Based on the Pacificas design (very Quad Eight / Electrodyne-ish) these transformer in and out preamps have subtle character and a nice depth and tone to them that is useful on really anything. The differences between them arent night and day, but its very nice to be able to reach for a more specific sound if you are into preamp collections and reaching for different ones depending on the source and context. The input transformers are before the DI input as well, for more character. All of the units are 500 series compatible and of course require the 500HR power supply or other (API Lunchbox, etc).

P1: Closest in sound to the Pacifica, the output transformer is the only real difference (due to size, the Pacifica transformer could not fit in this box). The Pacifica sounds a touch bigger by comparison, the P1 essentially fills the same bill beyond that. Tight bottom end response, smooth midrange that stays up front nicely, and upper mids that bring more presence and definition in the mix, and a natural but detailed top. Depth and dimension are there as well.

EM BLUE: My favorite of the A Designs 500 series, the EM BLUE delivers sparkle and a forgiving sound on everything. The BLUE delivers a similar tight bottom end response, and the mids / low-mids are gentle pulled back for a very clean sound that isnt overly scooped, the top end brings a gentle air to things that always stays smooth but present. I just found it to give an enriched presentation of more things.

EM RED: Funny enough, I like to call the RED the U47 of preamps. At least it sort of delivers what you expect in a U47 variation: big low end, forward low-mid and midrange info, and a darker top with a touch of electricity to it. Talk about punch, its accented right in the gut range and has a big, slightly rounded sound overall.

EM SILVER: This module has one of the more specific sounds to it, a definite curve to its response. The low end is big, deep and round, the low-mids are scooped back out of the way, the upper mids come back in a present sort of way, then the top end gentle drops off a bit again in a natural way. One of the few preamps I would say is sort of made for kick drum use.

EM GOLD: There is something mellow going on here with this transformer combination. The mids are extremely easy on the ears, transients are dealt with in a rounded way, and the bottom end is more of a creamy response rather than boomy or aggressive. For more vibe the GOLD gets my vote.

Pete Montessis second incarnation of the famous A Designs tube preamp, the MP2A is the tube preamps answer to the anti tube soundwell in some ways. It features four tone switches (these are impedence switches, I honestly dont know what each is set to do!) that give you some gentle choices on each channel for versatility of tone. There is +60dB of gain available as well, which can handle most ribbon mics on most sources. Build quality is good ol Made in the USA heavy duty with excellent feeling switches and pots.

The sound of the MP2A is only anti tube in the way that many people who fall prey to marketing hype think tubes have this specific sound to them like slow transients (fat) or a dark top (warm) and the MP2A does neither. In fact, its a very clean sound that happens to deliver detail that would rival most any solid state design. Big bottom end, present mids and a gentle sparkle sitting across the top end, along with an extremely three dimensional sound and depth that is a wonder to behold. Its also very low noise for a tube design.

Conclusion: Reach for it because you want depth, size, gentle sparkle, and detail that isnt edge-y and you want to hear everything. This is not a toob effect box. Its a sweetened sound that remains largely true to the source.

Fans of ribbon mics know that generally while tracking there might be 2 adjustments to be made: low end CUT or top end BOOST. AEA recognized the need and coupled a fantastic pair of preamps with these features. However, the RPQ is a serious preamp for any microphone, and has phantom power available (in a separate input path, keeping the non-phantom mics away from capacitors!) for condenser mics as well. Designed by Fred Forsell, the master of the high gain / uber-detailed sound without being boring or overly hard, this is one serious pre that is not just a ribbon preamp.

With +80dB of available gain, this JFET design is ultra quiet and natural and fast with the transients, which gives a superb realistic image and no compromise sound reproduction. Its not one of those I only use on acoustic sources type of preamps either, it delivers a 3D image on everything you record. With its very high input impedence it doesnt load down the mic either, allowing any mic you use with the RPQ to shine. Its one of the few preamps you would want around for location recording to pick up every last detail say in a classical orchestra in a hallyet you would love to use it on rock guitars with any of your favorite ribbon (or non-ribbon!) mics too.

