Author Topic: Single/dual channel preamps? (Read 4488 times)

jplacson · « **on:** April 17, 2006, 08:56:48 PM »

Hey guys and gals... what 1-2 channel preamps would you guys reco for P30K and under?

Been looking at some stuff by Presonus, but haven't had the opportunity to demo any of them. Their Blue Tube series is pretty well priced, I just haven't found any reviews on them... any one here have any experience with Presonus stuff?

What brands/models are available locally? If possible, I'd rather get from local dealers.

BALDO · « **Reply #1 on:** May 06, 2006, 11:57:18 PM »

sa samash.com me mga description dun.. 30k? ang nakita ko yata eh nasa 1000$ yung unit nila.. and maybe more

BALDO · « **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2006, 11:59:47 PM »

Jp
ah meron pala 250$ at 500$..

starfugger · « **Reply #3 on:** May 07, 2006, 07:55:35 AM »

or you could try solid state pre's. instead of getting budget tube pre's, maybe a solid state pre at this price point might be a better idea. everything is cheaper in ebay, but of course, purchasing from individuals instead of online stores is a lot riskier.

if you're set on getting a tube pre maybe you'd wanna check out Universal Audio's Solo 610 tube mic pre + DI. i know it sells for 800 US bnew. it's should sell for 600-700 US second hand (if any) on ebay. like what abyssinianson said in another thread: buy right, buy once.

good luck with your search.

jplacson · « **Reply #4 on:** May 07, 2006, 10:17:57 AM »

Thanks baldo, starfugger. Will look into solid state pres as well.

abyssinianson · « **Reply #5 on:** May 07, 2006, 11:03:38 AM »

Grace audio pres are really good, so are Great River pres. The UA solos are basically mono versions of its very popular UA rack pre. I am a fan of UA pres because they sound really warm, have big old style gain knobs, and are just about right up there, soundwise, with the Tube Tech MP1, the Avalon 737, the Manley pres...

BALDO · « **Reply #6 on:** May 07, 2006, 02:11:26 PM »

hmmm UA 610 -2 ... 2000$..madugo.. i am going lunatec ah lunatic pala- (hindi grace designs ha).. over these mic pres.. daming maganda , wala naman pera..hayyyyy GAS attack sobra!

BALDO · « **Reply #7 on:** May 07, 2006, 02:20:33 PM »

abyss... tube mic pre ba kamo? me schematics ba yan? bubuo na lang ako hahhahaha.. 12AX7 lang yata yan eh hehehe.. i am planning to build a Mcintosh amp para sa monitor ko.. hmmm..sana tama yung schematics...

abyssinianson · « **Reply #8 on:** May 07, 2006, 04:34:10 PM »

yeah...i have a focusrite voicemaster pro for solid state stuff and a pair of avalon 737s.

starfugger · « **Reply #9 on:** May 07, 2006, 07:21:56 PM »

yep, UA stuff look very very cool. also, those looking for a decent 4 channel solid state pre might be interested in Mike Stoica's Sytek 4-channel pre's. they are getting good reviews as far as quality vs. price is concerned. they sell for as low as 800 US on ebay.

Sound Weavers · « **Reply #10 on:** May 07, 2006, 08:15:03 PM »

hi John, I'm a longtime user of PRESONUS pro gear, MP20 and DIGIMAX both are solid state units. I find them to be quite transparent. the MP20 has a IDSS dial for emulating tape saturation. PRESONUS stuff are built in the USA - solid machines.

I alaso have a Focusrite Voicemaster - very good mic pre if you want "color" - eq, comp, de-esser, tube harmonic distortion. I think it fits in your $600 budget.

HTH

KitC · « **Reply #11 on:** May 08, 2006, 01:09:16 AM »

+1 on Presonus and Focusrite.

I also put in a vote for FMR Audio's RNP 8380 Really Nice Preamp! Don't know if they're locally available though.

jplacson · « **Reply #12 on:** May 08, 2006, 07:48:36 PM »

Abyss, I've been reading a lot of good things about Grace Design pre amps as well... will check them out.

abyssinianson · « **Reply #13 on:** May 09, 2006, 01:12:31 PM »

yep...the grace, the focusrite vmp, presonus, and a lot of others are very good pres. whether you are looking for a bit of "color," or requiring something very transparent in your pre signal, there should be something in your price range to suit your needs.

