Electro Harmonix 12AY7 Mic Pre?

Hmmm, transformerless?

Don't get me wrong, I'm very interested in these, having heard some high praise from well respected folks. However, the transformers are major contributors to the sound of the most revered tube preamps. They are expensive, and their omission from this design is undoubtedly a cost-cutting measure.

Just wanted to point that out. I'm really looking forward to a reveiw, and I'm glad you fellows are keeping this thread alive. Thanks. :cool:
 
skipwave said:
Hmmm, transformerless?

Don't get me wrong, I'm very interested in these, having heard some high praise from well respected folks. However, the transformers are major contributors to the sound of the most revered tube preamps. They are expensive, and their omission from this design is undoubtedly a cost-cutting measure.

Just wanted to point that out. I'm really looking forward to a reveiw, and I'm glad you fellows are keeping this thread alive. Thanks. :cool:
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Yeah - I don't expect it to sound API or Neve or anything, but, for two hundo, I'm hoping to get a good warm-sounding crayon in the box to compliment the relatively crisp RNP sound I've already got going.

Skipwave, who are you and Diogo hearing praise for this new mic-pre from? I can't find any reviews on the web?

I ordered this thing through my local music shop three days ago. Who knows when it will arrive. Looking forward to posting those clips up for you guys. Oh - btw, where should I post the clips? Any ideas? I don't have a clue. Never done it before...
 
Ben Logan said:
Skipwave, who are you and Diogo hearing praise for this new mic-pre from?
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Joel Hamilton (http://studiogbrooklyn.com/) posted on the TapeOp board that he had tried it out and it was amazing. Maybe he is reviewing it for TapeOp mag. I respect his work and trust his opinion.

Don't take my comments too seriously, I'm about 98% certain I'll be buying one myself. It's just so appealing for the price. :)
 
skipwave said:
Joel Hamilton (http://studiogbrooklyn.com/) posted on the TapeOp board that he had tried it out and it was amazing. Maybe he is reviewing it for TapeOp mag. I respect his work and trust his opinion.

Don't take my comments too seriously, I'm about 98% certain I'll be buying one myself. It's just so appealing for the price. :)
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Nice one Skipwave. I heard from a friend actually that Joel Hamilton was raving about this thing. I've been trying go get onto that TapeOp Messageboard for weeks now to read up on it. You probably know, it's been down. Bummer. Thanks for the link. I'm going to check it right now.
 
same here, Joel Hamilton.

i trust his opinions 110%, and he has helped me in the past. I actually talked to him again recently as im really trying to make my mind up about these things, and im def sold. All i had was his thread about it a long time ago, he was sent a prototype by EH. He says these things excel on acoustic guitar, they're just to die for, and if you notice, he has it listed on the preamp section of his studio as avaliable gear...when it comes to that studio, that means business.

he also said that the only reason he wont use for vocals is cause he has a lot more (and better of course) choices, but he says this thing will work very well with vocals, has an air to it, but without sounding bright or anything. but, again, i cant stress enough on how he recomeneded it for acoustic guitars. he says its really really good.

fuck the transformer :D im there

(probably 2 of these)
 
I think if you are buying based purely on recommendations you should not base your decision on just one person who is using a prototype. Not to take anything away from Joel Hamilton, who obviously has a long list of credits and is experienced with gear, but just as a general principle. If you do base your decision solely on one person's advice, then I think you need to make sure that the music you are recording is similar to the music he is recording, because that is what he is basing his opinion on. Otherwise, you might get a surprise when you actually use the preamp.

What you might want to do is order one EH preamp and see how you like it first, before putting the money down on two of them. Or do something like order the EH and order a Groove Tubes Brick at the same time and see which you like better. Then send the one you like less back for a refund. Make sure the store will allow you to do that first!

Maybe I'm being too overly cautious, but I've got to hear about more than one guy raving about a piece of gear before I buy it sight unseen.
 