Conclusion: Fantastic piece of gear, a serious gotta have for those who want pleasing 3D sound in the studio, and do remote recording where detail, high gain and low noise matter. Dont forget the perfect curve shaping EQ on board.

This was the first time I ever plugged my AEA R84 into a pre and realized that no matter how quiet the source I was trying to record was, there is ALWAYS gain left over. The TRP is a seriously cool half rack preamp, aimed squarely at ribbon mic use with its 18k ohm input impedence and +83dB of quiet and clean gain. There is no phantom power on board, so all the worry-warts out there who think they are going to pop their ribbon elements with phantom power need not worry.

You can use the TRP with tube mics (since they have their own power supply) and dynamic moving coil mics as well. For a clean and clear, detailed and low noise preamp you just cant go wrong. Mainly I would suggest the TRP for ribbon mic owners who really really really want to hear the MIC and not a bunch of noise brought up by cranking their preamp. You will hear your ribbon mics in all their glory, trust me.

Conclusion: Another Fred Forsell designed preamp from AEA, specifically tailored for ribbon mic use and an absolute winner.

The MPA isnt a true tube preamp in the same sense as higher end offerings, but in this price range it really does have a decent feature set and sound that is typically better than most home studio mixer preamps. The variable impedence, hi-pass filter and selectable plate voltage all give the unit some versatility as well that isnt achieved in most other low cost preamps.

There is a touch of an electric sort of sound to the MPA preamp that is sort of tingly up top. When engaging the high gain switch it is exaggerated more. You can achieve somewhat of a driven sound from the MPA also. The detail from the pre is fair, and it has an extended sound to it for sure. Overall the noise floor is fairly low, Ive never found it to be problematic in a rock tracking setting. Lots of tube options out there to experiment with as well.

Conclusion: A lot of preamp for the money, features wise. Sound wise it certainly is decent, dont expect it to come close to anything high end as fair as 3D sound etc, but home studio guys could mostly benefit from the MPA.

If you ever wished for a present and detailed preamp married to a Pultec style equalizer, and then pushed the boundaries of your wish for it to all fit and work well in the 500 API form...the Pre-Q5 would be that wish come true. You can either use as a line level input or microphone preamp with up to +72dB of gain. There is a 2 band boost only Pultec style EQ that can be bypassed or selected, either band. The high boost selection is 8k, 12k or 16k, the low boost selection is 30, 60 or 100hZ, each band can bring up to +10dB of variable gain. There is an output attenuator pad, switchable from -5 down to -30, to allow you to drive things hard in the amplifier section for some more character. Phantom power, phase reverse, pad (for line level) and EQ are all independently switched.

We found the preamp to be bright, not annoying or harsh, but quite present compared to most any model on the market. This can of course help individual tracks stand out more in a mix, which is generally a good thing. The tone is punchy and full with a cleanish character that delivers top to bottom. On things like drums, guitars and vocals it's a very nice reach for presence. Having an onboard Pultec style EQ (that yes, delivers that vibe too) is an incredible feature that would always net you more just adding a small amount vs sitting around switching between different preamps all day. That bottom end has that big, round delivery that is extra wide, and the top end brings a smooth presence that even just a touch of can bring a lot to your game. We liked being able to turn down the output to prevent overloading the next piece in the chain, a huge plus in a preamp.

Conclusion: So you're telling me for this price I can have a UK built preamp / Pultec EQ in one little slot and it sounds great? Sign us all up please! Stellar sound and ease of use bring this dark green beast into a category of its own, once again Cartec delivers more in one rack space than most any we've seen.

This is the exact same Jensen transformer input Daking mic preamp circuit found in the Mic Pre IV and Mic Pre EQ units, minus the output transformer (Mic Pre One has an active balanced output). OK so you lose one transformer, but you also gain a completely variable hi-pass filter which brings this unit very far up as a useful preamp that gives high end performance at a great price. Dont forget the metering which is very much appreciated by me at least.

