I'm a long time user of AKG dynamics for vocals, and in spite of all the praise you'll hear for the SM57/SM58, the D790 is a perfectly good stage mic.
As Chessparov pointed out, the proximity field is different than a Shure, and you have to work it differently. I wouldn't say it has a lot more proximity effect than a 58, rather that the proximity field is more well defined, and therefore more abrupt. When you move in on it, the change is sudden. That makes it less forgiving, but also means you can do some really cool things with it if you skirt the edge of the proximity field *precisely*.
BTW- The D790 was the vocal version, and the D690 was the instrument version, like the difference between the 57 and 58. As many pople prefer the 57 to the 58, I prefer the D690 to the D790 for most things. The successors to these discontinued mics are the D770 and D880, and again, I prefer
the D770. Either the D690 or D770 can be had on ebay for about $45 if you spook around for a while, but in my opinion, the real killer deal to be had on older AKG dynamics are the D320 and D330 series, which can often be had for under $50 on ebay. I consider them among the best dynamic mics around, short of MD421/441, EV20, Shure SM7, and the Beyerdynamics. I sure as hell wouldn't trade
my D320B for an SM58.-Richie
