What's a good preamp for an SM7b?

N

NYMorningstar

Recording Modus Operandi
I just got my first sm7 and the preamps on the tascam neo I use don't seem strong enough. I have a few hundred bucks to invest in a pre, used preferably. Anyone real happy with a particular match with the sm7?
thanks as always...
 
You absolutely can't go wrong with a Golden Age pre-73! I have one and it sounds sexy :D

$350 new, but you could snag a used one for like $275ish or less, methinks.
 
Any Neve 1073 clone should work awesome with an SM7. GAP Pre73 would be one of them. Good times! :D
 
Thanks for all the great responses. I'm still not sure what the best fit is. If I had the cloud would that allow the ability to use the pre's on mixer boards with the SM7b?
 
Along the same lines, I am thinking of investing in an SM7b, and I was intending to run it straight into the XLR input of my Presonus Firestudio Mobile. I know these units are supposed to have awesome preamps for the price, but was wondering if the SM7b needed "something more" or will the Firestudio ones suffice?
 
There have been some good suggestions - I won't repeat them, except to say the most important thing with this mic is a low noise pre - the mic is really low output, and so the signal to noise ratio is going to be worse than with a higher output mic. If the pre is noisy, you can either turn it up some when you're recording to discover that you hear a yucky hiss, or you can leave it low, then go back an add digital gain later, exposing the yucky hiss. Quiet is king.
 
Simply Sound SS-1

I use a Simply Sound SS-1 ($50) with my SM7B connected to a Focusrite 2i2 and couldn't be happier :) I saved $100 compared to a Cloudlifter and it also makes my other dynamics sound great.
 
$50 looks like a good price.
Seems the Cloud is the new one recently being mentioned, where as the ISA One was the most common answer a year or so ago.

Actually a interface pre + a plugin gain tool can be enough but its easier with some knob to turn, imo.
I just blew $100 on a SM58 50th anniversary off Reverb, for a comparison mic etc.. shopping in boredom.

the 58's nearly the same as the SM7 in sensitivity, 1.12 and 1.85 mv/pa.
(where the LDC KSM27 is 14 and the KSM44 is 28mv/pa.)

just looking at the specs the KSM44 is -31db, while the SM7 is -59db the SM58 -54.5....so this makes sense why a 15db-25db boost would be enough for the weaker interface preamps to work.

whispering or loud sources makes a huge difference too.
 
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