Pre Amp Comparison

[rogercollege]

Avalon AD2022 or
Vintech 1272 or
Vintech 273 or
Universal Audio 2-610S Silverface

What do you guys like and why? I'm recording a lot of acoustic based indie band type music. Drums. Electric guitar. Hushed vocals.
I have OK mics. Blue Bottleneck, 414, Rode, CAD

Looking for a versatile quality dual preamp

[UXB]

I wonder how you came to those specific conclusions. I find it interesting that you don't have api or any 500 series stuff listed there.

Your mics are plenty fine, btw, as long as you use them well.

I do appreciate you trying to find a "ringer" preamp, as I find them to make every mic, regardless of price, a more useful implement. There are many ways you could go with this, and there's no one right way. I would really grab a good (API or Averill - not a cheap one, as the power supply may be lacking) 500 chassis, and a pair of API's and start there. You can then explore the many options out there.

Best wishes finding the right tools for the job.
-H

PS - don't forget to invest in good dynamic mics. They are truly a great complement to the mics you have listed.

[chris harris]

I don't think that the choices you mention are all that "versatile".

I agree that starting with some API pre amps would be a good place to start.

The Neve Portico is an incredibly versatile piece for the kind of music that you're doing.

[Jeff White]

Sytek MPX-4Aii with Burr-Brown option on two of the channels. Why? For under $1K new, or in my case, $600 used, you can have four channels of solid clean preamps that will not let you down. Great for most material, drums, etc. From there I would invest in some API or 500 series somethings, a Neve clone, or possibly a dual rack of PM1000 for that transformer character.

I'm not in a position to put out money for API or Neve, however at some point I will be and I plan on it. I do own the Sytek and a single channel of PM1000, plus other preamps in the cleaner category (Burr-Brown Presonus MP20, Black Lion preamps on my 828mk2, Apogee Duet preamps). I feel like for what I've been doing the past few years this covers most bases rather nicely.

Also, for under $200, the Symetrix SX202 is a steller two channel preamp from the 1980s/early 1990s. I owned one and only sold it because I felt that it was redundant with the Sytek (yes it sounded that good). I used the cash to pay for part of my PM1000.

Jeff

[darjama]

For the price range you're looking in, it would be hard to beat a great river or john hardy dual channel unit. I also really like the Speck units.

If you're just looking at a pair of channels, I wouldn't look at a 500 rack, unless you were expecting to expand in the near future.

[LeedyGuy]

Sytek MPX-4Aii with Burr-Brown option on two of the channels. Why? For under $1K new, or in my case, $600 used, you can have four channels of solid clean preamps that will not let you down. Great for most material, drums, etc. From there I would invest in some API or 500 series somethings, a Neve clone, or possibly a dual rack of PM1000 for that transformer character.

I'm not in a position to put out money for API or Neve, however at some point I will be and I plan on it. I do own the Sytek and a single channel of PM1000, plus other preamps in the cleaner category (Burr-Brown Presonus MP20, Black Lion preamps on my 828mk2, Apogee Duet preamps). I feel like for what I've been doing the past few years this covers most bases rather nicely.

Also, for under $200, the Symetrix SX202 is a steller two channel preamp from the 1980s/early 1990s. I owned one and only sold it because I felt that it was redundant with the Sytek (yes it sounded that good). I used the cash to pay for part of my PM1000.

Jeff

+1. I recorded the last record I did on only a Sytek and a pair of PM1000 without EQ. www.myspace.com/nickafflittomusic if you want to check it out in all its ground up fidelity.

[rwc]

THAT1512

you can make it yourself, it is simple.

....but, I wouldn't use the new UA one, if I had to choose from those. All the knobs and sexy looking thingfishes from the 40 year old gear and none of the sonic qualities that they imply.