Mic Pre-Amp Poll--$400-$700

[Tweak]

PreSonus Eureka

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--PRSEUREKA




DBX 386 Dual Vacuum Tube Microphone Preamp with Digital Out

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--DBX386




DBX 376 Tube Channel Processor

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--DBX376




PreSonus MP20 2-Channel Class A Preamp

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--PRSMP20




Focusrite MH443 TwinTrak Pro Platinum Series 2-Channel Preamp/Compressor

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--FOCMH443




True Systems P-Solo Microphone Preamp

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--TRSPSOLO




FMR RNP "Really Nice Preamp"

FMR Audio's Really Nice Preamp (RNP)






Grace Designs Model 101





Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster Pro

http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--FOCMH440

[Blue Bear Sound]

In this one, tough call... IMO the top 3 are the True Systems, the RNP, and the Grace... which would come out on top would be somewhat subjective. The Grace might edge out the RNP to some ears, others the P-solo and the Grace would tie, with the RNP second. The RNP might be a shade less transparent than the Grace or the P-solo, but then again someone might consider both of them slightly thinner-sounding than the RNP, which may have thicker mid-detail in contrast.

Honourable mention after those 3 choices to the MP20 which, while far from outstanding, is very usable and very likely still has an edge over the Eureka.

And the Focusrite Platinum series is not a contender at all, IMO....

YMMV

[funkstudio]

Thanks for the opinion Blue Bear:

Maybe you would take a sec and expand on this a bit...
I'm going to purchase one of these...just..which one??? not sure yet.
It sound as if the true systems and grace are very similar, in transparency and coloring (or not coloring) characteristics... what about getting 2 inputs on the FMR RNP... does this way into the mix as heavily as it seems... any other differences..
thanks for your time...

[ez2001]

what about the ART Gold preamp??

[Blue Bear Sound]

Thanks for the opinion Blue Bear:

Maybe you would take a sec and expand on this a bit...
I'm going to purchase one of these...just..which one??? not sure yet.
It sound as if the true systems and grace are very similar, in transparency and coloring (or not coloring) characteristics... what about getting 2 inputs on the FMR RNP... does this way into the mix as heavily as it seems... any other differences..
thanks for your time...

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the 3... I use the RNP myself alongside Sony, API, Great River, and Phoenix pres and it does very well.

Having 2 channels is certainly a plus for mic'ing sources in stereo.

[Blue Bear Sound]

what about the ART Gold preamp??

I've not heard this unit in particular but from the ART gear I have used in the past, I can't imagine that it's very good.

[Lake Side Souljah]

Yeah i also wanted to know how those 3 pre's sounded. Hey Blue Bear can you tell us which one's are good for what recording. Im looking for a pre for vocals (R&B singing and Rap). From the info i've gathered for my needs i needed sumthing coloured, big sounding and aggresive.

From what i've heard the RNP is transparent, Retro/ Vintage sounding to some. I dnt know about the other two, maybe you can shed some light on this one.

[MASSIVE Mastering]

No question if I needed one channel, it'd be the Grace or the True.

Two channels, the RNP.

[SoulFood]

Tweak, I think you left out some amazing preamps in the 700$ category! A few of the listed preamps are slightly over-budget, but... I think you get your money's worth with these!

http://www.groovetubes.com/product.cfm?Product_ID=2084

Also there are some, that may need a power supply, but for the price... I think It's well worht it!

http://www.apiaudio.com/212l.html

http://www.purpleaudio.com/Product/biz.html

Anything from:

http://www.seventhcirclestudios.com/SCA/SCA.htm

Also...

Shadow Hills Mono GAMA Mic Pre
(google it, it's the first hit...)

http://www.brentaverill.com/312a/

And Tonelux:
http://www.tonelux.com/mp1.html

http://adesignsaudio.com/P-1_EMSeries.htm

These all need a power supply, most of them are Lunchbox format. But I think these will outpreform most, if not all of the contenders listed for not too much extra cost...

Just something to think about...

[tecnolover]

Well i haven't voted yet, but this poll seems a bit unfair. There are 2 channel units mixed in with 1 channel units! The True systems single channel preamp costs more than FMR's 2 channels. I would hope it would at least be a little bit better! Afterall in this industry you usually get what you pay for. From what I've read all over the net and from the testimonials here, I think this is proving so far that the RNP really is the best bang for the buck.

