Very good report Chris. I used to have more Neumann mics in the past. The 82i was excellent but for some reason it didn't stand the field burden and it broke quite often. Then I switched to MKH70, which is similar to the 82i. I did have the 81i, another excellent mic, but then I switched to the CMIT and I am also please. My question to you: would be better to compare the 82i with a 70 or 816? Of course your choice of mic - Super CMIT - is the reason you did the tests, but for me, when I need a longer reach I go for the sennheiser, not for the schoeps. And yes the cost of the mic makes a very important decision when you consider buying it: is it worth? A lot of people would say yes, but it I think that one has to consider if the feeling is like driving a Ferrari in a dirt, not paved road...