With +70dB of gain available and quiet performance, the Mic Pre One can handle loud or soft sources. The classic Daking preamp sound to me is this: great presence and punch with good upper midrange cut, and detailed presence that isnt all that airy or bright either. The bottom end response is tight and controlled, this isnt a wool-y sounding design. Being able to dial out boom from voice, guitars etc with the hi-pass is great during the tracking process. Drums (kick and snare in particular) really benefit from the transient response and gut punch provided. Great cut without ripping your ears off. Electric guitars rise to the top of the mix better as well.

Conclusion: High end sound at a mid range price, the Daking Mic Pre One is a lot of preamp in a box. It cannot be rack mounted, so anybody looking for desktop and portable unit will love the stand alone design aspect. Cleanish with subtle character, great transient response and presence to boot.

Geoff Dakings Trident A Range recreation utilizes Jensen input and output transformers and a Class A discrete preamp circuit that oozes high end sound. Well it doesnt really ooze anything, it pretty much cuts and slashes its way to the top of the preamp food chain with its quick transient response and gut punch delivery of drums, electric guitars, vocals and more. I think the Daking stuff is a definitive rock and roll pre sound that keeps things in your face without being annoying. Each channel has stepped gain (5dB increments) and a 20 segment meter (I love meters!), as well as pad and phantom power of course.

Kick drums have a great upper mid slap and click, snare drums deliver more paper-y snap, and electric guitars gain a nice outline which makes them stand out nicely in the mix. In other words, this preamp has great presence and a forward sound in the upper mids that to me excels at keeping sources closer to the surface during mixdown. When you consider the price of these 4 channel units, it really is a steal.

Conclusion: Buy one. Well OK, buy 2that way you can use it on an entire drum kit during tracking and never look back! Serious presence and smack for your pop and rock productions comes with every Daking Mic Pre purchase.

This unit has been around for quite some time, formerly as the “MX60” although the only change is in appearance and name. Drawmer is one of those tried and true audio companies that have been making great gear for decades and have earned a stellar rep for their gates, compressor / limiters, preamps and equalizers. It's even still made in England! The MXPRO60 is a solid state channel strip featuring an all discrete mic pre / DI with +60dB of gain (an additional +/-15dB of gain is available on the output fader pot), a one knob gate with fast and slow release, a De-Esser with male / female select, an auto mode VCA compressor, a 3 band equalizer (100hZ shelving low, 4.25kHZ shelving high, and a fully parametric midrange band ranging from freq 150hZ to 16kHZ, Q width of .3 to 3 full octaves, and +/- 18dB of gain per band) as well as a tube emulation / 3 band equalizer that brings low / mid / hi boosts as well as simulated tube harmonics, and a separate soft / hard limiter stage (always in line) to protect from overload. Wow...that was a long sentence, but it's only because it's got everything but the kitchen sink.

The preamp section is low noise with plenty of punch and smooth clarity, an all discrete design (not an IC based pre!) that delivers a healthy signal on all sources. Phase reverse, hi-pass (100hZ), a DI input with a bright mode (as well as +20dB mode) round off the input section. We simply liked everything we heard through it.

The dynamics section is very simple, the gate is quite smooth and it never chattered on us, a great thing to have to kill background noise for voice (it was not quite as fast as you'd want for most drum use, but was still useful to a degree there). The compressor is an AUTO style except you can choose the ratio (1:1 to infinity:1) and threshold and while it is somewhat hit and miss on its own, seems to couple nicely with the soft / hard limiter circuit which is always in line. At first the compressor seems a bit unruly until you find that balance. Pushing a compressed signal into the limiter using the makeup gain gives you two levels of control to maximize average volume and stop peaks. It worked well with voice and instruments, the compressor is definitely a bit slow for things like drums but the limiter is very fast and can be exploited easily if needed. The limiter is always in line before the output fader, it cannot be disabled or bypassed (not a bad thing when setting it to protect your digital converter input).

The equalizer section actually had us looking at one another a bit stunned, in a good way! That midrange control is simply one of the most versatile and smooth in combination with excellent SOUND one could hope for. Sure it has a fixed low and high band, but the critical midrange is handed to you on a silver platter here with huge control available. It works very fast also, and can do incredible amounts of gutting or cranking, as thin or super wide as you want. We get to hear a ton of gear around here, and we were expecting this EQ to be a bit of an afterthought by Drawmer. Very pleasantly surprised here, it's got what you want for most jobs from voice to instruments to drums.