[Steven mc.]

Also in this Budget is the TL Audio 5050.


650$ at the online retailers other then ZZounds

Blue bear any TL audio experience? Massive?

[tecnolover]

Interesting, a hybrid solid state/tube design with compressor onboard. Pretty good price point. Sound on sound has a review here..

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr98/a ... vorys.html

[SoulFood]

I'm kind of in love with the lunchbox format of pres...

The initial investment is a little higher, coz you have to buy a rack with a PS... But then you can get an amazing preamp for the money! IMHO...

[MarkH]

The Summit Audio 2BA-221 is one of the finest pre-amps for under $600.





Here is a pre-amp showdown with audio examples! The Great River MP-2NV, True Systems PSOLO, and (suprisingly) the Univeral Audio LA-610 are my top three pics..although these are not sub $700

http://www.target-music.ch/studio/sounds.htm

[adhesive]

Actually, the P-Solo can be found for just under $600 if you look around. Incredible price for the quality!

[bilco]

I bought an RNP and I am really happy with what I am hearing so far.

An SM57 through the RNP is the best thing I have ever done for my voice. Very flattering and smooth.

The DI for bass is pretty good. I would be using it if I didn't already have a Sansamp.

I am experimenting with mic placement on my acoustic with an SM81, but I am getting some really good results with one mic at the 12th fret and about 6" away and also with the over the shoulder mic technique.

I haven't tried any other preamps in this price range, so my vote is just a representation of what I bought, nothing more. But I can say it has much more depth than the budget preamps in my Digi001, Audio Buddy and ADA8000. Again the vocals through the RNP sound great to me.

bilco

[antizero]

If I had to pick a two channel pre, it'd be the RNP. Best features for the price. Anyone tried running overheads on a kit through that?

[adhesive]

Just got one me-self.

Sounds a HELL of a lot better than my AudioBuddy did! Of course, it was also more than five times the price.

Only complaint--no power button. Seems odd to make the user crawl under his/her desk to unplug it. Oh well.

[tecnolover]

Suprisingly no one has mentioned the DAV BG-1 yet so I'll mention it now.
It's costs just over 700$USD and this is incl. shipping from UK to USA so it fits into this polls price range and it is two channel. You'd be hardpressed to find a better sounding dual channel mic pre for cheaper unless it's DIY maybe. I'd be interested if anyone here has done an A/B of this unit vs the P-solo. And yes, this looks like my next studio purchase

[waveform]

Hi
Just had a question for Blue Bear.
The Universal Audio Solo was not on the list.
http://www.uaudio.com/products/analog/S ... index.html

Doses a Universal Audio Solo 110 compare to the PreSonus MP20?
Everyone at guitar center swears by it, I have not heard it yet. I think it’s like $700

[jonmatifa]

I'm a fan of the M80, therefore also the MP20, but I'd love to pick up an RNP, that's where I'm itching to go next.

[starstreams]

This was a great topic; can this be update with a new list and suggestions from the experts here?

[nanashiwanderer]

theres not really anything new to add. here. Theres not a lot of new preamps, added to this price range thats worth getting excited over the DAV BG1 may be but that depends on exchange rates and import taxes.

[georgic_99]

I am not an expert but I've used the Focusrite Platinum Voicemaster Pro at my brothers studio for quite some time and was always more than happy with the quality and options that it offers. I can get a clean sounding signal, however I usually tweak the sound quite a bit since I already know what I am going for in a vocal, and a vocal can sound so good from scratch that I hardly need to make any adjustments to it during the mix. Unfortunately I've never used the RNP that everybody praises here and I cant really compare this preamp to anything worth while.... :s

[Goooey]

Great poll. Thanks for all that extra input guys..

I'm looking at the rnp and I'm interested in how it sounds for vocals. I heard the avalon and really liked its thick sound but, yeah, it is out of my price range right now, I is poe.. So since I'm reading here great things about the rnp for value and quality, I've been trying to find example audio samples to check it out. I searched around and couldn't find any. Can any one point me in a good direction to taste that flavor in my ears? Thank you thank very muuuch.