I've now used the Red-Eye at 6 different shows. I've sold the K&K Pure XLR preamp that I was using for my ukulele and my Summit Audio TD-100 is stilling in my office/studio at home while I'm on the road for the week.
I sort of threw a wrench into the testing of the Red-Eye. I've been trying out different nylon string guitars for a little while and finally settled on a Yamaha NTX700 as a good intro into the nylon world. I love the guitar and it sounds great plugged in. I bought that Saturday night before my show and I've been using that at all of my gigs since, switching between the nylon string and the ukulele.
That means that I have not been playing my Collings with the Sunrise with the exception of my first show with the Red-Eye last Saturday morning. I have been running the Yamaha through the Red-Eye and even though it is an active pickup system I swear it sounds a little more open and a little clearer through the Red-Eye and the treble adjustment allows me to get the perfect amount of sparkle. But being new to using a nylon string live, I don't know that I'm able to do as good a job judging the Red-Eye as I would be had I used my Collings at all of the gigs.
With that said, I'm thrilled with every aspect of the Red-Eye! Clearly the portability is a plus as is the set up and tear down. It certainly has all the routing functions one could ask for. I got the optional mute switch that I plug into the effects loop. I have the twin so I can switch back and forth between a guitar and an ukulele. I am not using two 1/4" cables like I am supposed to. I just mute the Red-Eye and move the 1/4" from instrument jack A to instrument jack B. It takes just a second to make that switch and I don't have to have 2 1/4" cables on stage.
Sonically, it is hard for me to judge a preamp without comparing it to other preamps. With the Red-Eye, the only chance I've had to do any comparing is when I was switching between it and my Summit Audio TD-100 for my Collings guitar and my K&K Pure XLR for my ukulele. I think it sounds as good, just different from the Summit with my guitar and head and shoulders above the K&K for my ukulele! Like I said in my first post, the ukulele sounded much more open and much less constricted through the Red-Eye.
I am by no means an acoustic guitar purist. It just isn't practical for me, nor is it necessary. I'm a songwriter, a performer, a singer and a guitarist (and now ukulele player) in that order. No one, and I mean NO ONE is showing up to my shows because of my skills as an instrumentalist! But I do like good tone and I think I'm fairly capable of hearing and judging good tone.
My goal is what I call usable tone. I try to strike a balance between natural tone that is problem free and comes in a package that is portable and easy to set up and tear down. That goal is what led me from a triple source (Sunrise, K&K PWM, Schertler Dyn-G) through a Pendulum SPS-1 to just a Sunrise through the Summit Audio TD-100 and now to the Red-Eye. And from what I can tell so far, the Red-Eye is definitely getting the job done.
The tone I'm hearing is clear, it's nice and open and I think it is as good as I can get using my favorite single source pickup (the Sunrise) in a guitar that is perfectly suited for what I do live (my Collings DS1HA) and since I love the sound of my new Yamaha and my ukulele through it too, I'm sold! It's also great to know that if I have any questions or need any help, Daren (the creator of the Red-Eye) answers the phone when you call and so far has answered any and all questions I have asked! Another plus is that it essentially expands my Bose T1 by one more channel.
So I hope that helps a little bit for folks curious about the Red-Eye.
Enjoy the day!
Matt
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