nuemes
Be Here Now
I've spent two days with the Avalon M5 preamp. My only previous preamp experience was with Mackie VLZ pro preamps so they're my only comparison - keep that in mind!
Independant sound sources:
Vocals (male voice thru Blue Baby Bottle): The M5 was more 'musical sounding' than the Mackie pres. By this I mean the M5 is warmer; the sound blended better. I could see how the Mackies would be a great choice for an industrial artist because they sound more harsh compared to the M5. The high-end on the Mackies is very comparable but sounds slightly more brittle. The M5 has better low end definition.
Danelectro Longhorn electric bass > M5 > Joe Meek MC2 (direct): This is where the M5 stood out the most. I've never held much interest in bass recorded direct but now have reason to consider it an option. The M5 sounded damn close to a mic'd amp sound. In the same settup the Mackie pres sounded dull and boomy. Huge difference.
Acoustic guitar: I couldn't hear hardly any difference between the M5 and Mackie pres. Likely due to the very cheap acoustic guitars used.
I think the truest test of the Avalon M5 is not in independant sound source listens so much as puting together a mix of multiple sources. Once guitar, vocal & bass were put into a mix recorded with the M5 and the Mackie pres separately it was clear how the M5 is much more tonaly balanced: the vocal wasn't boomy, the bass sat in the mix more naturally, and the guitar sounded more smooth. The things I hear from the M5 are things that would take a lot of time EQing to get right on the Mackies, and it still wouldn't be quite as good on the Mackies.
The M5 is a much appreciated improvement over the VLZ Pro's. Considering the price of the M5 it's hardly a fair comparison though. I have to say, I am very impressed with the Mackie preamps now that I've heard them next to something that costs so much more. But I sure as hell won't be using them as much now!
Independant sound sources:
Vocals (male voice thru Blue Baby Bottle): The M5 was more 'musical sounding' than the Mackie pres. By this I mean the M5 is warmer; the sound blended better. I could see how the Mackies would be a great choice for an industrial artist because they sound more harsh compared to the M5. The high-end on the Mackies is very comparable but sounds slightly more brittle. The M5 has better low end definition.
Danelectro Longhorn electric bass > M5 > Joe Meek MC2 (direct): This is where the M5 stood out the most. I've never held much interest in bass recorded direct but now have reason to consider it an option. The M5 sounded damn close to a mic'd amp sound. In the same settup the Mackie pres sounded dull and boomy. Huge difference.
Acoustic guitar: I couldn't hear hardly any difference between the M5 and Mackie pres. Likely due to the very cheap acoustic guitars used.
I think the truest test of the Avalon M5 is not in independant sound source listens so much as puting together a mix of multiple sources. Once guitar, vocal & bass were put into a mix recorded with the M5 and the Mackie pres separately it was clear how the M5 is much more tonaly balanced: the vocal wasn't boomy, the bass sat in the mix more naturally, and the guitar sounded more smooth. The things I hear from the M5 are things that would take a lot of time EQing to get right on the Mackies, and it still wouldn't be quite as good on the Mackies.
The M5 is a much appreciated improvement over the VLZ Pro's. Considering the price of the M5 it's hardly a fair comparison though. I have to say, I am very impressed with the Mackie preamps now that I've heard them next to something that costs so much more. But I sure as hell won't be using them as much now!
