Preamp w/ lots of power?

C

cracklin'

New member
I have a copperphone mic. I was told it needs a LOT of power to get the best results (less hiss that is). Is there any cheap (most important) preamps that have loads of power? any recommendations would be really helpful.
 
ironic

The brick. . .loads of gain (25db right off the bat) and better, contrary to popular belief, than beringer. . .in most cases
 
the RNP is excellent, though it's not the quietest preamp. i think it would do you just fine though. what are you recording?
 
I just need this preamp to use w/ the copperphone mic. Its a great piece. I use it for banjo, guitar, and vocals....when I want them to sound like they were recorded 70 yrs ago. its dirty country stuff. The preamp i have now doesnt give it enough power...so there is loads of hiss.
 
Wouldn't there still be hiss with a more powerful preamp, just louder hiss?

Maybe look at preamps that are intended for use with ribbon mics, as those are designed for more gain. The Grace 101 can be ordered in a 70dB version for ribbon mics, for example.
 
cracklin' said:
I just need this preamp to use w/ the copperphone mic. Its a great piece. I use it for banjo, guitar, and vocals....when I want them to sound like they were recorded 70 yrs ago. its dirty country stuff. The preamp i have now doesnt give it enough power...so there is loads of hiss.
Click to expand...

the DAV will push that mic easily. I use it with ribbons(live trumpet) all the time.
 
Cracklin said:
The preamp i have now doesnt give it enough power...so there is loads of hiss.
Click to expand...
SonicAlbert said:
Wouldn't there still be hiss with a more powerful preamp, just louder hiss?
Click to expand...

What is the noise source? If it's non-common mode mic self noise, coupled with low mic sensitivity/output, then any preamp with lots of gain is just going to amplify both the signal and the noise. But if the noise is coming from a preamp that's trying too hard to provide enough gain for a low sensitivity/low output mic, and introducing it's own noise in the process, then a high gain/low noise preamp should be the answer. How to tell? Crank the gain up on the current preamp to get a decent level from the mic. Note the hiss level with no sound hitting the mic. Turn off the pre, unplug the mic, turn it back on (don't change the gain setting). Still got hiss?.......it's the preamp. Hiss gone?
It's the mic.
 
cracklin' said:
I have a copperphone mic. I was told it needs a LOT of power to get the best results (less hiss that is). Is there any cheap (most important) preamps that have loads of power? any recommendations would be really helpful.
Click to expand...

Yes,
studio projects vtb is cheap, and i can crank both the input and output pots to max with no noise, to get about 70db of gain. It's also got an impedence switch, which may be useful for that particular mic. Other than for the built DI, i use mine for my vintage mics that seem to need alot of gain...
Very sweet for the price.
 
BigRay said:
the DAV will push that mic easily. I use it with ribbons(live trumpet) all the time.
Click to expand...

That mic amp works well too; the SP vtb1 can actually crank more clean gain, but the DAV sounds 'better' (as it should, for 7-8X the price).
 
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