Best Preamp for K&K Pure Mini passive?

[Rmz76]

For those using the K&K Pure Mini passive, what is your favorite pre-amp and what other pre-amps have you tried that you liked and didn't like.

I'm not looking for any product bashing, but it's ok to share both positive and negative opinions especially in context of product pairing.

[rmconner80]

Love the RedEye

Don't love the Baggs Para DI

[JayBee1404]

The Baggs Para-DI is a complete mismatch impedance-wise for the K&K pickup. NOT recommended.

The other two I've tried are both Orchid units, made in the UK (which is where I live!):-

1) the Orchid Acoustic Pre-Amp (which has volume, treble, middle, and bass controls, plus a mute button). It is powered by 48-volt Phantom Power (no batteries or external 9v supply options).

2) the Orchid Muting DI (no volume/tone controls, but with a muting button). Powered by 48v Phantom Power or, in no Phantom available, 9v battery.

Both units are built to WW3 standards, the pressed-steel cases will probably withstand a nuclear explosion, and top quality components are used in the units. Sound-quality is top class.

I have a customised Orchid Muting DI on my pedal-board, with the battery-option replaced by 9v DC from my board's power-supply, and it gives excellent results.

[maxtheaxe]

I confess that I didn't try out a bunch of different pre-amps; I was just plugging straight into the mic preamps on my Behringer mix console, but I was having some trouble dialing out the mids that way, so I decided that a K&K preamp would likely be the best match...so far so good.

I got a K&K Pure XLR Mach II, which has a sweepable (frequency and bandwidth) notch filter that really helps dialing out "hot" frequencies. It seems to have been the most logical way to go, since 4 of my acoustics have K&K pups. I run that through my board, which has additional EQ options and outboard gear.

The perception with K&K pups is that they're hot in the mids, which is partially true...really what's going on is that they have a very flat eq response, so the mids sound proportionately too hot compared to the hi/lo freqs. They sound best (to my ears) with the classic 'smiley curve' EQ, with the low-mids cut quite a lot.

[rmsstrider]

+1 on the RedEye Preamp.

[JayBee1404]

I think asking which is 'the best' anything is pointless, because different people have different experiences and will give different answers - it's happening here already! And everyone's 'right', nobody is 'wrong', because we're all speaking from our own personal experiences!

The thing to do is to read all the responses, then get out there and audition some or all of the recommended preamps yourself, using your own guitar, and choose the one that sounds/works best in your own opinion.

[kydave]

I like and use the K&K Pure XLR.

When I first installed a K&K years ago, I already had a couple of Baggs Para DI boxes and tried them.

I also had a Fishman Pro EQ 2 which was a worse mix than the Baggs. Not terrible, but you would not know until you got something better.

The matched impedance K&K preamp was an improvement well worth the money.

I also own a Red-Eye and should sell it. I prefer the K&K used with a Morley Volume Plus for my boost/mute.

[Creekside Guitar]

Read great reviews about the red-eye and purchased one. It did not work out for me and will up for sale shortly. I've had much better success with the AER Colourizer and the Headway EDB-2. This is using a K&K mini in a D18GE.

[ljguitar]

Hi Rmz

We do mixing for others, and have an array of preamps…all of which produce great results (despite what some claim are mismatches). My opinion is there is no Best preamp option, but if you are going to buy it and give me an unlimited budget, I'd choose one of a small handful.

All of these provide tone adjustment and varying levels of Direct Box output…

• Baggs ParaDI
• Fishman Platinum Stage and Pro
• The old Fishman Platinum preamp (and the Sliver too)
• UltraSound - UltraDI and Ultra-PDI
• K&K's array of belt pack and standalone external preamps
• Behringer ADI 21 ($29 and it sounds and works great)
• Baggs Venue (great DI and preamp)
• ToneBone PZ - many of the same features as the Baggs Venue
• Headway preamps including the EDB-I or EDB-II

Depending on your needs, and your budget, these are all flexible and adjustable. If I were mixing sound at a gig and the guitarist showed up with a K&K Pure mini and any of the above, we could quickly and easily build a good house sound.

And of course there are the custom built Grace, and Pendulum preamps which are high dollar but great single source preamps. Also Avalon which build high end preamps as well.

The FireEye series are pre EQed to average situations, and offer no solution for difficult venues. Their tone control is pretty much locked down.

This is not a fully comprehensive list, but it's the typical preamps available. Some have to be bought used since they are no longer made, and I'm sure there will be others showing up all the time as it's a need which people like to have room to explore with.

I loved a video Doug Young posted several years back of half dozen acoustic players and their rigs and how they all got a solid acoustic sound on stage, yet the rigs were very different from each other.

That's the way I feel about K&K and preamps. Any preamp helps a Pure Mini sound better than no preamp, and some preamps are just more useful than others when it comes to adjustability and output options.

I'm always working with PA systems and often with stage amps, so I can use a simple preamp and run it through a passive Direct Box to provide ¼" and XLR out, or if they are built in, I like it better.

Hope this adds to the discussion…oh my handful of choices is money is not an object?

• Grace single channel preamp
• Fishman Platinum Stage (I own one of these)
• Baggs Venue - like a ParaDI labeled in plain English, and built like a tank.

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Another vote for the Fire Eye Red-Eye. Outstanding with the K&K, and with any other passive PUP I have tried it with.

[aknow]

LR Baggs Session DI

[maxtheaxe]

Another aspect of this that occurs to me is the importance of input impedance. No matter how high-quality your preamp is, if the input impedance is a poor match it won't work as well, may sound awful, feedback-prone, etc.

According to the K&K pure mini manual, the pickup works best with an input impedance of 500k ohms to 1 megohm.

As I understand it, a lot of preamps are designed to boost bass frequencies right off the bat...input impedance has a good deal to do with this...and a K&K plugged into one of these will sound very woofy/bass-heavy.

Just something to consider...

[islandguitar]

Haven't tried many, but when I got the K&K installed, I pared it with a Fishman Pro EQ 2 that I already had and it's worked nicely for me.

[Buc-a-Roo]

Another vote for the Red Eye. Simple and effective with a nice clean boost function if you need it and an effects loop if your into pedals. A treble rolloff is the only tone control, leaving EQ to whatever board/amplifier system you're plugging into.

Excellent piece of gear.

[SalFromChatham]

RedEye. Love the boost button for solos. Great tone. I cant say its better than the K&K XLR, but its the same, except built like a tank and with that awesome boost button.

PS I have also had the Fishman Aura Spectrum DI... nice... but I have found both my K&K equipped Martins and Gibsons need no EQ from a pedal. Just the boost when I need.

Finally... this is heresy... but my best live sound is my D15 with a Baggs M1a soundhole pup.