The “Tube Sound” circuit is an emulation of tube harmonics, as well as 3 boosting eq circuits for low, mid and high. I would definitely consider this something worth using sparsely to make a change, but not push too hard. It's kind of a fuzzy EQ in most ways, used a little at a time and it can bring a little hair to sources. The output gain section seems clean and quiet, allowing another nice boost of volume.

Conclusion: It's been around a long time, pleasing users for many years for voice recording (including you voice artists) with its many features tailored for it. However, the MXPRO60 sports so many incredible features that it makes it useful as a channel strip in general to track pretty much anything. Easy to use, sounds great, and protects your digital recordings from clipping? Winner.

Dennis Fink, owner of Fink Audio, has been designing gear all the way from the old Urei days to Universal Audio and beyond. Eventually it seems he got the idea to wrap up some very cool designs into one do-all box and start his own company...which he did. This USA built stereo all tube preamp / DI / line level / equalizer / compressor is a stunning achievement in sound (and quality) based on the time I've spent with this unit. You've got an original Bill Putnam based tube preamp / input section, a tube 1176 style compressor limiter, and a Pultec style EQ (with all the same controls) so what more could you ask for? Well, all three of those things are holy grail status items so I think the only fair answer is "not much more" in one box anyhow.

Overall I find the preamp / input section to be a quintessential tube sound but not of the dirty type found in some lower cost units. It's a high quality open sound that is very dimensional and full, with that very slightly compressed sort of sound you expect from a good tube amp section. It still delivers nice detail and space, along with subtle character. The 1176 based FET comp / limiter rocks as you would expect! Dennis even tossed a SOFT ratio in there for gentle use on sources such as 2 buss, so yes this box can carry you start to finish from tracking to final mixdown. It has that great grab and energy of an 1176, capable of medium fast to VERY fast action of course, but that energetic hold it puts on things is unmistakable. The Pultec style EQ is perfect for simple "garnish" but can also do broad and deep strokes very nicely, and deliver a FAT sound that brings drive, that slight electric sounding "splatter", and a bottom end that you can really widen up a lot by pushing the boost and cut at the same time. Of course it doesn't really "sculpt" as no Pultec really does, but man can it add some balls to anything you got.

Conclusion: From kick drums to vocals to 2 buss, the Fink Audio CS2-FA is a great single reach when vibe and depth and old school are what it's all about. It's nice to have designs based on classics designed and built by a guy who was actually around designing with those folks too! The price might seem high but go price out 2 channels of tube preamp, Pultec style EQ and 1176 compression and you'll be begging to drop the cash on this USA tone monster.

Coming in at an excellent price point for those who might only want a single channel (you can also neatly rack a stereo pair side by side with the Golden Age rack) Golden Age Project has done a good job at delivering high gain and character in a very decent 1073 clone. The bright red box looks good too, along with the black / silver knobs in the rack.

The PRE73 features transformers on the mic and line inputs (yes, it accepts line level separately) and an output transformer. There is a direct instrument input on the face. It is a discrete design, no ICs in the signal path. The power supply is the wall wart type (yeah, I know). Mic input impedence ratings are selectable between 300ohm and 1200ohm (ala original Neve) and phantom power and phase reverse is available on the front panel as well.

In comparing the PRE73 to an all original Neve 1073 there are certainly some differences. However, comparing this price range with a street price easily 10x higher for a re-issue (or up to 20x higher for an original) weve got to be somewhat forgiving here. The fact is that the PRE73 right out of the box is easily within that 1073 family of sound and character. It has its share of that rock n roll attitude and a bit of drive when pushed. The PRE73 is somewhat brighter by comparison, but not worlds apart. The low end of the original 1073 is certainly deeper and more harmonically rich by comparison in the low and low mids. If you did not have an original 1073 to compare it to though, well its not like youd consider it lacking either.