Albert,

i wish i could, but everytime i order something from the states, teh shipping costs are around 40 bucks minimum. If i dont like the product, to return it would be 80 bucks right there...who has that kind of money to be wasting it around on shipping and returning stuff :/

i wish i could do that, but i cant. I figure anything will be better than my DMP3..as im fairly content with what i get from that, ill just roll the dice...probably not buying two right away (thats just my initial enthusiasm going) but one at least...

ill figure itll work, and i really trust Joel's views...

but you're right of course, i wish i could do as you say, but i really cant :rolleyes:
 
SonicAlbert said:
I think if you are buying based purely on recommendations you should not base your decision on just one person who is using a prototype. Not to take anything away from Joel Hamilton, who obviously has a long list of credits and is experienced with gear, but just as a general principle. If you do base your decision solely on one person's advice, then I think you need to make sure that the music you are recording is similar to the music he is recording, because that is what he is basing his opinion on. Otherwise, you might get a surprise when you actually use the preamp.

What you might want to do is order one EH preamp and see how you like it first, before putting the money down on two of them. Or do something like order the EH and order a Groove Tubes Brick at the same time and see which you like better. Then send the one you like less back for a refund. Make sure the store will allow you to do that first!

Maybe I'm being too overly cautious, but I've got to hear about more than one guy raving about a piece of gear before I buy it sight unseen.
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Thanks for the friendly advice Albert. I'm not buying this thing based on Joel Ham's opinion (although I'm happy he's evidently given it a thumbs up). This is the first tube preamp I've seen under 200 bucks that sounds like it routes enough power to the tubes to give a them a chance to really impart some of their character to the sound.

As far as ordering a GT Brick goes, aren't those things going for like 5 hundo? My wife would absolutely blast me (and perhaps rightfully so) if I put BOTH a EH pre and GT pre on our credit card. You're obviously working with a bigger budget than some of us. Congrats. ;)
 
diogo, I just noticed your location is Lisbon. So yes, that certainly would make it a lot more expensive and difficult to send gear back. I'm just concerned about buying a newly released piece of gear based on one guy's recomendation, someone who has been given a prototype by the manufacturer. That's more of a general principle than anything to do with this particular unit. however, I hope you'll post your impressions of the EH tube preamp when you get it, I'm very curious now.

Regarding the BRICK, I think the street price is actually in the $400 range. Still a lot more than the EH.

My wife is great about letting me buy what I want for my home studio. I even turned it into a sort of game, where I unpack the new gear (or used gear) and then bring it in to her and say "how much"? Then she's supposed to guess how much I paid. The annoying part is she usually gets pretty close on the first guess... :rolleyes:
 
Albert,

so you understand my dilema. There's just not way i can order and try, return if i dont like and so on... :/

i however will only get it in a few months so, hopefully it will be widely avaliable by then and a general opinion of it will be installed...i hope.

i am however in the hope that it really becomes as usual and widely distributed as their stompboxes, wich i have many and can adquire from germany...that makes it a little easier to return if i dont like the stuff.

then again i dont know..their ribbon is not widely avaliable so :/ but i really hope this pre gets the same distribution as their stomps.

ive seen the brick for a lot less than 400 bucks...310 to be more precise. try War's and Shane's front end audio (hope this is not considered spam), buy some more stuff (nothing outrageous) and the brick will def go down in price.
 
I just saw the price on these, damn, only 200 dollars. Has anyone got any idea on the list price for Europe?
 
Ben Logan said:
This is the first tube preamp I've seen under 200 bucks that sounds like it routes enough power to the tubes to give a them a chance to really impart some of their character to the sound.
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Even if it has proper plate votage, it still may be like other cheap toob units - really just solid state, with the toob circuit acting primarily as an effect, not as an amplifier. I don't know if that's true, but at such a low price point, I'd be suspicious.

I also wouldn't assume that a guitar pedal manufacturer necessarily knows how to make a good mic pre. Maybe they do, but I wouldn't be going ape just because Boss or Ibanez came out with a tube mic pre.
 
jansen,

i beg to differ. electro harmonix is in a world apart as far as stomp companies are conserned. their bi filter is a revered eq. and the same can be said about their compressor.

i have a memory man, a small stone and a small clone. you can almost eat what these things can do out of a fender hotrod. its that good. EH is very good at what they do, plus they've been here for decades, not something other companies can say. not the sturdiest stomps out there, still, they're awesome in terms of sound and looks. i really think this is the one company that can give you boutique quality at affordable prices. the only one!

ppl that have tried the pre say it has enough power to fire up the two tubes, when starved plate designs barely touch it (again, its what ppl say, i dunno, never tried one).