KitC · « **Reply #14 on:** May 09, 2006, 01:45:24 PM »

I like the way they describe the Grace Design preamps, 'wire with gain'. Must say a lot about it's transparency.

Has anyone ever tried the Groove Tubes Brick or it's pricier (read: boutique) big brother, the Vipre?

jplacson · « **Reply #15 on:** May 09, 2006, 11:57:07 PM »

Sound Weavers, I was initially curious about Presonus' BlueTube DP line.

It's real cheap.... I just wanted to know what they cut back on... since I know Presonus is a decent company. Is it a good solid state pre? How bad is the tube stage? I don't expect Avalon level stuff for $200++ ... but how good/bad is it?

Consider that the mics that will be used are mainly Shure's SM line (81/94). So no Neumanns or the like. I'm considering the KSM 109.. but Shure doesn't recommend this for live settings, hence the SM94.

Sound Weavers · « **Reply #16 on:** May 10, 2006, 01:22:22 AM »

sorry but I haven't tried their BlueTue DP. I'm also only familiar with their solid state stuff.

But from your post it seems you understand the price/performance ratio of these product lines. that said, PRESONUS gear is great even for a first "tube" preamp - I'm certain you will outgrow it at some point - but it'll always be there as a handy reserve.

mariuo · « **Reply #17 on:** May 10, 2006, 10:49:27 AM »

was looking at the web.. how about art mpa gold? pretty cheap plus it's a tube. anyone have experiences with this?

Sound Weavers · « **Reply #18 on:** May 10, 2006, 12:28:50 PM »

ART are workhorse devices, can't go wrong with them for the price.

Quote from: mariuo

was looking at the web.. how about art mpa gold? pretty cheap plus it's a tube. anyone have experiences with this?

KitC · « **Reply #19 on:** May 10, 2006, 01:07:37 PM »

Quote from: mariuo

was looking at the web.. how about art mpa gold? pretty cheap plus it's a tube. anyone have experiences with this?

I have the Tube MP Studio V3 which is practically a single channel desktop version of the MPA Gold. These units are made in China and come with no-name chinese tubes. I've been reading about some mods to replace the tube with some Mullards or NOS RCA tubes as well as a few other components. As it is, though, it performs adequately. I'll prolly do the tube mod at a later date.

rocketboy · « **Reply #20 on:** May 10, 2006, 08:21:50 PM »

Laki pala budget mo pre, get a good mackie mixer with flexible signal routing..great preamps kahit solidstate..may even serve other purposes

starfugger · « **Reply #21 on:** May 10, 2006, 08:49:40 PM »

i have an ART tube MP as well and for a long time it was my main mic pre. i was able to get some pretty upfront vocals from it, and it does add that sizzle to a vocal track. my only gripe is that it is a bit noisy. perhaps i need to change the tube too. or the power supply. or both.

KitC · « **Reply #22 on:** May 10, 2006, 10:04:09 PM »

Quote from: starfugger

i have an ART tube MP as well and for a long time it was my main mic pre. i was able to get some pretty upfront vocals from it, and it does add that sizzle to a vocal track. my only gripe is that it is a bit noisy. perhaps i need to change the tube too. or the power supply. or both.

Do a search for mods on the ART. One of them was that one of the 4 screws on the outside of the casing was in contact with the internal power supply. All you had to do was to loosen that screw and, voila, no more noise. Of course, the tube mod is one of the more important ones as it tends to drastically improve the sound.

starfugger · « **Reply #23 on:** May 10, 2006, 10:17:19 PM »

hey thanks for the tip! will check on it tomorrow. i really hope this simple adjustment fixes it. other than the clean, transparent quality of higher end pre's, i suppose one the biggest difference i have heard between a budget pre (ART Tube MP, and a Peavey Unity 300 mixer's built-in pre) and mid to high end pre's (Joe Meek VC 1 and the Aphex 1100 tube pre) is how quiet the higher end pre's are.

mariuo · « **Reply #24 on:** May 10, 2006, 11:29:35 PM »

seems like art stuff is not so bad...there's even a local distributor

cool

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Author Topic: Single/dual channel preamps? (Read 4488 times)