Has anyone else discovered the Red-Eye preamp?

[hann]

mmm I do see how it can sound more pristine than the PADI. the PADI from experience kinda took away abit of the sparkle in the sound and made it a tad dull, compared to my countryman type85. Now that is one comparison i'd like to make.. since they're both basically preamps without EQ.

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by donh

The RedEye is a wonderful piece of work, and must be experienced to be appreciated. It opens up modes of expression that many people fail to realise even existed before. It was designed from the ground up for acoustic instruments, and typically gives you at least two more notches of gain before feedback as well as the other benefits.
...

Don, do you have any insight into how these improvements are accomplished? What engineering approach would cause a barebones DI to allow additional gain before feedback?

I think of you as a hard-headed engineering kind of guy, so the character of your endorsement took me by surprise.

Fran

[donh]

Fran,

Darren had the bright idea of controlling the gain of each stage, rather than the much more common approach of setting the gain high and padding it downstream. I believe the goal was circuit linearity and a high level of overload immunity, since that is what was accomplished.

He then auditioned dozens of output transformers and found one that was head-and-shoulders more linear than the rest. It also happened to be inexpensive, which is handy - I paid almost as much for a Jensen in a box as I did for my whole Red-Eye, and I like the Red-Eye far far better.

Feedback grabs hold of non-linearities. This thing is the most colorless pre I have personally auditioned, up to and including things that sell for over 10x the price. Hence I can get that much more gain before feedback.

Even if you don't want or need the effects loop, the switchable boost, or the treble circuit, just using it as a buffer stage for your passive pickup is likely to get you the gain I mentioned.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by donh

Fran,

Darren had the bright idea of controlling the gain of each stage, rather than the much more common approach of setting the gain high and padding it downstream. I believe the goal was circuit linearity and a high level of overload immunity, since that is what was accomplished.

He then auditioned dozens of output transformers and found one that was head-and-shoulders more linear than the rest. It also happened to be inexpensive, which is handy - I paid almost as much for a Jensen in a box as I did for my whole Red-Eye, and I like the Red-Eye far far better.

Feedback grabs hold of non-linearities. This thing is the most colorless pre I have personally auditioned, up to and including things that sell for over 10x the price. Hence I can get that much more gain before feedback.

Even if you don't want or need the effects loop, the switchable boost, or the treble circuit, just using it as a buffer stage for your passive pickup is likely to get you the gain I mentioned.

Does Darren publish any specifications for his units? I could not find any. None at all.

[donh]

sdelsolray,

I have yet to see a standard specifications table, but he covers the bulk of it in the "Tech" page on the website:
flat reponse 20Hz to 18kHz
thruput gain:
instrument in to bal out, -5db
instrument in to effects out, -1db
effects in to bal out, -5db
boost is variable from +4 to +9db
there is an RF hash filter

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by donh

Fran,

Darren had the bright idea of controlling the gain of each stage, rather than the much more common approach of setting the gain high and padding it downstream. I believe the goal was circuit linearity and a high level of overload immunity, since that is what was accomplished.

He then auditioned dozens of output transformers and found one that was head-and-shoulders more linear than the rest. It also happened to be inexpensive, which is handy - I paid almost as much for a Jensen in a box as I did for my whole Red-Eye, and I like the Red-Eye far far better.

Feedback grabs hold of non-linearities. This thing is the most colorless pre I have personally auditioned, up to and including things that sell for over 10x the price. Hence I can get that much more gain before feedback.

Even if you don't want or need the effects loop, the switchable boost, or the treble circuit, just using it as a buffer stage for your passive pickup is likely to get you the gain I mentioned.

Thanks, Don. What you say makes perfect sense.

Hey, I just realized that all the time I've been googling "red-eye" I've been getting the Little Labs DI/re-amper. Sorry about that.

Fran

[Doug Young]

Interesting that this little preamp could so much flatter than others that it makes such a difference. In this day of modern preamp design, are existing preamps so non-linear? I'd expect that even relatively inexpensive preamps were pretty flat these days. Fran, some of your AB tests have shown no discernable differences between pretty big price ranges, right?

