OSA Mic preamp

Minion said:
It Looks like a basic INA163/INA217 design with Input and output Transformers......

:D
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Which isn't a bad approach. A clean transparent gain block, and then various different iron for personality. In much the same way, the classic Neve designs were nothing special. He designed them to be dependable for BBC use, not to be anything special (his words from last year's AES).
 
Well, they're not based on the same damn schematic as just about every budget and mid-level mic pre on the market is.

They're unique ... they have a unique sound ... kinda' gritty / crunchy, and when pushed they mildly distort in a nice way. They're based on API's. The "vintage" one actually sounds just like an API, and the other one sounds a little different but just as good. Like an API, they do something really cool in the midrange that's kinda' hard to explain ... but you can really hear it on a snare track.

They're not outlandishly expensive, and every last dollar is totally justified. The transformer alone is worth a good chunk of change. This isn't the kind of deal where you could just roll your own with a bunch of digikey parts for like 20 bucks. :D And it's certainly not a deal where you could buy a cheaper version and get a similar sound. These are great value. You pay a little extra and you really get something with substance to it. I could go on for days about these things.
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Yea, no worries.

I actually took part in a mic pre listening session a few years back, here in Chicago, with the local Tapeop group.

On hand were about a couple dozen mic pres, spanning all types and price ranges. I distinctly remember the OSA as a standout. Frankly it was one of only three that actually stood out to me, if memory serves. The rest just kind of all sounded the same. The other were the Univeral Audio 610 and the DW Fearn, which isn't surprizing.

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chessrock said:
Well, they're not based on the same damn schematic as just about every budget and mid-level mic pre on the market is.

They're unique ... they have a unique sound ... kinda' gritty / crunchy, and when pushed they mildly distort in a nice way. They're based on API's. The "vintage" one actually sounds just like an API, and the other one sounds a little different but just as good. Like an API, they do something really cool in the midrange that's kinda' hard to explain ... but you can really hear it on a snare track.

They're not outlandishly expensive, and every last dollar is totally justified. The transformer alone is worth a good chunk of change. This isn't the kind of deal where you could just roll your own with a bunch of digikey parts for like 20 bucks. :D And it's certainly not a deal where you could buy a cheaper version and get a similar sound. These are great value. You pay a little extra and you really get something with substance to it. I could go on for days about these things.
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It's interesting though. A friend of mine has 2 Brent Averil assembled 500 series 312's and an OSA C and they all sound different.
That little midrangey distortion does sound really cool though.
 
I liked the OSA's, but when compared to an actual API, I still much preferred the API (on kick at least). In any event though, the OSA stuff is a great value.
 
while these might be pretty nice preamps, i noticed that they're not that much cheaper than the API, especially if you want the 1/4" input to be a DI in
 
I personally know Dale from OSA and there are no cheap opamps in any osa products...For a long time he was a top notch API tech and he based his own discrete 990 style amp from years of that experience. There is no substitute for a discrete amp pushing good iron. The transformers in these units would run at least 50$ a piece. That is why prosumer gear is electronically balanced.

Cheers,
Ray
 
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