2K or less: Dual channel pre suggestions welcome

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mojo Cracker
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M

Mojo Cracker

Well blow me down
Looking for a dual channel mic pre, primarily for stereo micing instruments, but will also use for some non-stereo stuff. Some things I'd like are:

*Detented gain controls

*Class A tube preamps (tubes preferred but will still consider transistors)

*Separate phantom power, pad, low cut, and phase switches

*VU meters

*XLR balanced mic ins/outs

*DIs for instruments

*Mic input gain range >39db

*Low noise

Is this too much to ask for 2k or less?

Suggestions welcome, thanks.

MC
 
Yo Mojo: [How's Olive Oyl?]

Couple of suggestions. If you can get a copy of TapeOp [free publication] you will find a bunch of mic pres to examine and contact on the net for specs.

Another is to take a look at the Grace Design pres. I use the 101 but it is only one channel and has LED lights; however, I think their other units have view meters.

All of the other stuff you mention usually comes with a good mic pre. There are some good deals on the Grace to be had if you shop around the 800 numbers.


My unit was around 5 hundred pezzutos; you could get two of the 101s and have money left over for some cables.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Green Hornet:D :p :cool: :p
 
If you want to spend the entire 2K

You may want to try

Universal Audio 2-610 Dual-Channel Tube Mic/Inst Pre-EQ ~$1900.00
 
I use the Grace Designs 201 and am extremely happy with it. It has a great big sound, and is very clean. It doesn't have some of the features you mention, most notably the low cut and DI inputs. It's also solid state, but you could easily add tube DI's ahead of it (what I do). Using seperate tube DI's with a solid state preamp you have a great deal of flexibility regarding signal path and tone color.

As far as VU meters, those are nice to have I suppose, but are certainly not required equipment for a preamp. A signal present/overload indicator is all that's really needed.
 
I talked Guitar Center out of an Avalon AD2022 for $2100. That seems to have all the features you're asking for, except the tubes. The other thing you get with an Avalon is the ambience (no, I don't mean reverb).
It's like driving up in a Rolls Royce. They may not like your car, preferred the Ferrari, thought it was too expensive, but *nobody* will ask you why you didn't buy a luxury car. People may think there were better buys, but damn few people will say your Avalon sucks.
All that aside, to get everything you want in a top flight pre takes just a little more. Pendulum MDP1, $2500 at Mercenary, and you get your tubes. Probably my next pre.-Richie
 
Go to Blue Bears link and droool..LOL

Great River MP2NV is a very cool pre..Its a little over 2 G's but its close$..No VU's{ladder LED's} but who cares when it sounds this cool IMHO...
Also The A Designs 2 channel "tube" looks nice{I'v never used one}
Also the Langvin Dual Vocal Chan. seems like a good deal..anyone used one of these? Good luck



Don
 
Go to Blue Bears link and droool..LOL

Great River MP2NV is a very cool pre..Its a little over 2 G's but its close$..No VU's{ladder LED's} but who cares when it sounds this cool IMHO...
Also The A Designs 2 channel "tube" looks nice{I'v never used one}
Also the Langvin Dual Vocal Chan. seems like a good deal..anyone used one of these? Good luck



Don
 
Go to Blue Bears link and droool..LOL

Great River MP2NV is a very cool pre..Its a little over 2 G's but its close$..No VU's{ladder LED's} but who cares when it sounds this cool IMHO...
Also The A Designs 2 channel "tube" looks nice{I'v never used one}
Also the Langvin Dual Vocal Chan. seems like a good deal..anyone used one of these? Good luck



Don
 
Go to Blue Bears link and droool..LOL

Great River MP2NV is a very cool pre..Its a little over 2 G's but its close$..No VU's{ladder LED's} but who cares when it sounds this cool IMHO...
Also The A Designs 2 channel "tube" looks nice{I'v never used one}
Also the Langvin Dual Vocal Chan. seems like a good deal..anyone used one of these? Good luck



Don
 
Go to Blue Bears link and droool..LOL

Great River MP2NV is a very cool pre..Its a little over 2 G's but its close$..No VU's{ladder LED's} but who cares when it sounds this cool IMHO...
Also The A Designs 2 channel "tube" looks nice{I'v never used one}
Also the Langvin Dual Vocal Chan. seems like a good deal..anyone used one of these? Good luck



Don
 
Go to Blue Bears link and droool..LOL

Great River MP2NV is a very cool pre..Its a little over 2 G's but its close$..No VU's{ladder LED's} but who cares when it sounds this cool IMHO...
Also The A Designs 2 channel "tube" looks nice{I'v never used one}
Also the Langvin Dual Vocal Chan. seems like a good deal..anyone used one of these? Good luck



Don
 
Go to Blue Bears link and droool..LOL

Great River MP2NV is a very cool pre..Its a little over 2 G's but its close$..No VU's{ladder LED's} but who cares when it sounds this cool IMHO...
Also The A Designs 2 channel "tube" looks nice{I'v never used one}
Also the Langvin Dual Vocal Chan. seems like a good deal..anyone used one of these? Good luck



Don
 
What The F'...I went back a deleted these extra posts ...And dammit they came back!:mad: Oh well




Dron
 
What The F'...I went back a deleted these extra posts ...And dammit they came back!:mad: Oh well




Dron
 
A lot of people are suggesting some very nice preamps, but none of them seem to particulalry match the criteria you listed.

As soon as I saw what you were looking for, my first thought was:

Tube Tech MP1a


Tube Tech is distributed by TC Electronic now, I believe. It's one hell of a sweet preamp - smooth, clear, quiet with plenty of gain - and has everything else you asked for. The only thing it doesn't have is any kind of metering, but then again, you didn't ask for any metering in your list - so i guess it's perfect!
 
Wrong, LD. he asked for vu meters. And the Pendulum MDP1 meets *all* of his criteria except price- and it's fairly close.-Richie
 
SonicAlbert said:
I use the Grace Designs 201 and am extremely happy with it. It has a great big sound, and is very clean. It doesn't have some of the features you mention, most notably the low cut and DI inputs. It's also solid state, but you could easily add tube DI's ahead of it (what I do). Using seperate tube DI's with a solid state preamp you have a great deal of flexibility regarding signal path and tone color.

As far as VU meters, those are nice to have I suppose, but are certainly not required equipment for a preamp. A signal present/overload indicator is all that's really needed.
Click to expand...

The Pendulum is $2,250 at Mercenary and Atlas Pro Audio.
 
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