DMP3, True P-Solo, Grace M101, Mico

  • Thread starter Thread starter dickiefunk
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I've just ordered a PRE73. Seems like a real bargain for £219.

I have listened to various audio clips and read stacks of glowing reviews and thought stuff it - gotta be worth a try!!

Am thinking of picking up a Grace M101 or True Systems P-Solo later in the year. That way I can have all bases covered :-

GAP PRE73 - Colored

Focusrite ISA One - Neutral

Grace M101/P-Solo - Very clean
 
have no experience with DMP3, quite a bit with Audient Mico

while not my favorite mic-pre (of the ones you list the best cost/benefit is the P systems in my experience) the Mico provides good low end detail, clear un-colored mids and a reasonable approximation of highs

gut instinct suggests not all that much comparison with DMP3, but as I said don't know it (DMP3)
 
Ok here's where I'm at!
I have recently spent a load of time and money on getting the more important issues sorted here.
I've just built a vocal booth and am sorting out the mixing room acoustics.
I've also just invested in some decent monitors that suit my room better(Focal CMS65's) and bought a Shure SM7b.
Because this has cost quite a large amount my budget for preamps is pretty small!

A True Systems P-Solo cost's £522 over here
A Grace M101 cost's closer to £550
A DAV BG-1u costs £600

I was recently speaking to a major studio that has both DAV and Audient pres amongst their Neve's and other high end pres.

The guy there said that the difference between the DAV and Audient is very small with the DAV sounding a little larger and the Audient sounding a little cleaner/transparent! He also said that he wouldn't be able to pick out the DAV or Audient in a mix!

The Audient Mico can be picked up for £319 over here and the pres are the same as those in their £15,000-£35,000 consoles but with even lower noise due to shorter signal path!

The Audient does seem like a real bargain but there are surprisingly few reviews on them??
 
here's one: one

think it has as much to do with supply in US and price as with any negative feeling

I'm a big fan of when ever possible of tracking w/o 'color' (on other hand am also big fan of Telefunken V72/76s and modified Altec 1567's which not only have unique 'character' but 'color') the API 3124 remains one of my all time favorite work horse pre's (and at this time probably would run you about $600/channel in the US)

The DAV BG 1, which from your quote has apparently inched up in price remains, after the API another favored tool . . . it has similar quality to API but probably not quite as 'straight wire + gain' transparency

Use both but never compared BG1 head to head with Mico but my experience with Mico suggests that for what it is, if the choice was between the two I'd probably be swayed by price while probably subjectively prejudiced towards API I don't find Mico to be as transparent and while I found that I used the Mico's digital outs only rarely they can be useful

a bit less sanguine about the phase alignment switch .. . not overtly critical it's just one of those 'what the hell' kind of things

Have nothing against the Grace m101, no specific idea why I have no particular affection for it (other then can't love all gear all the time and still get any work done) but I am very happy, from a long term investment standpoint with DAV build quality . . . Have less history with Mico and have yet to run a truck over it but have no specific complaints Unfortunately there are at least two versions with the 2nd having slightly better gain linearity . . . if you are primarily tracking one source at a time not too much of an issue, but as they supposedly brought the revision more in line with console pre's it would be nice to know which version you were getting for the money

over all it probably doesn't help that I'd be hard pressed if I had to choose only one among 3 of your top choices P-solo, DAV BG1, and Audient Mico . . .
 
Thanks for the info.

I always thought the API preamps were pretty colored?
 
dickiefunk said:
I always thought the API preamps were pretty colored?
Click to expand...
If you don't crank'em (and prolly use an attenuator, too), they can sound pretty clean. I wound up with two of those 3124+ units - I really like them - it's more like $500/channel if you get them used (a little more if you get a good attenuator for each channel so that you *can* crank them).
 
oretez said:
here's one: one
Click to expand...

Just read a couple more reviews here:-

http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/recording/signal-processors/microphone-preamps/mico-217002/review

http://audiofanzine.wordpress.com/2008/11/10/test-audient-mico-dual-preamp-review/

oretez said:
Use both but never compared BG1 head to head with Mico but my experience with Mico suggests that for what it is, if the choice was between the two I'd probably be swayed by price while probably subjectively prejudiced towards API I don't find Mico to be as transparent and while I found that I used the Mico's digital outs only rarely they can be useful
Click to expand...

I was speaking to someone else who has both the DAV and Mico and he said that the Mico was slightly cleaner and more transparent than the DAV? Did you find this to be the case?

oretez said:
it would be nice to know which version you were getting for the money

over all it probably doesn't help that I'd be hard pressed if I had to choose only one among 3 of your top choices P-solo, DAV BG1, and Audient Mico . . .
Click to expand...

The version I'm considering is the new rev2 version with the gain issue sorted!

If I were to go for the DAV or P-Solo I would need to buy 2 of them because I would like 2 channels with one of the channels being an optional DI. This would take the price up to over £900 for 2 channels of P-Solo or £600 for the DAV BG1u!
I'm not sure these would be worth the extra £280-£580 over the Mico which costs £319?
 
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