How much of a difference does a higher quality preamp make?

  • Thread starter Thread starter soulryuu
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Hmm. The power supply for my Vintech X73 is only worth $10. And the preamp is made of another $10 worth of components? Seems I spent about $1460 too much for a great preamp.

You should just start building preamps for $20 and sell them for $100. I would buy one or 16! :)
 
arcaxis said:
Now that we've established what your Vintech X73 is really worth, I'll give ya $50 for it. You'll be making out in this deal:D
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LOL!

Seriously, why don't you guys start making preamps and selling them. I would seriously buy from members of this site just to hear them and compare. Trust me, I am not in any way being condescending or anything. I am serious.
 
Well then, lets build some. I am willing to pay for at least six more of these. I assume the machining of knobs and chassis would be some expense, but if it sounds good, use plastic Radio Shack crap or similar for knobs. Sharpie on a plastic case what the pots do. I could care less how it looks.

Ok, and Go. PM me for payment. :)

Just to mention, the power supply is separate from the preamp. I know very little about how this all works. Educate me a bit please.
 
I bitch all the time about how much tube amps cost. They're a few hundred bucks of parts at most. When I was working on my Marshall 2204, I was digging around in there and thinking to myself "this is it?". There's nothing to it and it's one of the baddest amps in the universe.
 
arcaxis said:
Parts is only a small piece of the total cost. The printed circuit board would need to be designed. Would need somebody with CAD experience that had a good sense of component layout to keep noise down, then production of the boards as well. If they run off a plug in the wall likely would be safety testing (UL, CSA) involved if sold to the general public. A lot of the cost is the design, testing, and general overhead. Parts is generally pretty small in cost.
Did electronics manufacturing for a company many years ago and have no interest in it anymore other than my own little projects and repairs.
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Well then, you just killed my dream... :(


:)
 
Been here before IIRC?
But, take this..

Grace Design M101 Preamp - Thomann UK

Generally recognised as a superb example of a very transparent and clean pre amp. That sells here for 666Euros so it should be well under $1000 US? That to me is a very fair price for something that probably cannot be improved upon in terms of noise and headroom because it pushes the limits of physics. But if you strip out the extras, the high Z circuitry, filters etc and the superb mechanical engineering and presentation the actual active components probably account for well under $50.

So, if you pay a lot more than the 101's asking price you will not be getting anything better IMHO in terms of clean gain.
However! IF you want "attitude" or "warmf" you WILL pay more for top line transformers or/and valves and their support circuitry is costly. But you will not be getting a "better" preamp just one with a different (but nice many say!) sound.

So, are the high end pre makers ripping you off? No, not really. Their market is tiny and quality ENGINEERING costs. They will probably only sell you one preamp because it will last you out, even if you live another 80years I bet!

As for us electronics chappies building and selling gear? "We" already do! I hope 5 Fish Studios is still going? Owl there started out making VERY cost effective pre amp kits. Then there are folks like Golden Age Products and their Pre-73 Mk2 £230 $250 over the Pond?
There are quite a few others building very high performance gear at low prices but in less sparkling garb.

Dave.
 
arcaxis said:
Parts is only a small piece of the total cost. The printed circuit board would need to be designed. Would need somebody with CAD experience that had a good sense of component layout to keep noise down, then production of the boards as well. If they run off a plug in the wall likely would be safety testing (UL, CSA) involved if sold to the general public. A lot of the cost is the design, testing, and general overhead. Parts is generally pretty small in cost.
Did electronics manufacturing for a company many years ago and have no interest in it anymore other than my own little projects and repairs.
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I worked for a pc board manufacturer, arcaxis has this right. Basic CAD layout, test boards made (including soldering components, etc), then production runs ....
 
Old post, late catching up. I mentioned having something great to record. I didn't say nothing else mattered. I said that it is the secret. Everyone spends on the mic and everything else but sees the pre as hardly more than a junction box. So getting the best pre you can afford is often overlooked. That's what I meant by secret. Every engineer I've ever worked with has said the mic pre is the secret to a great recording. I was just passing that along.
Rod Norman
Engineer
 
In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4] Look in the mirror.

Greg_L said:
Troll keeps bumping old threads. ^^^^^^
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Rod Norman said:
In Internet slang, a troll (/ˈtroʊl/, /ˈtrɒl/) is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people,[1] by posting inflammatory,[2] extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response[3] or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.[4] Look in the mirror.
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From Wikipedia obviously. The most poor resource for rebuttal...

I love the fact that you are finally coming back to make comments in support of your posts. :)

Nothing more nice to say other than this:

One person's opinion of another in a forum (such as HR that is based on 'how to' for members that have less experience than some members here) has nothing to do with what this site is about.

I don't care about the personality or attitude of any member here. I only give a shit if the advice is correct and there is something to see/hear that gives credibility to what they say.


Not to stab at ya Rod, but I have never seen a link to anything you have done. I would love to embrace everything you say, but you just have nothing you are willing to show for your years of experience as an 'Engineer'.

A 'troll' in this particular forum, I would define as someone who does not care to benefit the members of this site. More so would be someone whom intentionally attempts to create havoc in a forum.

Did you possibly lie and give a false quote from a moderator here to a member of this forum? I can't say what you did here 'in forum', but from the consistency of bad/outdated advice you have given, I would likely call you a troll myself anyway. Just my gut feeling.

Do you have no sense of reason in regards to helping others without your personal arrogance? Many have reported you, questioning your advice that has no 'concrete' source of what you recorded that backs up your opinion. Who is going to listen to anything you say without you giving a little piece of what you have done?

I am sure you have years of experience. Only a 'troll' has nothing to show for it. Just sayin man.



By the way, if you have all the secrets, what the **** are you doing here anyway? Never a mention of your kids or a lost pet or wife. Nothing that I have seen as care about any member here. There has to be a reason...

What makes you tick man?
 
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And how does that saying go ? " The quality remains long after the price is forgotten ".....money flows..comes and goes...don'y cut your quality choices short in home recording....my 2 cents
 
Kirbstone said:
And how does that saying go ? " The quality remains long after the price is forgotten ".....money flows..comes and goes...don'y cut your quality choices short in home recording....my 2 cents
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Platitudes and folksy saying are fine if you are holdin' foldin' . Many of the folks that come to HR are musicians first and wannbe recordist next. Musicians, as a group IMExp tend to be an impecunious lot!

Then, newbies often handwring for fekking AGES about which AI/DAW/mic/bloody XLR CABLE! To buy. Does not matter that much...What matter most of all is to get *^^ing started!
Just remember, A Behringer USB mixer has a better noise and distortion spec than the stuff that made Rubber Soul! If a noob can only run to $500 for the whole shooting match that is fine. A $1000 pre amp will not be noticed for years!

And FCS don't mention "plastic"! We all know what that has done to the world!

Dave.
 
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