Preamps. STB-1 VS DMP-3

jameslucas

New member
Which is better? Does the 12ax7 in the studio projects stb-1 add any musical warmth and color I might not get with the DMP-3? Any Ideas?
 
jameslucas said:
Which is better? Does the 12ax7 in the studio projects stb-1 add any musical warmth and color I might not get with the DMP-3? Any Ideas?
A while back there was a poll taken on the Rack forum between these two preamps and the DMP3 was favored over the VTB-1 by a landslide. The tube in the VTB-1 can add a little dirt that the DMP3 can't, but the DMP3 is also two channels where as the VTB-1 is only one channel.
 
6 of one, half a dozen of the other...

... the dmp3 is gives you plenty of pretty clean gain, and the vtb-1 (not stb-1), is comparable in this vein, but does offer a little bit of tube colored versatility. just don't expect real tube saturation, more of a little variation in the tone of the mic. i find it useful, but only as an occasional change of pace. while i think the vtb-1 is a pretty good choice in it's price range, it is a mono unit, and for another $50 or so, the dmp3 gives you 2 channels. they both are probably comparable in my book. take your pick.
peace- jv
 
On acoustic guitar, I like the DMP3 better. I don't know about other apps. Some people I respect like the VTB1 as an all-around budget pre. I don't think you can go wrong with either one for the price.
 
how often will you have to replace the valve in the vtb1? one of my guitar amps is a fender hybrid and i'm sure the dirt has changed somewhat but i'm stalling on getting in replaced cos i didn't like it anyway.
 
horses of different colours

this is apples and oranges, really......and like most things, it depends on what your goals are. what are you going to use it for? do you need 2 channels? or will one suffice?

some report that the dmp3 is excellent on acoustic guitar. i haven't used one so i can't comment more than that. i like my vtb1 as a bass DI, and on my 89 tele (neck pickup) it gives me a nice warm, bluesy tone when DI'd (the toob gets "in a bad way" nasty pretty quickly, though). i used to use it on vocals (into an RNC), but don't much anymore (i've upgraded).

anyway, they're both pretty cheap and you can usually pick one up used pretty easily. or maybe buy em new and give em both a whirl and return the one you don't like as much. for some folks, it's a pretty cut and dried matter.


hth, ymmv, hand, :D

wade
 
Back
Top