Avantone CV-12

Well, maybe one of the best investing in my studio.
Warm, soft, full body sound.

Most of all I use it in piano and voice recording.
I have a Grand Piano Yamaha GB1, and it is about 11 years in exploitation. Grand piano now has a bright and a bit striking sound. But with that mic - I achieved a warm and beautiful tembre, maybe a bit vintage sound. But it is amazing. Especialy, for that price.

Also tested it with RODE K2. In my opinion - CV-12 is more "tube" mic, than K2. Without metal in high freq.

Pros:
- Great, warm sounding mic
- Balanced frequency responce
- Comfortable case for transporting
- Pleasant design

Cons:
- The shockmount is not strong enough. Requires carefull managing. It is very easy accidentally to take off the rubber and drop the mic.
- Placement of XLR sockets and turn on button on power supply is not very comfortable for managing.

This mic has been a wonderful addition to my tool box. The warmth that it provides on vocals is excellent, it captures acoustic instruments well, and the switchable polar patterns make it very versatile.

They made the effort to present it well in the delivery also. The case is great and the wooden box is wonderful as a display in the studio, but let's talk about sound:
I definitely need to use a Deesser when working with this mic.
At times it can almost be a bit too bright, but it's nothing that some decent EQ can't fix.

Pros:
- Great warmth with vocals and acoustic instruments
- Sturdy build quality and nice extra features (ex: polar patterns)
- Competitive sound quality for the price

Cons:
- A little too bright in some situations (personal opinion)
- Some touchy frequencies need EQing at times depending on input
- Only available in red

I'll finish by saying that I went to Thomann's mic testing room and ran through nearly every single one of the mics they had on display. This mic is (without question) very unique in its tone. I recommend at least trying it out. Well worth it.