anyone every used these before??? how do they sound compared to the good ol' AT55? much better i assume... but do they have any good bad attributes?

They sound about the same...neither one being very impressive. The 670 is a tad warmer, but not by any stretch.
If that's the budget line...then I'd probably have to take the AT, as it's a little tinnier, but it is hotter and cleaner in the high end. You can always add a bit of bottom in the mix.

Spot, are you sure you're thinking of the same Sony mic? While the ECM-670 isn't anything great, it is a pro level phantom-powered XLR very short shotgun. It was primarily the stock mic on 3-chip cameras starting around the DXC-537a era and beyond.
Unless battery power or XLR connection is a concern, I'd take the ECM-670 over the ATR-55 any day. However, the AT-897 has considerably lower self-noise and slightly greater sensitivity than the 670 that I still own. So it's really more for louder ENG type environments.
The 670 certainly does better indoors with off-axis coloration than the longer ECM-672, and both mics were unusually expensive for their performance, but their build quality was excellent.
Unless you can get a good deal on a 670 used, or you're specifically looking for a very short shotgun mic for use in louder situations, I'd look at something newly available.

Spot, are you sure you're thinking of the same Sony mic? While the ECM-670 isn't anything great, it is a pro level phantom-powered XLR very short shotgun. It was primarily the stock mic on 3-chip cameras starting around the DXC-537a era and beyond.
Unless you can get a good deal on a 670 used, or you're specifically looking for a very short shotgun mic for use in louder situations, I'd look at something newly available.

Argghh....thanks for the catch, Jay! I was thinking of the HGZ1, probably got in that mind set for the comparison to the 55....apologies to Sony and Cody.

I'd surely take the 670 over the ATR55...but I'd take an 897 over the 670, and take a 678 over the 897...and so on.

(crawling back to my desk red-faced)

yah i have 2 670's just laying around that i havent got to use since i dont have any portable phantom power yet. so a longer shotgun would be better for lets say shooting a movie in a very quiet environment, and a short shotgun would be good for something like an event or concert or big crowds??

thanks for the help guys