Sytek, Burr Brown on all 4ch. ??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Booda
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Booda

Booda

Master of the Obvious
If you have used these units, What do you think?

It seems when ever I read a post talking about the Sytek MPX-4aii people are always saying how great channels 3 &4 are. So would it not be a good idea to get all 4 ch. w/ the Burr Browns?

I do mostly rock but am working on alot of accoustic stuff as well. Or is the cleaner ch1 & 2 good to have for overheads and acc guitar, cello ect...? I know it's all in ones own prefance but looking for some opinions.

Thanks,
B.
 
I also wanted to mention... I'm also going to pick up a Soundcraft M12. So as far as Clean Pres (transparent) I can use those... but would the Syteks ch1 & 2 be noticably better (on accoustics).

Other than this I'm also looking at the RNP or maybe 2 and skipping the Sytek. I know from research, the RNP is more aggressive and suited for rock. It would be nice to just get both and hear what's up... but I'm not trying to make a science project, just music.

???
Thanks,
B.
 
Booda said:
but I'm not trying to make a science project, just music.
Click to expand...

That's a really great statement, and it really pretty much answers your questions.

I'm not at all convinced that there's a whole heck of a lot of difference between the burr-brown channels and the non burr-browns. I know Mike (Stoika, Sytek's owner) will install transformers at the request of the buyer for a little extra cash. Now that might actually do something that might be more rock&roll - ish. :D You might think about asking him if he could do a couple of the JFET channels and a couple of the transformer channels and see how much that will set you back.

I don't know that the RNP is really a rocker's pre or anything, :D any more than the Sytek. It's still mostly neutral to slightly colored from what I gather.

You know, 4 channels of Sytek and a Soundcraft board would make for a really decent front end. It's mostly entry-level professional, but very capable and great bang-for-the-buck. I'd go with that and worry about color later.
 
Thanks Chessrock. That's what I'm planning on doing. I was going to go a mixerless route... because that's what I'm use to, w/ my Aardvark and all & gives more $$$ towards Pres. But I think getting a Mixer is a good idea and will serve me well. & the Sytek a good starting point as well. Then get a Sebatron or some color later.

As far as the Non BB ch 1 & 2... it just seems EVERY one talks about the great BB ch 3 & 4.
Here's one of the threads saying RNP is more Rock (punchy) and the Sytek more suited to accoustic/classical...
http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=105161&highlight=sytek

Thanks & Take it easy,
B.
 
Where ar eyou getting your m12 from? Make sure you contact Full Compass. I got a great price on mine. I think it was around $590 or something. Joel Pare is who you should talk to. I don't have his number here at home, though.
 
Hey CD! I just talked to them today.... and guess what. They said $631 + 30 for shipping. It wasn't my normal sales rep, so I was thinking this guy didn't give me the best price and I'd try again later.

Did you pay shipping on top of $590?

Thanks,
B
 
I think I got free shipping, but I also bought an RNC at the same time.

Try Joel @ 800-356-5844 x1116.
 
Personally, I find myself using the non-BB pres on my Sytek more than the BB. It really depends on what you are recording with them, but I find the clean channels to be faster and brighter, with the BB channels adding coloration similar to what I hear from pres with transformers - 'warmer' and 'thicker' perhaps. I'm glad I have both, but you can replace these opamps really easily by simply popping them out and swapping the others, no soldering required. I was actually thinking about getting some extra stock opamps to swap with the BB's in case I wanted 4 channels of the cleaner sound.

As far as comparing to the RNP, which I also have, they are fairly different. IMO the RNP is pretty clean, but not nearly as clean as the Sytek (and I'm not really sure how clean the Sytek is compared to other 'clean' preamps). There is a fairly significant amount of coloration in the midrange to my ears and less top end than the Sytek. If I were in your situation, I'd go for the half and half Sytek over 2 RNPs. Less money and more flexibility. Then, if you decided you like the BB or stock channels better, you can just buy more opamps and swap them.
 
Thanks again CD. How'd you make out in the Snow Freeze of 2004?

