Reasonable price on tube pre

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jblount
  • Start date Start date
Jblount

Jblount

New member
Any sudgestions? I would like to find one in the $50.00 range.
 
Yeah, forget about the toob!

Seriously, for around that, get a used M-Audio Audio Buddy.
There's nothing in the $50 price range like a REAL tube pre.

Chris
 
What's the best Martin I can get for under $75?
 
Cheap tube stuff (Presonus, ART, Behringer) can make for a decent DI, but good tube stuff is always several hundred dollars per channel minimum. Check out www.mercenary.com to get an idea.

When it comes to cheap gear, solid-state is always going to get you a better sound than tube.
 
I got a SINGLE channel presonus blue tube mic pre for 38 bucks.... it didn't come with the box thats why and i haven't had any problems with it and it sounds pretty good... i also changed the tube with various ones to get different sounds and i settle for a groove tube and it sounds sweet.
 
OnTheBlackRock said:
I got a SINGLE channel presonus blue tube mic pre for 38 bucks.... it didn't come with the box thats why and i haven't had any problems with it and it sounds pretty good... i also changed the tube with various ones to get different sounds and i settle for a groove tube and it sounds sweet.
Click to expand...
My Blue Tube sucked, except as a bass DI.
 
The cheap tube gear being mentioned is not really what I would call a true tube signal path. It's solid state with a tube circuit that can be blended in. Not the same thing at all.

If you want a real tube sound you need gear where the entire signal runs through the tube. I've never been happy with the "blended" tube sound, but love the sound of true tube gear.

If you must, of the cheap tube units, I like the ART stuff the best. The Presonus Blue Tube is not bad either, for the type of design it is.

$50 is way short money though. If you get your budget up to even $120-150 you have more choices. Plan to spend hundreds and up per channel on quality tube gear.
 
Oh, another Toob post.
Note that the earlier ones didn't put out a full 48 volt phantom suppy also. (They had a fix for it later)
 
That was another question I had. I am using a condensor mic, and have phantom power on the Roland1680, but do I need to get a pre with phantom, or will the rolands 48v power the mic though the pre? What about adding a compressor in the chain?
 
Pre and a compressor are a good idea.
How much is the top limit on your budget?

Chris
 
Art V3 has a tube, and some dial up settings, phantom, single channel, and about $120. has phase reverse, a +20db switch, and a 9volt jack w/ wall wart adaptor included, and has some limiting called OPL. I like it w/ my v67. and sometimes w/ sm57, but that's usually direct. I'll try to rec. and post something w/ the setup soon.
 
That's supposed to sound awesome!

I think the Peavey VMP2 (around $800+ used?) has been sort of an entry-level benchmark for a true tube based pre for professional use. It's a dual pre, with some EQ, in case anyone isn't familiar with it.

Chris
 
chessparov said:
That's supposed to sound awesome!
Chris
Click to expand...
It does sound awesome. It's so nice to be able to tune in and maximize a mic's potential by using the impedance selector.

________________
Post indie electronic
Meriphew
www.meriphew.com
 
Chess - $800 was the price of a new VMP-2 (when they were still being made). A used one should run you $600 or less.
 
Thanks guys for the further info.

Going back to the original post though, I strongly believe that in
the "budget ranges", buy the pre that is based on a solid state
design, rather than a starved plate AKA "toob" effect feature.

J., Keep in mind that some pre's like the VTB-1 can be run without
engaging it's "tube blend" dial-thereby staying solid state.

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top