preamp oppinons!

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docmattic

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hey guys,
ive been looking into buying a new preamp soon. I have a $750 budget (small for some, big for me), but can stretch up to about 775 (for eg the speck). i will only be using the preamp for vocals. Im looking for an opinion on them, pros and cons, the character of them.

Speck mic pre 5.0
Summit 2ba-221
Chameleon Labs 7602

And want to discuss the use of the Telefunken v676 and v672 for vocals, as i dont think they are commonly used as vocal preamps.

thanks
~doc~
 
Also consider an ADK AP-1. It has swapable input transformers and op amps. You can build collection of these are get many different characters, from transparent to colored.
 
I've owned a DMP3, an RNP, and a DAV BG1. I currently use the DAV BG1, and will never sell it, even if I win the lottery. I can't get over the thing. They are right in your price range.
 
i liked the chameleon labs 7602. good transformer based pre with a great eq section. the di sounds great for bass as well.
 
kojdogg said:
i liked the chameleon labs 7602. good transformer based pre with a great eq section. the di sounds great for bass as well.
Click to expand...

I'd agree. You should hear it if you change out the transformers with quality ones!


You said you wanted to discuss the v676 and v672 for vocals...
here's my take on it. I recently read on another forum people describing their v672s as dark and having a 1k bump. Mine are not like that at all, and maybe it's because oliver rebuilt them, but mine have a solid bottom and an open top.

That open top, when using any mics that are overly bright (esp chinese condensers) is a little too much for me. Use it with a great neutral sounding mic that's not too sibilant and it's awesome. (soundelux u195, probably a 414, etc)

Dave Marquette says that the v672 was used on Kelly Clarkson's single "Miss Independant" for vocals.
 
thanks everyone. Im still not sure about the telefunken preamps but it sounds nice.

The chameleon labs is really looking like a good one, same with a safe sound p1, (im not sure how i came across that). Does anyone know where i could find a vocal sample on a 7602?

Another one that poped up was the baby animal from Jlm audio, apparantly this preamp sounds like an absolute beast! Executivos, i think i saw a thread that you had one for sale. What are your impressions of it? Can you compare it to a chameleon labs 7602 with high quality transformers?

cheers
 
I think my Baby Animal unit is sold, but sure I'll comment on it.

The main thing about the baby animals is that the project in itself can be built to sound like a lot of different things.

It can use several different transformers and several different gain stages.

So: it depends on where you want to go with it; You can make it totally like an api if you want. (just use a similar type input transformer and a 2520 opamp) You can make it like a really nice clean transformer balanced preamp with maybe a jensen transformer and the jensen 990 opamp.

I think the most "neve" sounding would be oep transformer and the jlm opamp, but the jlm opamp is still pretty fast which rules. You'd probably want to use an output transformer as well.

I think I might go with a lundahl or jensen transformer on my next one, but then either use the jlm99v or I also have some Melco pcbs to make 1731 opamps which I think could be cool.

The trade off is that the 7602 has eq, and is a lot more expensive! One channel w/ upgraded transformers is like 850.

On the other hand if you just want one channel of BA, no eq, you could do that for like $250 + the cost of a chassis.

I'd really lean towards the Baby Animal just because it's A LOT cheaper and you're only using it for vocals. Another option is chameleon also makes a 2 channel preamp (no eq) but I'd still really want to change out the transformers.

If you need help building a baby animal (they aren't very hard) or just changing out the transformers, let me know.
 
Executivos said:
I think my Baby Animal unit is sold, but sure I'll comment on it.

The main thing about the baby animals is that the project in itself can be built to sound like a lot of different things.

It can use several different transformers and several different gain stages.

So: it depends on where you want to go with it; You can make it totally like an api if you want. (just use a similar type input transformer and a 2520 opamp) You can make it like a really nice clean transformer balanced preamp with maybe a jensen transformer and the jensen 990 opamp.

I think the most "neve" sounding would be oep transformer and the jlm opamp, but the jlm opamp is still pretty fast which rules. You'd probably want to use an output transformer as well.

I think I might go with a lundahl or jensen transformer on my next one, but then either use the jlm99v or I also have some Melco pcbs to make 1731 opamps which I think could be cool.

The trade off is that the 7602 has eq, and is a lot more expensive! One channel w/ upgraded transformers is like 850.

On the other hand if you just want one channel of BA, no eq, you could do that for like $250 + the cost of a chassis.

I'd really lean towards the Baby Animal just because it's A LOT cheaper and you're only using it for vocals. Another option is chameleon also makes a 2 channel preamp (no eq) but I'd still really want to change out the transformers.

If you need help building a baby animal (they aren't very hard) or just changing out the transformers, let me know.
Click to expand...

Have you tried these out at all?
http://www.johnhardyco.com/990OpAmpDetails.html

I'm thinking of using them for one of my projects but haven't found much i the way of reviews and such.
 
For your budget I would also recomend ADK AP-1. I picked up both of mine on ebay for less than $400 each. And you don't necessarily have to buy other opamps or transformers. The stock Cinemag and ADK opamp sound pretty good to me. Don't know why more people don't like these pre's. They stand up well with my Langevin DVC and racked Yamaha PM1000's, (which I really love BTW).
 
Executivos, im the JLM are really starting to apeal to me. I sent Joe an email. Thanks very much for your help. I am just confused when i look at packages which one to buy. Mayee you could advise me the best one.

Dave the adk ap-1 looked really good too. they are over my budget new,, and i could find one on ebay when i looked.
 
Joe Rules! He can give you a lot of information as well.

As for the options, what kind of music are you doing, what kind of mics do you have, what kind of sound are you going for?

Some of the options are more clean and transparent, some are more colored and some are kinda in the middle (if different ways)

As for the 990 opamp from John Hardy, yes that is what I meant when I said Jensen 990. (jensen's dual servo design is based off that opamp and I believe the design was kinda put together by both of them)
 
Im doing hiphop/rap with and mxlv67 with the capsule changed to a peluso p-k47. I think i want a detailed, thickish, lush type sound, but isnt to thick to put in backup vocals.

The preamp ive got is a clean preamp so im looking to be more colored. UNfortuantly i dont know what a neve or an api sounds like on vocals.
 
hope this helps

i really love trident pres and one of the cheapest pres i own would be the trident s20. i really like the sound of this. depending on what type of vocals you are doing i would say i use it for a lot of my yelling/screaming. and a avalon 747sp for singing.
 
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