This is an excellent mic and I think AKG did a fantastic job with the capsule. Speaking as an owner of two excellent condition brass capsule 414 EBs, I was shocked when I compared the TLII to them. From what a lot of people say, I was expecting a dud of a mic, but this TLII sounded so close to the EBs that I couldn't believe it. It's not exact though. The brass capsules sound a little bigger and a little more open, but the overall tone is very similar to the point where I used it to punch in parts recorded on an EB and I could barely tell the difference. It's smooth, it's robust in the low end, it's bright, it handles harshness very well. It's great.
NOTE: I gave it a 4 for "ease of use" because I never liked those old 414 switches.