Currently own milabs. They sound great, but not 1000 dollars better. In fact, i still prefer the beyers. I will probably go back to beyers. Never will own akg's (have run them plenty). Never will I own shempz (for obvious reasons
), and never will I own ho's (can't fucking stand them). Like rockpunk, I did a shootout one night. On an acoustic Martin guitar one night. There is a pic in rig pics from a few years ago detailing this shootout. The beyers won hands down.
Sometimes we need to quit thinking that more expenisive means better.
Sometimes we need to own mics more than 2 months and run with a variety of different gear to formulate an opinion.
Sometimes (all the time) there will be differing opinions.
Sometimes mics are better suited for differing situations.
Sometimes (all the time) these thread topics are ridiculous.
Listen and make a decision for yourself.
To sum up my opinion,
The reason why one person will choose a certain mic is the exact same reason why the next person will not.