V. E.,
Because I live in the boondocks, I take a much more utilitarian approach to mic purchases. For instance, if I could buy a new pair of AKG C1000s for $170 ($
85 x 2), I'd snap them up in a SECOND, not because I'm hot to own them, but because I'd have a chance to TRY them (learning is worth a lot to me) and still be able to re-sell them later for MORE THAN I PAID FOR THEM!
To me, that's a solid no-brainer, but at 52, tying up $170 for a couple of months is no big deal, while at 21 it might have meant that I didn't eat for 3 weeks.
Let's say you buy them for $170 plus tax -- you might be into them for $185 total. The cheapest price for new C1000's on Ebay is $300 a pair; on Digibid, about $152 each. You use them for a month or two, and sell them on eBay for $125 each plus shipping in mint condition (you DO take good care of your equipment, don't you?). Ebay dings you around $12 or so for your ads. You basically break even on shipping.
You net out at about $235 -- a $50 profit -- AND the invaluable experience of getting to have worked with a pair of reputable name-brand mics for a couple of months.
Maybe by then you're ready to try
the Studio Projects C-1, and because it's so new, you have to pay the going rate, about $229. Except you're still only $185 out of pocket! If you picked up another break on a clean used mic instead in the $235 range, you might even be able to do it again.
I'm not saying that you're going to start with a C1000 and wind up with a Neumann U87 for your initial investment of $85 each, but I am suggesting that opportunities to learn are worth something in themselves, and that buying carefully can seriously cut your costs over time, if you can afford to tie up a little capital.
Some may think I'm an idiot to post this, since it only increases potential competition for good mics on eBay, but hey, there are enough good deals out there for all of us. I just hate to see someone miss the opportunity both to learn and to make a few extra bucks in the process.
Best wishes,
Mark H.