Our ZenPro mods offer two levels of enhancement: the TT mod which upgrades all capacitors in the signal path to tantalum style using original Neve values, and our Full ZenPro mod which is the TT mod + replacing the mic input and line output transformers with Carnhill brand (formerly St Ives). The TT mod brings a cool but slight edge to the sound, and more harmonic content is heard as well as clarity. The full mod brings this but also a richness to the midrange and a depth and character to the lows and low mids that is so close to the original 1073 its scary. Still I have to say, for the cost of the TT mod it brings a lot to the table and dont consider it being TOO cheated by not having the original transformers. You can hear our test page clips linked off the product page as well.

Conclusion: Nobody offers anything as cool in a preamp in this price range. The Golden Age guys have been dealing with high end gear for years in Sweden and have taken an excellent swing at bringing a Chinese 1073 clone to market that is nice to have around in home and pro environments. Hard to say you can go wrong stock, partial or fully modified.

This review covers the Great River ME1NV, MP2NV and MP-500NV products.

Loosely based on the Neve 1073 design, Dan Kennedy struck out to create a preamp with the sound of iron but with more clarity and depth. The NV series was born, and well people have been re-sizing their audio with it ever since (it has a BIG sound). With a max gain of +70dB and switchable input impedence of 300 or 1200 ohms, the NV series can handle hot output condenser mics or low output dynamics and ribbons with ease. That last +10dB of gain is from the variable output fader pot, which when turned DOWN allows you to crank the input UP for more character and gain staging possibilities, depending on what your track calls for.

A good friend of mine who owns the NV series preamps said to me once while pointing at the gain knob: that ought to say TONE, because you keep turning it and it keeps adding flavor. I agree with that statement. The NV series preamps have this way of going from clean (OK just to be clear, this isnt a transparent type of pre by any stretch but it does get fairly clean) to a heavily driven sound that is downright gravel-y when the input is cranked. There is a lot of harmonic content that makes it through this unit, and that heavy iron sound is at work as well. The bottom end is typical of Sowter transformers, somewhat exaggerated and deep (I am not kidding, during a bass DI shootout once, when we switched over to the NV series it reached so low and pumped up the bottom so much, a tiny bit of the drop ceiling fell off on the desk). The midrange character can be driven hard, its a bit more forward of a midrange sound than some preamps, but not in any odd way at all. There is good and natural presence with the pre, but its not real airy up top either. You can also drop the output impedence to change the relationship between the Great River NV preamp and your next piece in the chain (the LOAD switch).

Conclusion: The Great River NV series has more tonal variations than most preamps on the market. Turn the output up and hit the input lighter for a more natural response, do the opposite and see how fierce it can become. The low end will reach down and shake your teeth, just a downright fun pre to use but insanely useful all around.

This review covers the DRS series of Phoenix Audio preamps.

OK I feel like I must be running a candy store when I talk about DRS series preamps from Phoenix Audio (UK) because when describing them I just keep using the word sweet. I dont mean that as in awesome, I mean it literally has a way of delivering a sweetened version of your source every time. The DRS series is a transformerless input design, and transformer coupled output (DSOP-2 output) which seems to combine detail and presence with size and syrup-y smoothness. They feature +70dB of gain, -20dB pads, DI input, earth lift, and heres a unique feature: XLR mic inputs on the front & rear of the unit! I think thats great, if youre in the control room and need to patch a mic in real quick, pop it right into the face of the unit and go. Phoenix Audio DRS preamps are designed in the UK by guys who started out as Neve console techs, and now built in the USA.

The DRS-1 (and 2 channel DRS-2) are tone monsters, and gives you many staging options. You can turn the output fader (small knob) up all the way and hit the input amp stage a bit lighter for a cleaner sound, or you can turn the output down and get some drive happening and push it for some harmonic distortion. Drums can really benefit from this, giving a slight break up to say a snare drum, giving it an intense sort of edge that isnt brittle but more splat. The depth and dimension delivered is very 3D, imaging just pops right out of the monitors. There is a sort of controlled sound going on that has a nice outline to it, while sounding like its dipped in a little bit of sonic syrup. Im not talking about some kind of super character that saturates your tracks, its just that added goodness and tone wrapped around the tracks. The DI is big and rich with harmonic content as well, more sweet stuff. This is also a great two-for preamp in that I highly recommend running line level mixes through the DRS series to pick up on that DSOP-2 output section. If you mix in the box but need some goodness, trust me its a unique reach that you can milk for tonal character.