Ebeam- "I'd go for the half and half Sytek over 2 RNPs." I'm with you on that and I didn't know it was so easy to swap the chips. Not a bad idea to have a couple chips to pop in and out.

B.
 
I was ready to shell out for a Sytek, but I can't find a reputable dealer. I don't want to jump through the ebay hoop. John Mayes at John Mayes Guitars said that he was a dealer back in 'bout October I think but he won't answer emails. He claimed to be able to sell them for 800. But Noooooooo.. Anybody know a rep that can just sell the things without playing a game? I've about decided to get the Sebatron 2 channel instead but I think the game's about the same there.
 
Most of the ones being sold on Ebay are new units direct from Mike at Sytek, so I wouldn't worry too much. You can also buy direct from him without ebay, but I'm not sure if you'll get as good of a deal.

http://www.sytek-audio-systems.com/
 
StevenLindsey said:
I was ready to shell out for a Sytek, but I can't find a reputable dealer. I don't want to jump through the ebay hoop. John Mayes at John Mayes Guitars said that he was a dealer back in 'bout October I think but he won't answer emails. He claimed to be able to sell them for 800. But Noooooooo.. Anybody know a rep that can just sell the things without playing a game? I've about decided to get the Sebatron 2 channel instead but I think the game's about the same there.
Click to expand...

RNP anyone? Customer Service is FMR's strong suits besides the sound...
 
Already have the RNP/RNC. It's great. I'm wanting to get the Sytek or something like it for drums and to just have a few different preamp sounds but I'm beginning to think the Sytek is just a phantom or something weird. I really don't like buying junk offa Ebay. I'm about to buy something though. Got the itch and trying to get set up well for a new recording system. I want at least 4...6 good channels to choose from that stay hooked up and ready to go without pushing and pulling plugs.
 
Steven,

If you're interested, then get in touch with the company directly. (1-800-692-3037) Mike Stoika has been designing audio gear for quite some time now, and his company is very reputable. They're now handling the Neotek line of consoles, and anyone familiar with them or with Sytek will tell you they're not some sham or phantom or whatever. :D He hasn't been going through any dealers now in quite some time. Which is nice in the sense that you won't be paying a markup to some retailer. Mike will either sell them to you direct, or through e-bay for around $800 - ish.

Steve Albini, and just about any of us engineers in Chicago have been using his stuff and dealing with Mike regularly, so if you really want to know, try calling just about any reputable recording studio in Chicago, and ask what they think.

On the other end of the spectrum, we've also got John Hardy residing here, and we all like his stuff, too. Sytek is kind of a poor man's Hardy, by the way. :D

http://www.sytek-audio-systems.com/ordering.shtml
 
Thanks for that... I'll probably call him next week to see what his direct price is. If it's much more than the usual Ebay price, I'll have to brave Ebay or just go another way. And yes, I do need the POOR man's version of the John Hardy. :D But..if I have to get on up in the >$1000 range, I may look at some really nice 2 channels. I keep coming back to the Sytek because of the massive gain specs and extremely low noise specs. Seems like they'd be good for a MD441 or 57/58. I know that manufacturer specs don't always tell the whole tale, but I read such great things about these amps I feel as though I just have to try them, especially since they're so (relatively) cheap.
 
They're pretty universally regarded as outstanding mic pres for the price. The only thing you really have to be careful of, though, is their relatively low input handling. If you're micing drums, you have to have some attenuator pads on your mics. Just thought I'd warn you, because the pads will add another $30-40 per channel.
 
Well, just ordered the Sytek from Mike. 850 + shipping and insurance. He said this may be the last at this price. He only had two units going right now. ( So, just in case, don't anybody call and expect the same price. ) If it's as good as generally reviewed, I will be pleased with this purchase. :; I'm gonna pretend it's a John Hardy.
 
Thanks. I'm gonna hook em up first to see if I have to have them with the ECM8000s on overhead. Maybe they won't be too bad.

Now all I've got to do is get something to hook this all junk up into. Yeah! New recorder time!
 
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