Golden Age Pre-73 Preamp

A

axeman_ukl

New member
has anybody tried these yet ?

if so what did you think of it ?

how did it compare to other pre's in its price range £260 ?


thanking anybody in advance for any light they can shed on this
 
...here's some light reading for you:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/340153-golden-age-project-pre73.html

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-end-theory/191855-anyone-tried-golden-age-project-pre-73-a.html

...but if you want the short answer, IMHO there's no point comparing it to any of the similarly priced preamps...it simply offers too much versatilty, value and most importantly, "mojo"...
...the cheapest yet somewhat accurate "Neve 1073 preamp clone" you can buy...and I have a real one...there's a reason why there is an international waiting list for these things...
 
Id have to look at one...the ones I currently use is laid out like a 1073...I like to push the input gain a little to produce a tiny bit of saturation....I leave room for vocals so I eq to what suits the song.
 
There is a great article in the last tape OP magazine or read it on line.
Now I've been wanting a GA73 but after reading the article (for they review 4 or 5 different preamps that emulate the Neve 1073) I think I may go with the Chameleon lab7602 preamp(about twice as much as the GA) for it has everything the GA73 has but also has an EQ section.
And to go a little further the GA73 and the Chameleon Lab7602 can both be modified by a company by the name of Zenpro audio by replacing the Chinese transformers with Carnhill transformers and a few other replacement pieces.



:cool:
 
I'm liking but I'm probably not getting the best out of it yet.
I have the gain stage set at -25db and the output, just about maxed out.
Running the Golden Age R1 Mk II through it. The 26db PAD is engaged on the Korg and the Korg preamp at zero.
I'm getting a bigger/fuller, clean sound (vocals) compared to the Korg's preamps which are incidentally, really good on their own.
From about -35db to -80db, I'm finding too much distortion.
I haven't tried it with the Echo Mona yet.
 
Straight.
I'm not into modifications.
I'll pull out one of the Nady RSM 2 mics later and see how it does with a passive ribbon.
 
I spent the morning with it.
Right off the bat, I'll say that it makes my passive ribbons usable.
Brings them up to a useful level with absolutely no noise.
Also and some of you may know this, the Korg D3200 is a devil to work with when it comes to external preamps.
The Echo Mona however, was very easy and improvements were obvious from the get, go.
Using my favourite ribbon, The Golden Age MK II, it fills the sound out quite nicely. The Joe Meek 3Q is a little thinner in comparison. That really surprised me.
By the end of the morning, I was finding that silkiness that I read so much about. A combination of finding the right balance between the two stages and proper mic placement.
What I thought was a slight improvement over the Korg preamps last night turned into a vast improvement over the course of the morning.
I'm sure it will only get better over time.
You know, I never noticed a change in the tone. Just a fullness and a smoother transition through peaks and valleys.
There is a definite distortion though if you drive it too hard.
I've read a lot about the modifications and although I'm not much into that, I may change my mind after I get used to the preamp.
What pleases me about it now, may annoy me in a month or so and I'm not inclined to let this purchase lay around unused.
?? 2 knobs and 4 buttons ??
Click to expand...
Five buttons!
 
Jim You can call Zen audio and talk to the owner about the mod and you will be surprised at what he has to tell you about it. I'll PM you what he told me.







:cool:
 
Read the PM, thanks.
I'm always dubious about those who overstate their claims about their modifications and completely downplay the manufacturer's achievement.
Clearly, from what you told me, Zen Audio is much more realistic in their claims.
An improvement of 3, on a scale of 1 to 10, is significant.
 
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