I've been using the Crown CM-311A for three years, and never experienced any problems at all. I checked into the Countryman E6 unidirectional model, which is about $500 street price. The problem is the manufacturer and their major distributors say this is a special order mic and there is a no return policy. If you were to order their standard mic, which is omni directional, the price was about $100 less and if you didn't like what you heard they would take it back if it was returned within 14 days. I'll stick with the CM-311A for now.

I'm also rigged wireless with the CM-311A using a Samson Airline WSAX1 wireless mic system. It's clean as a whistle, the transmitter is the size of your thumb and plugs directly into any XLR mic plug, thereby making any mic, headset or handheld, wireless. The transmitter runs about 12 hours on a single AAA battery and the reciever is the size of a pack of cigarettes.

Gary