Conclusion: One of the more useful preamps on the market, and one of the more unique offerings all around. Phoenix Audio has a very unique output section that it seems anything can benefit from by running through it.

The MICPRE 5.0 s a utility preamp with excellent features and sound, made in the USA by Vince Poulos and company. With 70dB of gain available (stepped gain with a variable +/- 10dB trim), DI available on the units face, -20dB pad, variable hi-pass (30hZ to 250hZ @ 12dB per octave), Jensen transformer and active balanced outputs (you select), LED metering and the ability to use as a mixer with other Speck units, the 5.0 is feature packed for sure.

The MICPRE 5.0 is a clean sort of sound overall, with a linear sound that doesnt seem to light up any brighter, darker, thicker etc but rather a true delivery of the source. It has an extended response so top and bottom are quite full and well represented. There is plenty of gain for ribbons or hungry moving coil mics, and phantom for your condensers. I like meters on preamps and the 5.0 sports a very nice LED style meter with enough info. One thing I dig is the optional Jensen transformer which when switched in adds a bit of sheen or traction to the sound. Its very subtle but can be nice on lots of stuff that needs just a hint of vibe and weight. The build quality is excellent, and looking inside you can see lots of high quality components laid out beautifully. The 5.0 can be linked in MIX NODE to other modules to form a small portable mixer as well, and integrates wonderfully with the Speck ASC equalizer series.

Conclusion: For clean and robust sound and the ability to toss a dash of transformer vibe on top, the 5.0 excels. Stack them up to form a remote recording rig as well.

You dont always have to spend a lot of money to have the clouds part and have a heavenly experience with gear. Ribbon mic owners know that sometimes even the highest gain preamps could use an assist in getting signals hot enough on quiet sources (or maybe youre sick of topping out your preamp and bringing all that noise with it). The FetHead is a real solution that does not get in the way of the sound of the source, it sounds essentially true to the source.

FetHead is a super low noise phantom powered +20dB boost for ribbon mics that really does the job without bringing the noise. There isnt a whole lot to say other than it adds loads of gain and, as long as your phantom power supply is quiet, does not bring any real noticeable noise on its own. Using FetHead to record a source with my gain pot around 12:30, then using without but my gain pot maxed, I do not hear a difference in noise! This thing is really quiet. I have also concluded that FetHead does not take away from the sound and tone of ribbon mics but rather it opens them up ever so slightly. Im talking just a couple percent difference but even this small difference is welcome as clarity can be enhanced. It is useful with dynamic mics such as the Shure SM7B and RE20 which are quite gain hungry, same effect: super hot output with low noise and a slightly more present signal.

Conclusion: Now you can find out what quieter sources sound like with those low output ribbons and dynamic mics. Even if you have $1,000 ribbon mics this inexpensive device will allow them to shine. Stop running out of steam on your preamp, FetHead is a winner.

TRUE Systems is a small preamp company located in California, USA. Owned and operated by Tim Spencer, the goal is to deliver clarity and low noise for recordists. The P-SOLO is a single channel portable mic pre / DI that offers up to +64dB of gain (variable), phantom power, 80hZ hi-pass and instrument input. The red case is very attractive, and the unit is surprisingly lightweight (read easy to travel with).

I find the P-SOLO to deliver a natural and fast, detailed sound that brings all the air around your source home. It does not offer any character or ability to push for different tones, it does a good job at delivering the true (sorry) picture of what your microphone hears. On acoustic sources like drums and stringed instruments I liked the natural but rich delivery. The P-SOLO is also quiet so you can say goodbye to hiss or other low level issues. For voice over guys who like super detail and low noise, the P-SOLO really is a great reach also (you guys are sooo picky!).

Conclusion: A seriously nice single channel pre for voice and home studio owners, the P-SOLO delivers detail and depth without noise in a convenient desktop form. Even grabbing a pair is a good economical idea.