This is a hard one to answer. Yes, Neumann Mics are worth the price. They've got a sound that is fantastic. They aren't the only manufacturers who make great mics, but I am sold on Neumanns and use them all day long every day. We've got several here at the studio where I work.
With that being said, you are diving off into the deep end if you are, as a novice, getting ready to buy a mic of that caliber on other people's opinion.* Unfortunately it is virtually impossible to try them out. But let me see if I can help a bit. I've come across some other mics that are really, REALLY good and quite a bit less expensive. They don't have the name cache' to them, but they are excellent. I wrote up a review for one of them that is available for $399. The mic is the MXL Revelation tube condenser. My review is
HERE and the mic is available
HERE. check out the performance by Dayna Petrie towards the bottom of the review.
Bob
* My studio owns a beautiful 1950s Neumann U47. Where did we get it? Back in the 1950s a well-off fellow decided he wanted to go into recording as a hobby. He bought the state-of-the-art Ampex tape deck and an excellent Neumann U47. When they arrived he set about learning to record. After fiddling for about eight hours he put the two back in the boxes and stuck them in his closet. In 1983 his widow called and asked if we were interested. Hehehehe... Were we interested? But that shows you what can happen if you blindly invest a big chunk of change. Here they are, side by side:
