Good first studio preamps on a (tight) budget

[sahib]

I hate everything on the market right now except the ART transX preamps. never heard them . I'm just saying. if I was going to buy preamps, this would be it. if you buy preamps without input transformers, youre throwing money away

What a load of tosh.

Have you tried all the preamps in the market that you hate them?

And the one you'd get is the one that you've never tried?

Finally, our micpres are transformerless (with so many others) and so many serious engineers are using them.

 

[Newmarket]

What a load of tosh.

Have you tried all the preamps in the market that you hate them?

And the one you'd get is the one that you've never tried?

Finally, our micpres are transformerless (with so many others) and so many serious engineers are using them.

"Leave it Terry Not worth your time "

 

[mhelin]

Behringer 1273 DUAL MIC PREAMP / EQ looks good to me and isn't that expensive (haven't seen one yet).
https://www.audiofader.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Behringer-1273-interno.png
Might not be accurate replica though:
https://www.audiofader.com/behringer-1273-il-pre-eq-in-stile-neve-1073-recensione/

 

[Seeker]

Hi Soundsofjill, I’m not sure if any of these would fit in your budget, and of course I don’t know your building experience, however I would recommend looking at JLM audio offerings esp if you are looking for a kit…. I recently built a dual 99v and I find it excellent on most everything, but especially nice with dynamics with the massive amount of gain and variable impedance.

We did have a small problem with the supplied psu needing a soft start mod, but Joe was extremely responsive and we got it worked out in a cpl days.

 

[rmburrow]

"Leave it Terry Not worth your time "

Transformerless doesn't help if preamp is used in strong RF environment (i.e. nearby AM/FM/TV transmitter/antenna)...

 

[StarTrucker]

I think the general consensus is :

Gordons are great
500 series rack is the way to go and add your preamps to it over time (CAPI, Gordon, AML [audio maintenance] etc.

Midas 10 slot 500 rack is like 250 bucks or less.

From what I've heard, CAPI products will get you API sound quality for about 250 bucks a piece.

I've been impressed with Klark Teknik and I think most people are too, especially when money is tight. It's not very popular around here because they copy other peoples' circuits.

 

[SubSpec]

I love that one of the main takeaways of the "first studio preamps on a (tight) budget" thread is that Gordon preamps are awesome! I imagine that is true, but maybe not the best fit for the cause.

Alas, it's been a wild ride...

 

[tk@halmi]

When I listen to music, and I listen to a lot of amateur performers, it is very rare that I wish they recorded a piece on better equipment.

The first impressions always have to do with the presentation of melody, rhythm and lyrics.

Next up listening to how they recorded, mixed and mastered the song. You just can’t tell what preamp an instrument was recorded in a mix.

Also, if you enjoy tinkering with studio electronics (like most of us here on GroupDIY who love reinventing the mouse trap) that is a very different thing.

 

[k brown]

I occasionally, just for grins and a bit of a reality check, I'll listen again to some of the lowest-end gear I still have knocking around, and am usually pleasantly surprised at how good much of it sounds.

For example, the M-Audio MobilePre MkII; I don't about the A/D part of it because it's never worked right, but I added a direct-out from the mic preamps, and it actually sounds pretty decent; the HP amp, too. It's extremely lightweight and will run off a 5v USB batt.

Also, the preamps (four of them!) in the little, plastic Spirit Folio Notepad sound much better than most people would expect from such a 'value' product; good design doesn't necessarily have to be expensive.