Thoughts on single channel preamps

pathdoc

New member
Currently I have a groove tube brick (which I really like, used for vocals and acoustic guitar) and an Avalon U5 (used mostly for bass and keyboards).
I'm looking to add another preamp that would be used mostly for acoustic guitar. I love the sound I'm getting from the brick but really need a second preamp for stereo recording.
Budget is less than $500. I'm working on selling a very cool old Yamaha BB1000 bass and will use the funds from that sale to purchase this new preamp.
I thought about getting a second brick which usually run about $350 used on ebay but I'm also thinking about the new Universal Audio solo 610 pre but it's a little more expensive (used around $599).
Any other preamps I should be considering?
Thanks
 
I've been reading up on the True P-Solo and it gets good reviews. Wish I had a chance to try one, but you might consider one of those. High end of your price range.
 
Now that's what I'm talking about. That is one sweet looking pre. I read about it last week at Sweetwater. Thanks for reminding me.
 
At roughly the $500 price point I find myself mentioning 3 options fairly regularly

The True systems P-Solo is one, followed by Audient Mico and Black Lion Auteur.


I have all three and if I had to pick only one I might well (today) select the True Systems. Both the Mico and Auteur travel fairly well. Small size is only part of it, they also tend, to most people (i.e. musicians and audience) to not look like much so I worry less about them going walk about. I don't use P-Solo for field/live recording, partially because it just looks nicer.

They all have slightly different 'flavor', with Mico, in its least effected state, probably being the most transparent. P-Solo is 'clean' but will impart tube distortion. The Auteur is not the first box I reach for, for most dynamic mics and it's useable gain (at bit noisier then I'd like at the extreme end) makes it less then stellar for most (at least old school ones) Ribbon mics. But it doesn't suck.

That said, I've found Black Lion, of the three companies, to be the most difficult to work with. Not in any major way I just didn't get any sense that people with whom I talked were particularly interested in having me as a customer. I ordered an Auteur initially as a 'review' item, but liked it well enough, found it useful enough to keep it in fairly steady rotation. For example I might use it for SDC trap OHs while kick, snare, other spot mics run through the 3124. Mico works just a well for this, and if I need 8+ percussion tracks it's possible all three of the mentions pres will get a work out. I have found the P-Solo to be pretty useful on vocals and reasonable on the usual suspects of acoustic instruments. Its useful enough that I wish they had made it 20 yr. ago.
 
Hey Kenny, no problem was lookin for a single channel. I use my Groove Tube brick on one side, was looking for something different for other channel.
Thanks
 
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