should I get an EH preamp or a tampa???

T

the dairy giant

New member
hmmm.

well I was looking at getting one of those controversial new EH preamps, then I read a post that mentioned how good the M-Audio tampa was for the price...

So if I got the EH, I'd be using compressors etc in software... Logic Pro's inbuilt ones, T-racks and blockfish are the ones I have...

but if I got the tampa, i'd be using some analogue stuff before it got to the computer... which might be nicer. But I get the impression the EH unit might be the better deal as far as the preamp section goes, I'd like to be able to add some colour/warmth/grunge/distortion too. which I believe you can do with the tampa, not sure about the EH.

ALSO... the tampa will be good for elec gat/bass DI, not sure if the EH will do this...

any thoughts??

PS, I have a very average mic now, but will soon pick up either an ADK vienna/hamburg or an MXL V69, I'm thinking. for male (fairly soft mellow voice), some female vox (stronger) and ac. guitar.

thanks for your thoughts!
 
I haven't used the Tampa but a big thumbs up for the EH 12AY7 pre here.

You have to take into account the extra functionality of the Tampa though, if you need an external compressor and an instrument DI then it might be the better choice.

I'm blown away by the quality of the EH pre though.

Why do you say 'controversial'?
 
about the controversial bit, going back a month or so there were people getting negative rep points for talking about it, for some reason.

thanks for your thoughts. I wonder if the analogue compression (I don't think the Tampa has EQ.. not sure) offers anything that plug-ins dont...
 
Ah yes, I got a fair few of those, someone must have been under the impression that I gave a shit. :D

I have heard good things about the Tampa's compressor, I recall Lemon tree likes his a lot. But as I say I haven't used it so take that for what it's worth.

I personally don't compress at all when tracking anyway.
 
I've been contemplating this same question. Kids, mortgage payments, and an expensive sailing habit keeps me looking for the most bang for the buck in my equipment purchases. Lemon Tree posted some nice sounding tracks recorded through the Tampa, and I get the sense that it's a good unit, but it doesn't seem to have caught on. This may be due to a price point that puts it awkwardly between budget pres and more "respectable" preamps.
The EH unit is an ugly duck in comparison, but some people who appear to know their sh*t give it high marks in sound quality, which of course is all that really matters. The funny thing is, though I live in a music capitol, I can't find either of these units in any stores to go and listen to. Neither is a huge sum of money to take a chance on, but I'm pretty anal about purchase decisions, and hate to buy anything I haven't test driven.

-RD
 
i can't speak to the EH, but i CAN speak for the Tampa. I bought one used here off TKingen, and I love it.

it excels on vocals, amps, acoustic guitar, and guitar amps, and it's an excellent bass DI.

the compressor is pretty clean/transparent, although the unit as a whole does have a "sound" to it. it's not something i'd want to use on every track.....but i really do enjoy it. it's a totally different flavor than any of my other preamps (symetrix 528, vtb-1, rane ms1-a, mackie 24*4), and that was my hope.

my guess is that it never "caught on" for 2 reasons. 1 is the price noted above--the "inbetween budget and pro" thing. the other is that it's "m-audio" and there's a lot of bias against m-audio gear among the people who'd shell out more than $100 for a preamp.

whatever the reason, i'm glad they're relatively cheap--i want another one. :D


cheers,
wade
 
EH are kind of how Studio Projects were when they first started out.

They have guys make up fictitious usernames and start talking about the product on internet message boards so that they can generate false hype.
 
chessrock said:
EH are kind of how Studio Projects were when they first started out. They have guys make up fictitious usernames and start talking about the product on internet message boards so that they can generate false hype.
Click to expand...

There does seem to be something not-quite-right about a lot of the EH-pre chatter. I can't put my finger on it, but the dialog just seems a little weird. My guess is that the hype machine is in full swing.

