Sunnaudio MS-2 Review/Demo

[AeroUSA]

I went back to analogue today but I REALLY enjoyed it. This preamp with their custom mic and my K&K sounded SUPER natural. Let me know what you think!

[Cuki79]

Great review Aaron!

Now you need to order a custom designed onboard endpin preamp to have your own K&K + mic preamp.


Could even be TA Amulet + mic.... with just few screws to adjust the HPF And treble once for All... and 3 thumb wheel volume, tone and blend.

Ah Ah I am sure you are all ready all sweaty just thinking about it.

Lol
Cuki

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by Cuki79

Great review Aaron!

Now you need to order a custom designed onboard endpin preamp to have your own K&K + mic preamp.


Could even be TA Amulet + mic.... with just few screws to adjust the HPF And treble once for All... and 3 thumb wheel volume, tone and blend.

Ah Ah I am sure you are all ready all sweaty just thinking about it.

Lol
Cuki

You’re the one that wrote the post LOL!! Not a bad idea though!!!

[varmonter]

Your reviews just keep getting
Better and better..no wonder folks are
Sending you stuff to review.
I've been intrigued by this mid side
Aspect. Other than needing 2 speakers.
But that feature aside how would
You compare this preamp to let's
Say a grace design felix in terms
Of sound quality and versatility??

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by varmonter

Your reviews just keep getting
Better and better..no wonder folks are
Sending you stuff to review.
I've been intrigued by this mid side
Aspect. Other than needing 2 speakers.
But that feature aside how would
You compare this preamp to let's
Say a grace design felix in terms
Of sound quality and versatility??

Thanks for the kind words, Doug Young pointed out that the mid-side effect will also work without stereo speakers. I have not tried a Grace yet but I really like this preamp a lot due to its unique features and the optional mic sounds really good for the price!! If you want to go analog then this is definitely worth considering.

[meb]

Originally Posted by varmonter

Your reviews just keep getting
Better and better..no wonder folks are
Sending you stuff to review.
I've been intrigued by this mid side
Aspect. Other than needing 2 speakers.
But that feature aside how would
You compare this preamp to let's
Say a grace design felix in terms
Of sound quality and versatility??

I have not tried the MS-2 or Felix, BUT I tried the Alix and returned it; I tried
the Bix and returned it. I have been using the sunnaudio Stage DI for
about 3 years now. To my ear, the Stage has a more full-bodied and naturally
detailed presentation than the Alix or Bix. I wonder how the sibling
comparison translates to the big brothers......

[varmonter]

Y

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

Thanks for the kind words, Doug Young pointed out that the mid-side effect will also work without stereo speakers. I have not tried a Grace yet but I really like this preamp a lot due to its unique features and the optional mic sounds really good for the price!! If you want to go analog then this is definitely worth considering.

Interesting.. as I rarely use 2 speakers anymore. The ms effect, I guess, if you run
2 outs to 1 speaker you could get some of that effect but without the separation. Most powered Speakers have two or more inputs.

[jklotz]

Nice review sir. Thank you.

I really like the idea of going something like K&K with an internal mic and being able to have control of each one independently. I went to their website but couldn't find any info about the mic. How does it attach? Is there any info about it online?

[guitarman68]

Great review, Aaron - thanks for all your time and effort and sharing your expertise !

I use a Grace Felix for about four years. Last year I got me a Sunnaudio MS-2.
I did some comparison while gigging switching between the two using the same guitar.
Dual source combos I use are Dazzo/DPA 4061 and K&K Trinity.

Both preamps sound just great and are packed with useful features. Soundwise I would say I hear not much difference if any. Maybe the Felix sounds a bit more airy and crisp while the Sunnaudio sounds more full-bodied, closer to the famous Pendulum SPS-1 which I had for years.

Felix has some more features than the MS-2, the strongest for some folks could be the XLR input for external or vocal mics - but these are features I do not use. Beside the incredible M/S-feature the MS-2 offers the ability to boost ONLY the pickup via DIP switches. This is a feature I really waited for - simply great.

