Thanks Matthew, that's exactly what i was trying to say. I tried to state attenuation point, not amount (132db spl/142db spl for -10db pad). This looks good on paper, which helped influence my purchase, but doesn't reflect actual use. My NTG-3 for example is only rated at 130db spl, but won't distort like the AKG does during loud dialogue.
For reference, with normal (no screaming/shouting) dialogue, the gain trim is at 3 'o clock (SD302), with the fader at unity. This registers 0dbu (-20dbfs) on the meters. With loud dialogue, almost max gain using the gain trim. Tried all sorts of gain staging combos but the noise floor is always a problem with the pad engaged.
I've never heard of the Audix hyper before. Will try & have a listen to it sometime. Cheers.