boss and ibanez...well, i have a boss HM2 (i need it to create decent walls of sound and not change the presets on the Rat 2 every five minutes) and an ibanez DE7 (best analog echo simulation in the market)...i wouldnt rush out to buy a pre from these companies, nope, but ill get the EH one without a blink. boss has, however, produced some very decent outboard
units in the mid eighties, that obviously do not stand with today's modern verbs and fx processors in terms of tracking, still, as a lofi verbs to be part of your electric guitar signal chain, i would take a RRV 10 everyday, over any of today's 24 bit multi fx units - electric guitar wise!

i just think (know!) electro harmonix is a different thing, and feel i have to be protective of it..dont ask lol
 
Halion man,

i figure that, if this gets as widely distributed as their stomps, the price will be more or less the same as in the states - something along the lines of 160/170 euros. add 20 euros for the power supply.

if it doesnt get as widely avaliable, i figure itll go up in cost. i emailed thomman about it and should get an answer soon, ill let you know.
 
diogo said:
i have a memory man, a small stone and a small clone. you can almost eat what these things can do out of a fender hotrod. its that good.
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For the record, I think the Deluxe Memory Man is one of the greatest pedals of all time. Mine is sitting in front of my Tweed Blues Delux right now. I also have a Small Stone and a Big Muff Pi which see use less often, but are great at what they do. I also do not have anything against Boss or Ibanez. They both make some good overdrives and other stuff. I have a Boss TU-2 sitting next to my Deluxe Memory man.
 
nkjanssen said:
Even if it has proper plate votage, it still may be like other cheap toob units - really just solid state, with the toob circuit acting primarily as an effect, not as an amplifier. I don't know if that's true, but at such a low price point, I'd be suspicious.

I also wouldn't assume that a guitar pedal manufacturer necessarily knows how to make a good mic pre. Maybe they do, but I wouldn't be going ape just because Boss or Ibanez came out with a tube mic pre.
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1. I'm taking Electro Voice's words at face value
2. I've never soldered a joint in my life, so I may be misreading EH's claims

BUT, the following excerpt from their product description has sold me on this little two hundred dollar bad-boy (still en route):

"It uses an actual 200-volt supply instead of the "faked out" 12 or 48 volts you’d get with common models, delivering 50 dbs of gain into a high impedance load, and about 40 dbs of gain into 600 ohms. The 12AY7 Mic Preamp’s special FET current-balancing circuit allows the tubes to amplify the microphone signal to line level while eliminating noise, and protecting against hum and hostile electrical environments."

If you're right, than this is one of the more expensive pieces of "toob" gear on the market. "Toob" - man, that term cracks me up each time...

As for "guitar pedal manufacturer not knowing how to necessarily make a good pre," read some of the reviews on the "Black Finger" compressor or NY2A. EH is more than just a stomp box co (even though they're best known for their stompies).
 
i hear you Jansen,

the memory man is just...hummmm...
i love my small stone as well. small clone is DEEP. just wonderful stuff.

i needed two delays though...so i thought idd get the ibanez DE7...im very happy with it!

but i really cant say anything good about boss or ibanez, expect that they make decent units every 20 years or so lol

i wouldnt get anything from ibanez except the DE7 or the analog Maxon rip offs.

and Boss...ugh..
every pedal is like pluging your guitar to a sardine can.

but sometimes they make mistakes (read - decent unit).
 
diogo said:
Halion man,

i figure that, if this gets as widely distributed as their stomps, the price will be more or less the same as in the states - something along the lines of 160/170 euros. add 20 euros for the power supply.

if it doesnt get as widely avaliable, i figure itll go up in cost. i emailed thomman about it and should get an answer soon, ill let you know.
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Would think so too. Got my Mini Q-tron for 80 euros, comparable to the 80 dollars it costs in the United States. I'm just hoping I won't have to get one from another continent.
 
what kind of sound are you taking from the qtron Halion?

always thought that was a cool wah, but dunno if it really has any other use..

just curious :rolleyes:
 
The bassguitar is my main instrument, and the Mini Q-tron works like magic on it! It's a great touch-wah. Very easy to dial in, and just a great tone.

I made a sample file a while back, I'll throw it up on my webspace:
 
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