I love my Felix but if it comes to recommendation I tend to favor the MS-2:
- lower priced
- powered by 48V
- smaller size
- inserts on both channels

Cheers,
Robert

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by jklotz

Nice review sir. Thank you.

I really like the idea of going something like K&K with an internal mic and being able to have control of each one independently. I went to their website but couldn't find any info about the mic. How does it attach? Is there any info about it online?

The info is on the preamp page with a link to a PDF called “Experimenter’s Mic Guide”.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by AeroUSA

Thanks for the kind words, Doug Young pointed out that the mid-side effect will also work without stereo speakers. I have not tried a Grace yet but I really like this preamp a lot due to its unique features and the optional mic sounds really good for the price!! If you want to go analog then this is definitely worth considering.

Not quite Aaron. To hear stereo, you need a stereo system. (the MS-2 can be used as a mono blender, tho, as you demonstrated.) However, the concern (in part, at least) for running stereo sound is usually that one side of the room will be missing the other half of the sound. Think of some of the approaches to stereo that I've seen done:

* two different pickups, panned, say mag+SBT. The problem there is that people on the left side of a room hear the mag only, and the people on the right hear the SBT only.

* some kind of stereo chorus - or extreme case, think of the stereo tremelo effect on a Fender Rhodes piano. In an extreme case, people on one side of a room might only hear every other note...

These approaches are (partly) why most live sound isn't done in stereo. You wouldn't want to go to a concert and not hear the horn section because you're sitting on one side of the audience, or not hear the singers because you're on the other.

With the MS approach to acoustic guitar, the extreme cases, say someone with their head inside the PA speaker on one side, won't hear stereo, but what they will hear is the two sources blended - in the case of your demo, K&K+mic. So they hear exactly what you demo'd earlier as a mono dual source system. The cool thing is that someone on the other side of the room with their head in the other PA speaker hears the same thing! K&K+mic. The mic is flipped in phase compared to what the other person across the room hears, but that doesn't matter. An internal mic is so uncorrelated with the other pickup, that phase is rather meaningless as far as how the SBT+mic sounds.

People at various points in the room will hear different degrees of "stereo", just as when you have multiple people listening to the stereo in your home or car - not everyone gets to sit in the sweet spot, but it still sounds right.

For me, stereo opens up the sound, even when it's not obvious. For example, Michael Manring uses a stereo bass setup with 2 amps. He sets the amps up maybe 6 feet apart, and he's parked in the middle. He hears a dramatic stereo effect - great for him! Out in the room, no one feels like there's a different sound coming into each ear, but you do hear a really open spacious bass tone that sounds great.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by varmonter

Y

Interesting.. as I rarely use 2 speakers anymore. The ms effect, I guess, if you run
2 outs to 1 speaker you could get some of that effect but without the separation. Most powered Speakers have two or more inputs.

No, if you ran the preamp in MS mode and both channels fed to a mono amp or PA, what would happen is that the mic would be completely canceled out. You'd hear only the pickup.

This can actually be used as a feature in a live situation - run the sound to the PA front of house as stereo so the audience gets stereo - pan each channel hard left and right. Have the sound-guy route both channels' monitor sends back to the mono monitor. Now on stage you get only the pickup, no mic at all, so you get less feedback.

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

No, if you ran the preamp in MS mode and both channels fed to a mono amp or PA, what would happen is that the mic would be completely canceled out. You'd hear only the pickup.

This can actually be used as a feature in a live situation - run the sound to the PA front of house as stereo so the audience gets stereo - pan each channel hard left and right. Have the sound-guy route both channels' monitor sends back to the mono monitor. Now on stage you get only the pickup, no mic at all, so you get less feedback.

I actually noticed when I was mixing that the sound was in both headphones. I should have realized but I had it in my head that I needed headphones to hear the effect.

[Petty1818]

Aaron, the tone you achieved with just the K&K, properly eq’d, was incredible. Very natural but also warm and full.

[AeroUSA]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

Aaron, the tone you achieved with just the K&K, properly eq’d, was incredible. Very natural but also warm and full.

Thanks. It took me back a little!! Great tone. The K&K has been impressing me lately. I just wish it wasn’t installed with glue. That’s another reason I’m interested in the Trance now.