AEA Microphone Shootout

I just completed an evaluation of some AEA mics and thought you guys might be interested in my (very biased) opinions about them. I also used an AEA RPQ preamp for these comparisons.
 
R44 - totally out of my league price-wise and it weighs 8 pounds. I didn't even plug it in.
R84 - Cool looking old-school ribbon mic with a LOT of proximity effect. This mic didn't sound natural to me until it was about 6 feet from my double bass (even with the preamp's LF filter turned all the way up). However, once I got beyond the proximity point it sounded AMAZING!! Maybe a tiny bit warmer than reality and so flattering. The problem is it also hears everything else within a couple of miles. This mic wants a big and very quiet studio. Sadly, my studio is quiet, but not that quiet. One day I'll have a purpose-built studio and this will be the first mic I buy for it.
N8 - This is one of AEA's modern active mics that uses phantom power. It has very similar proximity requirements to the R84, but the response is very flat. This mic has almost no color at all. I could really see a lot of uses for this mic, but again, it wants a big silent room, and I really missed the old school warmth.
R92 - This mic is different from the R84 in that it has a very close proximity. I was able to get a great sound from my bass at about 2 feet positioned pretty much like I would a condenser mic (still needing a bit of LF filter). The sound is perfect. Warm and rich and flattering. Also, because it's up close and personal, it's easy to overcome the ambient sounds and get a really clean take every time. My mandolin also sounded wonderful with this mic. The downside is that it has kind of a funky mount which would make it tricky to position in some situations.
N22 - This is the modern equivalent to the R92. It has the same form factor as the N8 so you could put it anywhere and it also needs phantom power. It has the same flatness to the response as the N8 which cools down the sound a little. Beautiful accurate sound, but a bit too accurate for my taste.
 
I could make use of all of these mics, but the one I'm taking home is the R92 (and the RPQ preamp). If anyone has any questions I'll try my best to answer.
 
Cindy

If I won the lottery tomorrow one of my first purchases would be an R-44. To my ear, and on my voice, it's far and away the best vocal mic I've ever used. "Smooth" is the best adjective I can think of.

I only played around with the AEA A440 at the NAMM show a few years ago.  After a few moments testing my voice, I took the headphones off, walked out of the show, and drove home.  Best sounding mic I have ever heard.  I couldn't bear to listen to anything else.
 
You don't need to win the lottery, you just need an excuse to trick yourself into to buying it.   It has worked for me many times.