Shopping for a stereo preamp

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Anybody used the all tube D.W. Fearn VT-2 dual mic pre?

https://vintageking.com/d-w-fearn-vt-2-mic-pre

I've heard them (amazing) but I heard the price tag louder.
$5500 for the two channel version ...I have too many things on my want list to sink that much money into a two-channel pre.

[DupleMeter]

Check out the Geoff Daking stuff. Based on the Trident A Range gear. It really hits the sweet spot of cost/performance.

[SprintBob]

Anton,

I upgraded my recording chain last year and I'm pretty happy with the results.

I upgraded a Focusrite Scarlett USB interface to this MOTU USB interface:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...udio-interface

It was a significant step up in cleaner and clearer recordings. I enhanced it by adding the Sebatron Axis 200 two channel tube mic pre-amp based on the recommendation of a fellow AGF'er and the enthusiastic reviews of it. Here's a good link:

https://www.soundpure.com/p/sebatron-axis-200vu/2740

My ears tell me I hear a fuller and warmer tone when I added this pre-amp to my recording chain but I'm still learning how to use and optimize the pad/gain control on this preamp. Similar to you, I justified the purchase of this preamp because it should serve me well for any solo acoustic guitar application I will ever have.

I tend to agree with Doug Young that based on the interface you use now (the RME BabyFace), the change with adding a stereo pre-amp will be subtle. SoundPure might be a good company to work with as they have a try before you buy program.

Good luck. It's a fun hunt!

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by SprintBob

I upgraded a Focusrite Scarlett USB interface to this MOTU USB interface:

Definitely a step up. MOTU great reputation for interfaces is well earned and has been for a long time.

Originally Posted by SprintBob

I enhanced it by adding the Sebatron Axis 200 two channel tube mic pre-amp based on the recommendation of a fellow AGF'er and the enthusiastic reviews of it.

I'm glad that's working out well for you. I like pointing people in the right direction (and I'd feel all kinds of guilty if I recommended something and the person hated it). That Sebatron is such a versatile preamp. It can deliver the kind of crystal clear you might want for fingerpicking, and then for more aggressive strumming, the preamp can be driven hard to bring in some tube saturation and give the track a bit of color. I have a variety of pres that I like for different things but if I were only allowed to keep one, it would have to be the Sebatron.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

...[snip]...
However, in a relative sense, I consider two other parts of the recording chain as more important...microphones and monitors (the beginning and the end). Instead of getting a new outboard preamp, consider upgrading your mics and/or monitors. Your Gefell M300 pair is quite nice (Fletcher said the M300 is what the Neumann KM184 should have been). But a pair of Schoeps CMC64 or Gefell M295 would be a rather noticeable improvement. I don't remember which monitors you have, but I suspect a pair of Quested S7 would make you smile.

I was wondering about this as well. If you're not totally satisfied with your Gefell M300 then maybe consider a step up in mics before a new preamp. I've got a pair Gefell M296S omnis and a pair of Sennheiser MKH40 cardioids that I'm very happy with. I haven't used Schoeps but their recorded sound is extremely nice.

As far as preamps, I went the clean/transparent route. I've got a pair of Speck MicPre 5.0 single channel preamps and a Gordon Model 5 2 channel preamp. These also work great for field recording of choirs and ensembles. Then again, if you're looking for the preamp to add a sound my choices would not be for you.

[j3ffr0]

Great playing and music. Makes sense to have a couple good preamps on the line-ins. I also agree that it's not likely to make much of a difference with your good mics vs your good audio interface, but four channels is better than two. You might consider getting two desktop or 500 units if you don't want to mess with 19" rack stuff like me.

[KevWind]

opps wrong thread

.

[dcn]

Originally Posted by Rudy4

Anybody used the all tube D.W. Fearn VT-2 dual mic pre?

https://vintageking.com/d-w-fearn-vt-2-mic-pre

One thing to note on this one is the 53db of gain - depending on which mic and where you mic, might not be enough.

[min7b5]

Something new from the NAMM Show this week. https://www.ams-neve.com/88m/ A stereo Neve pre/interface, USB-C bus powered... Looks kinda cool. But still very happy with my little Audient

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by min7b5

Something new from the NAMM Show this week. https://www.ams-neve.com/88m/ A stereo Neve pre/interface, USB-C bus powered... Looks kinda cool. But still very happy with my little Audient

That looks outstanding for someone looking for a premium on board 2 channel analog mic input interface system .
Except for the mistake in specifications I am relatively certain the first spec should read 2x Analogue Preamp (Inputs) (Mic/Line/DI) not "Outputs"

[anton]

At this point I'm strongly considering one of AEA stereo preamps, probably the TRP2. If I get ribbon mics down the road I'm covered on that end. Since preamp color seems to be a nebulous and vague thing, something that is clean and provides plenty of gain is perhaps a good bet. That will give me two more inputs plugged into the line ins on my Babyface Pro.

I've been borrowing a pair of AEA N22's, and I'm really enjoying them on acoustic guitar

[j3ffr0]

Originally Posted by anton

At this point I'm strongly considering one of AEA stereo preamps, probably the TRP2. If I get ribbon mics down the road I'm covered on that end. Since preamp color seems to be a nebulous and vague thing, something that is clean and provides plenty of gain is perhaps a good bet. That will give me two more inputs plugged into the line ins on my Babyface Pro.

I've been borrowing a pair of AEA N22's, and I'm really enjoying them on acoustic guitar

That seems like a strong choice to me -- TRP2 I have a TRP -- first version without the phantom, and the only problem I have with it is no phantom. If I had bought a TRP2 in the first place, I probably wouldn't have ended up also buying two RPQ500s. I have some other good preamps too (Grace, Daking, Great River, RND), but I use the AEA preamps a lot.... I consider them my "clean" channels (although the Grace is clean too, but it rarely sounds as good as the AEAs). Actually been using my RPQs with some SDCs on some tracking the past week.