[Fran Guidry]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Interesting that this little preamp could so much flatter than others that it makes such a difference. In this day of modern preamp design, are existing preamps so non-linear? I'd expect that even relatively inexpensive preamps were pretty flat these days. Fran, some of your AB tests have shown no discernable differences between pretty big price ranges, right?

I've had a hard time hearing the difference between recording preamps, mic preamps, that is. I'd consider them a different situation, though, because they're designed without the constraints of a stomp box.

The PADI certainly doesn't measure up to even an M-Audio DMP-3 for fidelity, so beating a PADI isn't much of a trick.

Fran

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by Fran Guidry

The PADI certainly doesn't measure up to even an M-Audio DMP-3 for fidelity, so beating a PADI isn't much of a trick.

Fran

But I'd think beating a Pendulum would be. The PADI's pretty old technology at this point, but the Venue, Highlander, Headway, even the Raven Labs PMB-1, all seem like really quiet, clean, and flat sounding preamps to me. Always good to have more choices.

[guitaniac]

Interestingly, I found the PADI to work the poorest (of my several preamps) with both the K&K Pure Western mini in my spruce/mahogany OM, and the MagPi system (passive SBT/mag dual source system) in my Wendler electroCoustic. I really don't think the PADI's 10Mohm input impedance is the entire explanation for the apparent mismatch with those systems. My Fishman Platinum Pro EQ preamp has the same input impedance (10Mohms), yet works well with both rigs.

Are there any stats on the Red Eye's input impedance? I'm curious if it could handle piezo pickups which require an input impedance of 10Mohms or more for optimum performance.

Gary

[donh]

Gary,

The insert that comes with the unit itself states the input impedance as "greater than 1 million ohms". I have no idea how much greater, but I suppose I could construct a wheatstone bridge and figger it out ...

I have a couple, would you like me to send you one to play with? The second one sits here in case Chelsea comes to visit, and I know that's not happening again for at least two-three weeks.

[guitaniac]

Hi don,

I currently have six guitars equipped with passive pickups (K&K Pure Western mini, PUTW I/O UST, Headway co-axial UST sans preamp, DTAR Timberline co-axial UST sans preamp, Baggs Hex wired in stereo w/PUTW SBT and Dave Wendler's passive MagPi system). I'd be curious to hear how the Red Eye preamp does with them, so if you're willing to loan it for a week, I'll take care of return shipping plus compensate you for the shipping cost to me. (I'll send you my address in a PM.)

Thanks for the offer!
Gary

[open-road-matt]

I'm really curious about the Red Eye Twin. It seems like a very simple way for me to switch back and forth between my guitar and my ukulele.

I have a Sunrise in my guitar that I run through a Summit Audio TD-100 Tube DI and a K&K Twin Spot Internal in my ukulele that I run through a K&K Pure XLR preamp.

They both sound fantastic through their respective preamps but I'm using two channels, carrying 2 preamps, setting them both up, tearing them both down plus the Summit requires AC, etc. So if the Red Eye could come close sonically it would sure simplify things.

I had a great talk with Daren yesterday and he thought it would be perfect for what I'm doing.

Can anyone with Red Eye experience weigh in on how you think it might work with a Sunrise and a K&K Twin Spot?

There is a dealer in Findlay, OH and I'm tempted to swing over there. I'm in Milwaukee this morning and need to be about two hours north of Detroit tomorrow. Hmmmm....

Matt

[donh]

Matt,

I don't know about the Sunrise in particular, but I do know that when I grab an electric guitar (all mine are passive) it sounds far better to plug in thru the Red-Eye than straight into the PA or a passive DI.

[open-road-matt]

Thanks donh!
I decided to skip the drive to Findlay. Getting through Chicago was enough today. Plus I got to swing up through Lansing and stop at Elderly Instruments!

That means I'll have to hold off on trying a Red Eye until I get back home in about 2 weeks.

I'm sure the sound of the Sunrise would be better through the Red Eye than with no preamp at all. Probably true with the K&K as well. The main test for me will be to see how the sound of my two instruments through the Red Eye compares to running each instrument through its own preamp.

I'm excited to give it a try!
Matt