mic pre test--trident versus focusrite platinum

[DonGraham]

Well, I recently purchased a focusrite twintrak pro 2 channel mic pre. I had also been looking at the trident s20 2 channel preamp, so the other night I went and bought one of those too!!

Prices:

focusrite twintrack pro----$520 new.
trident s20 ----------------$1000 new(er) actually a floor model at Guitar
center .

Features:

focusrite: adjustable input Z, hi pass filter (set @ 75hz) mid scoop notch filter, line and mic inputs, optical compressor, f/x send, return and mix controls, monitor output, d/a converter......$250 buys a A/D converter....24/96. op amp based amplifiers

trident: a/b switchable mic input for each channel. hi pass filter adjustable between 5 and 200 hz. transformer based amplifiers. this unit is "supposed to be" the pre amp from the trident 80 consoles.

Test:

test was done thru my digi 002R, mac G5 using both a Neumann TLM 103 and Groove tubes GT-55 mics. monitors were KRK 8" pwrd mons.

Basically a small vocal comparison only, unfortunately I did not test gtr, bass or drums. comparison was done my myself and a female singer.

Results:
First of all the trident IS a warmer sounding mic pre period!!! However the difference was not as big as you would think. I removed all the "little tricks" (comp,eq...etc) from the focusrite when doing the test and the pres sounded remarkable similar. The main character difference was a more pronouced midrange "honk" from the focusrite with more sibilance.....The trident was, as I said, warmer (for lack of a better word) the mid sounded slightly scooped compared to the focusrite and the top end had a little less detail to it. However the focusrite really impressed me with its tone per dollar sound and lots of tools for a variety of inputs.

Verdict:

Well I kept my focusrite and returned the trident!!!

I guess for me at this time the $500 difference was more than the gain in recording quality. Also the trident had a couple of lights out (the orange glowing backlighting) on the right side. And because of the "floor model deal" the trident had NO WARRANTY......If money was no object i would like to have on in my rack, but at $1000 their are too many other options for great sound. I have to say though the trident felt really solid with detented pots and brilliant blue/white led meters.....nice unit. But if you have a spare $500 for a new pre....I can recommend the twintrak pro....good deal for the money.

[sweetnubs]

that trident piece is crap anyways. It has nothing to do with real trident pres other than the name. I've never listened to the silver faced focusrite but it couldn't be any worse. I've used the red focustrites. nice.

[furis]

hey dongraham u think i can listen to the samples u recorded wit the preamps?

[xfinsterx]

The s-20's really shine on drums.
The tone they impart to drums is very much akin to the tone of say an API 312 IMO.

As for vocals....thats no place for an s-20 to be.

-Finster

[xstatic]

So far I have not liked the "Trident" s20 on muchat all. Not that its bad, just nothing special about it at all in my opinion. Personally, I don't find it even remotely similar to API's at all. The s20 does not have much punch or speed to it at all in my experience. It almost seems a little slurred, and the top end always seems kind of harsh to me. I could see using it on some electric guitars though. As a point of reference, I do have a couple of actual Trident channel strips. They sound nothing at all like the s20.

[reshp1]

Originally Posted by xstatic

So far I have not liked the "Trident" s20 on muchat all. Not that its bad, just nothing special about it at all in my opinion. Personally, I don't find it even remotely similar to API's at all. The s20 does not have much punch or speed to it at all in my experience. It almost seems a little slurred, and the top end always seems kind of harsh to me. I could see using it on some electric guitars though. As a point of reference, I do have a couple of actual Trident channel strips. They sound nothing at all like the s20.

I don't see what you're saying at all...

[xfinsterx]

Originally Posted by reshp1

I don't see what you're saying at all...

I was noticing that...heh.

[xstatic]

I guess I could not make it through that post at all without saying that

[easychair]

Originally Posted by xstatic

As a point of reference, I do have a couple of actual Trident channel strips. They sound nothing at all like the s20.

That sounds right, though to be fair, the Twintrack sounds nothing like a real focusrite, either. The twin sounds pretty good for the $$, too bad about the s20.

[detuned6]

I have both these preamps. I perfer the se20 on everything compared to the twintrack. The se20 is cleaner, perhaps thats why i like it better. Thou the twintrak has the bells and whistles. To bad i have a bunch aof lil problems with my twin track that i havent had for longer than a year.