Avalon M5 microphone preamp...

[ethos]

I'm upgrading my studio, and was thinking of buying one of these, however..
I've heard they're over-rated, and don't have the bang for the buck.

Wanted to hear opinions from people who own, or have used them.

If there are better preamps, in the same ball park price wise, as the Avalon M5, i'd be interested in hearing about those also.

Thanks in advance.

-ethos

[ethos]

Oh, and I'll most likely be running a Shure sm7b, and a Peluso p12 through it.
If that info is needed.

[MCI2424]

Originally Posted by ethos

I'm upgrading my studio, and was thinking of buying one of these, however..
I've heard they're over-rated, and don't have the bang for the buck.

Wanted to hear opinions from people who own, or have used them.

If there are better preamps, in the same ball park price wise, as the Avalon M5, i'd be interested in hearing about those also.

Thanks in advance.

-ethos

There are hardly much "better" pre-amps than the Avalon, but there are "different" ones. I love mine but , like everything else, it is'nt the best in every application. It will NEVER suck though.

[Richard Monroe]

I have an AD2022, which is basically 2 M5's in one box. It is a simple, honest preamp with damned little noise and beaucoup gain. It suffers from a lack of I/O's, particularly insert points (there aren't any). Mine, at least, has XLR outs only, balanced and unbalanced. This requires weird unbalanced cabling to get to an RNC, which I often use with it. The variable input impedence is very useful with antique mics. It's a studio workhorse for me. If you're looking for that Neve hard rock color, I don't think the Avalon is it. Lots of people use the 737, a tube amp, and it is loved and hated by end users. The Avalon solid state stuff is often overlooked. They are really "just the facts, Ma'am", but with the slight metallic edge that comes with big-ass transformers, They used to call that putting "Iron" into the sound. What I really think is that a 2022 is a better deal, dollar for channel, than an M5. Any channel worth having is worth having two of. The 2022 kicks ass as a stereo recording amp in almost any situation. It is a wicked bass DI.- Richie

[ethos]

Thanks for that. really appreciate it.

[Blue Groove]

UA or John Hardy, there are dozens really. Maybe visit some studios, see if they'll let you audition some pres in their studio.