DBX 576 vs. Great River ME-1NV

[apodos]

I've heard great things about the Great River. I have a DBX 576 preamp with a Shure KSM 32 condenser mic currently. I do have money to upgrade but I'm wondering if anybody here feels strongly that the upgrade will be worthwhile for a home recordist. Will the difference be night and day or should I hold on to my extra $400?

 

[Teacher]

IF ALL this is, is a hobby to you and you have no aspirations in making a professional product i say buy an OZ of Hydro with that and with money left over you can buy food for when you get the munchies

pre-amp upgrades are usually subtle improvements, its how you use the subtle improvement to better your craft, which can be exponential if done properly

 

[Bobalou]

to expand on what Teacher is saying if I may:

my GR ME1NV is my best pre, I wont say its a "Night and Day Difference" over my other pre's (people love to use that term to justify their purchases) I see things a bit different.

individualy, a piece of quality gear yeilds smaller improvments in the overall scheme of things, its only when you complete the entire chain by adding a great pre, a great mic, a great set of converters, etc.. does the end result sound like a "Night And Day Difference" over Jr's recordings.

One thing you will notice when layering all your tracks with a nice pre however, is your overall mix will improve compared to that mid range haze/mush sound your dbx collects over an entire mix. its difficult sometimes to sing, drum, play into two pre's, compare them and hear a "huge" difference. sometimes we want to hear those differences so bad!

my pre's:

ME-1NV................main use
RNP......................frequent use
DMP3....................some use and drums
ART Pro MPA.........seldom used only drums
DBX 376...............seldom used only drums
Mackie 1202VLZ...seldom used only drums

 

[Teacher]

well with Dynamic mics and i'd assume ribbon mic(never used one) the difference can be night and day