What's the best mid-priced stereo mic pre?

  • Thread starter Thread starter vwcsonic
  • Start date Start date
Since you mentioned use in the field, I think your best choice is probably a Sound Devices MP2 (a.k.a Shure FP24), which go for about $450 used. They can run on AAs, sound great (with bass that may be what you mean by "warm"), are small but really rugged and have features like talkback mic, limiter, and headphone monitoring that you'd probably find useful on a remote.
 
ART Digital MPA Gold $399 (2-Channel Tube pre.)

The ART Digital MPA Gold (2-channel tube) in now selling for $399 street.
I paid that much for my non-digital MPA Gold about 3/4 year ago.
The Digital MPA Gold received hi marks in the February 2004 issue of Future Music Magazine and also received their coveted "Platinum Award".
The review, in a nutshell said "It is as transparent or as coloured as you wish. It makes honing in on a required sound as easy as it can get"
http://www.artroch.com/downloads/reviews/ART_ReviewDMPA_FuturMusicUK.pdf
Recording Magazine also gave it hi marks saying "The overall quality of this unit is typical of preamps costing several thousand dollars...an impressive bargain" http://www.artroch.com/downloads/reviews/ART_Review_RecordiDMPA_1103.pdf
With the variable input impedance and the plate voltage control along with variable tube colouration, I have found mine to be a very nice piece of "budget" :confused: equipment.
Bob G.
PS-The regular non-digital ART GOLD MPA is now selling for $299!
 
Last edited:
homestudioguy said:
The ART Digital MPA Gold (2-channel tube) in now selling for $399 street.
I paid that much for my non-digital MPA Gold about 3/4 year ago.
The Digital MPA Gold received hi marks in the February 2004 issue of Future Music Magazine and also received their coveted "Platinum Award".
The review, in a nutshell said "It is as transparent or as coloured as you wish. It makes honing in on a required sound as easy as it can get"
http://www.artroch.com/downloads/reviews/ART_ReviewDMPA_FuturMusicUK.pdf
Recording Magazine also gave it hi marks saying "The overall quality of this unit is typical of preamps costing several thousand dollars...an impressive bargain" http://www.artroch.com/downloads/reviews/ART_Review_RecordiDMPA_1103.pdf
With the variable input impedance and the plate voltage control along with variable tube colouration, I have found mine to be a very nice piece of "budget" :confused: equipment.
Bob G.
PS-The regular non-digital ART GOLD MPA is now selling for $299!
Click to expand...
wow i've been dead set on getting an mp20, but ive almost completely decided on the art digital mpa now.

and i love the vu's!
 
I'll second that Peavey VMP-2 recommendation. This pre sounds a LOT better than it's price range suggests!

You can probably score a TL Audio Classic series dual pre for around $400 or less maybe. Very good tube pre. Not too "fuzzy", but certainly not overly "clean" either. A very versatile preamp with a good hearty sound.

The TL Audio Ivory series is NOWHERE as good sounding in my opinion. Stay away from it. Overpriced for what it is!
 
thexflamesxburn said:
wow i've been dead set on getting an mp20, but ive almost completely decided on the art digital mpa now.

and i love the vu's!
Click to expand...

Yeah I've had both, and the DMPA is nicer. The converters are really good too.
 
An old thread, but . . . .

The VMP-2 has come down in price a bit if anything. I've seen several go for $600 or so as of late. Having more relatively low cost tube options available like the Brick, ElectroHarmonix and Sebatron has probably reduced some of the demand for the VMP-2 compared to when it was about the only low cost tube pre available and had just been discontinued -- which resulted in the audio gear equivalent of a feeding frenzy. It is a great pre -- and even better if you swap out the stock Sovtek tubes for NOS. I'd certainly consider either the RNP or a VMP-2 for a quality low cost 2 channel mic pre (I have both) that you will continue to use, even if you ultimately get better gear.
 
I love the Joemeek stuff, though I haven't heard the PMI Audio line of "new" Joemeek. But I own the MQ3 (ThreeQ's predecessor) a JM47 mic, and a VC1Qcs on the way from ebay. The channel strips (preamp combination units) have a color, mainly from the compressor portion I believe, if that is what you want, but more importantly are great units color or not. If you go to www.pmiaudio.com and search the top menu bar of options, one has the stuff they carry and has "B stock" under it. Early this week there was one TwinQ left for $550 new (well, a demo model). Either that or ebay for the older stuff.
I'll say this, there sure are a lot of opinions out there, and I would guess that most of what is being suggested to you is good equipment. :) :)
 
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