1000$ mic pre for a 300$ mic???

[cominginsecond]

I think good mics are much more important than good pres. Going from mic to mic the difference is night and day. Going from bad pres to decent ones is a lot more subtle.

And I'm not a big SM57 fan.

So I guess I'm siding with Chess on this one.

 

[tdukex]

...Keep in mind that Joe Chicarelli could make a dixie cup and a piece of string sound good. And guys like Bob Ohlson have had the pleasure of recording the kind of people that would probably sound wonderful through that same dixie cup ... without Joe Chicarelli's help.

Well put, Mr. Rock.