FWIW, I love my Deluxe Memory man. I wouldn't buy a mic pre based on my love for it, but I do love it nonetheless.
 
chessrock said:
EH are kind of how Studio Projects were when they first started out.

They have guys make up fictitious usernames and start talking about the product on internet message boards so that they can generate false hype.
Click to expand...

Not totally though. EHX has been around alot longer, and already has a reputation. They have just recently branched out into the home/pro recording field. In my book, that long-time succes says something about new products of them even if they hyped and unproven.
 
I should retract that statement. It was kind of lame brained of me to just make that accusation like that.

I guess I just kind of see the same stuff NKJanssen was refering to. Their conversations ... coupled with the fact that EH really have come out of nowhere. And their rep kind of comes out of the woodworks right around the same time, and it just all seems a little odd.
 
First I heard about the EH pre was from Joel Hamilton here. Don't know if it was talked about at HR much before that... not that I noticed anyway. I have two now and like them on acoustic gtr.

Tim
 
Like I said ... that was kind of lame brained of me. Joel is a pretty standup guy, and I wouldn't think him to be the gear-pimping type. It was probably my bad.
 
yeh.. I read a couple of recommendations from people here.. I've done a few google searches and there is very liitle info about this thing at all.. there are a few people here that like it like Walter Torres and Joel, a few others but I don't know the names.

I dont think there is a lot of hype going on, just a few quite impressed people who happened to be posting around the time I was looking for something...

Not that I'm any closer to deciding what the hell I'm getting... In fact I'm thinking of blowing my whole mic/preamp budget on a scooter.. I saw a very nice retro looking thing in town today... save on outrageous petrol prices!!!
 
Someone on the BBS seems pretty convinced that there's some sort of EH shilling operation underway. I even got negative rep for my earlier post in this thread (even though I suggested the Tampa might be a better option :confused: ). I honestly don't think it's the case, all the people who've talked up the pre seem legit users of the product to me.

I guess you never know though. :confused:

Chessrock, if you ever get to use the pre i'd be interested in your opinion (if you can cope with the red chicklets :D ).
 
I only recently started home recording (aside from 4 tracks which I've done for writing for 15 years) after finally letting go of the touring band. I still need to write and I have no desire to own a "real" studio though I thoroughly enjoy the advantages having recorded many full length records in both digital and analog rooms.

Now I'm just another guy with some spare change and time and wanting to do some fairly decent pre-production at my leisure instead of spending the extra time at 60 - 75 dollars an hour writing arrangements and etc. now that there is now touring money coming in.

So after all that my point is my first posts ever got the negative rep points because I was talking about the EH mic pre. I did not even know about the rep points and now that I do I don't care. So, thank you and give me another. The EH mic pre is clean and does a decent job at rounding transient peaks. It fits a niche for me and I like it better than the VTB-1 and the DMP3 for guitars and vocals. All of these pre's are in the range of cash I'm willing to spend to do what I do - which is the point.
 
I didn't get a neg rep point.......I guess because I called it a bit of an ugly duck. From now on, be sure to comment on the EH being ugly to protect yourself from this EH obsessed rep slasher (like anyone cares).

Chess, you're now the prime suspect. :D

-RD
 
Robert D said:
Chess, you're now the prime suspect. :D
Click to expand...

I don't get in to silly popularity point games. Hell, if you want to earn your rep points back, just go to the cave and post some pictures of some hot chicks or something -- preferably naked.
 
chessrock said:
EH are kind of how Studio Projects were when they first started out.

They have guys make up fictitious usernames and start talking about the product on internet message boards so that they can generate false hype.
Click to expand...

I'm telling Joel Hamilton on you! :p

Jokes aside, I really like my EHX pre. Compared to my little RNP, it sounds more open, a little warmer (for guitar especially), grittier, crunchier. I'm not selling the RNP though. The EHX is a great extra flavor to reach for. Not as clear, focused, or "silky" as the RNP, but does it's own thing with character. Check it!
 
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