Warning - there are some good copies of the Shure Beta 87A mics being sold on eBay. I bought two new ones for an "unbelievable" price. When I received them, the boxes and enclosed paperwork all looked genuine. My first clue was that the supplied cord had the appropriate female XLR connector on one end, but terminated in a standard 1/4 inch phone plug on the other. No way was this baby going to be able to get the required phantom power. When I hooked it up to my PA with a proper XLR mic cord, I got a thin, tinny sound, and it made no difference what so ever whether or not the phantom power was turned on or not. Anyone with pro audio or live sound experience knows that you won't get much if anything without phantom. Fortunately, the seller said he would take them back (and is now no longer an authorized eBay member), but buyer beware. This is one case where buying from a dealer, even if the mic is used, is better.