There are two current versions of the C414, the XLS and the TLII. Both of these are good microphones. TLII has a little bit of a bump in the high range and is marketed as better for voice but it's just different. I have a pair of both. There are other mics that are better for specific purposes but not so many that are good on most everything. These regularly go for $600-900 on eBay and on occasion slightly cheaper.

There are a great number of them on eBay right now that are supposedly new and they so far below dealer cost they have to be counterfeits.

The fact is they are retailing them for waaaaaaay less than a platinum level dealer pays for them wholesale.
So either they were napping during their business classes and divided where they should have multiplied - or they're fake/black-market/gray-market/hot.

Caveat emptor.

Dave is correct of course. Ebay is always a dangerous place if one is not careful. I mostly use it to indicate what a used FMV price might be. New these are in the $1000 range.

Unfortunately these crooked eBay "dealers" wreck resale value for those who are selling authentic used equipment too.
Bogus new-retail pricing devalues what you'll get for your used gear as well. As Jack says, eBay basically dictates fair market value of used equipment in this day and age.

[="http://www.akg.com/site/powerslave,id,54,nodeid,54,_language,EN.html"]AKG Counterfeit Warning[/]="http://www.akg.com/…"]AKG Counterfeit Warning[/]

To ensure your "Dealer" is a real dealer I'd recommend you check the Dealer finder of their website.

[[url=http://="http://www.akg.com/…"]US Dealer Finder[/]="http://www.akg.com/…"]US Dealer Finder[/]

Oh and by the way, to address the original question, I'd say the XLS (Silver Screen) is a little more versatile - while the XL (Gold Screen) is a little ***ier for vocal.
Sorry I didn't mention that the first time.

Ya my pair will be from a AKG retail dealer in town here not online so no worries there. Have never bought anything off ebay. stuff this expensive on ebay scares me anyway. Ok ya thats the impression im getting when I look at the freq response charts. Like the Gold is tailored for hype on the top and that the silver are flatter all the way across making it a little more of a work horse. Have you or has anyone heard this difference? these mics will be used for everything from everything all the to everything!

I have used both, and would agree with your assessment that the silver XLS is the work horse - better suited for a wider variety of applications. Others may disagree.

I have and use both. I can hear the difference and in fact prefer the XLS for most of what I do. I think most recording engineers can hear the difference in a side by side comparison. Listening to one without the other as a reference? Hmmm, not many are gonna hit that right consistantly. Bonus-the XLS is usually a couple bucks cheaper than the XL2.