has anyone tried Telefunken V672 mic pre?

[dumbangel]

and how does it compare with other late 60s early 70s solid state pres (neve, api, ...)?

[aurelialuz]

no, but the 676s are frickin awesome. i've never used a API or neve so i can't compare. but the 676 has a ton of gain and is really clean. not as vibey as the API and neve stuff is supposed to be, more like a sytek kind of pre, but they kill the syteks.

my only complaint: it overloads really easily on loud signals and distorts in this non musical way. i sometimes need a little makeup gain just cause i have to have the input down so much to keep it from distorting.

a smarter man would have already bought (or made) an inline pad but i'm just lazy.

alex

[auralman]

Yes, I've used them - and been honest about them. Wipe the drool off your face because it's old, metal, and German. Because they stink. Very hyped, treble laced sound, like a KM84 through an API (ewwwww), disjointed, klunky mids. These things were made when transistor designs were first gaining steam as viable options as mic pres, but this is not a good example. These are the type of pre that made Walter Sear go hide under his console. It took over half a century, but Hardy, Millenia, and Avalon have joined the flukes of Neve, API, and Trident as a damn good reason not use tubes. That said, everyone should own a Tubetech MP1A. There. I said it.

[auralman]

Where have you seen a good deal on a 563? I'll buy it right away, PS or not. I've got a lovely M7 capsule that's been dying for a home for years.
To clarify -everyone's opinion is just that - an opinion. But in the purist sense of audio objectivity, I have always defined the "best" sounds to be those that are the most honest representation of the original performance, which means that I, like many others, prefer clear and uncolored over distortion, high noise floor, etc. If a preamp imparts too much "character" (oh screw it - call it what it is -distortion, phase shift & harmonics) I tend to call it crap. If we are truly Recording engineers, then we are documentarians. Some of us are blessed to be able to add to the recordings (Tchad Blake comes to mind), but the rest of us do our best work when we don't screw with it.
One of my favorite jokes was when a producer asked for a "warmer" sound on a cello -the assistant told him to light the instrument on fire.

[lobstman]

Beware- there is a V672 (all discrete), and a V672a- which uses 741 opamps. Vastly different. I think there's a V672D, which also uses 741s, but don't quote me. I found this out the hard way.

The quickest way to tell is to open it up- the V672 I have has three daughter boards mounted vertically, the V672a is relatively sparse inside, and the 741s are the "can" style, not the DIP type you usually think of.

How does it sound? I dunno- my V672 is visibly in need of a recapping, and I haven't gotten around to it yet. Good holiday project though, hmm, where's that parts list...