Tube preamp review
The EC6 is a mono tube preamp based on the preamps from the Ampex series reel-to-reel tape machines. On the input, you can select between Mic, Pad, and Line modes — your patchbay will appreciate these options all coming from a single input jack. The only knob present is for gain. I really like the solid feel and design of this enclosure, and flipping on the power switch feels gratifying when the big red bulb lights up. This kept me out of the studio for a while, and kept clients out of the studio even longer, so a lot of my use with this pre was in utilizing the line input in a mix situation — the EC6 shined in this scenario. On several sources, including processing a vocal, kick drum, bass guitar, and snare drum, the EC6 added some soft compression and richness to everything in an appealing way.
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Review: Elekit TU-8500 Tube Preamplifier Kit
Tubey or not tubey? That is the question you can answer with the help of these affordable preamps! The mic input stage, common to both devices, is based on the company's Class-A XMAX preamp circuit, and the user is offered the ability to 'dial in' the desired amount of valve warmth, or, of course, to use only solid-state circuitry. Like earlier incarnations, this two-channel preamp can accommodate high-impedance instrument or mic-level signals and it now offers a maximum overall gain of 80dB, so it can also double as an instrument DI box.
Both balanced XLR and unbalanced quarter-inch outputs are provided, with 'combi' sockets handling the balanced mic XLR and unbalanced jack instrument inputs. Some cosmetic changes are also evident, such as the curvaceous housing, while power comes from an included 12V DC, 1A, 'line lump' universal-voltage power supply.
Although the manual provides no figure for the actual operating voltage for the 12AX7, PreSonus tell me that it runs at 48V, which, despite being rather less than the or so volts you'd expect to measure on more traditional valve circuits, is more than is found on many competing designs. In my experience, many such low-voltage tube preamps impart a softer sound when they're pushed into distortion, although this may be more to do with such units being designed to add this sort of character than to the tube operating voltage itself.
All the usual preamp features are present: there's switchable 48V phantom power, an 80Hz high-pass filter, a dB pad and a polarity-invert switch, all with attractive blue buttons which light up when engaged.
There are separate controls for overall gain and for the amount of 'tube drive', and an integral switch bypasses the tube drive when the knob is in its fully anti-clockwise position. Again, that's not a bad thing, as the purpose of the tube here is to impart musically pleasing distortions!
The signal-to-noise ratio is specified as better than 95dB, and on a subjective level is similar to what you'd expect from a decent analogue console preamp. The single channel, third-rack width TubePre V2 follows a similar design, the main difference being that the tube can't be switched out of circuit — although at minimum drive settings it has to be said that the signal passes through pretty cleanly.
It has the same control setup as the BlueTube DP V2 and boasts a dual-servo gain stage, with no coupling capacitors. Presonus claim that the tube saturation sound is much improved over the previous version. Space isn't as tight as on the two-channel unit, and this allows the inputs to be presented on separate unbalanced quarter-inch instrument and balanced XLRs for the mic input, rather than sharing combi sockets. There's no sonic advantage to that, but it does allow you to leave different gear plugged in, which can be useful in some situations.
Again, there's a choice of unbalanced quarter-inch or balanced XLR line-level outputs, and there's the same cute round meter plus clip LED to keep an eye on the levels.
Both units have a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range, which is flat to within better than one third of a decibel. Taking the BlueTube DP V2 first, with the valve stage bypassed the result is a clean, quiet sound that is, quite frankly, not very different from that obtained from any other capable preamp or console input stage. That's not a put-down, by any means: it's just that when the design aim is for low distortion and low noise with a flat frequency response, the results are bound to converge.
Switch the Tube Drive on, and at the start of the control's travel there's very little change — maybe just a hint more flattery, but nothing dramatic. Turn it up, and although the overall output level stays pretty much constant, the sound becomes more solid and thicker but without losing clarity at the high end.
This middle area of the control is nicely flattering to vocals and instruments alike. As you approach the upper end of the control's travel, the sound takes on a noticeably saturated quality, but, importantly, it's very usable, without too much roughness added in the high frequencies.
It's the kind of timbre a rap vocalist might enjoy, but can also add useful weight to electric guitars, basses, and even snare drums. As you might expect, the TubePre V2 behaves in pretty much the same way as one channel of the BlueTube DP V2 in its Tube Drive mode, and again ranges from subjectively clean to noticeably saturated, with plenty of musically useful options in between.
It's clean enough at the minimum drive setting that I didn't miss the absent tube-bypass mode. In a studio situation, where you typically have a decent level coming from a close mic, both these preamps are capable of delivering the goods in style, and they both provide the added bonus of variable tube 'flavouring'. If you need more gain, as you might for a low-output, passive ribbon microphone, you may be justified in spending more money on a dedicated preamp — although, having said that, adding something like a Cloud Mics Cloud Lifter gain booster reviewed in SOS November to these preamps gives great results with such ribbon mics.
Given their very affordable prices, these two units turned out to be surprisingly versatile, and while throwing a lot more money at a preamp may deliver a more esoteric level of performance, there are far weaker links in a typical project studio chain to worry about first. When it comes to preamps that offer the choice of 'with and without' tube flavouring, the choice is pretty limited, and even more so at this end of the price range.
While the more well-heeled might look at something like the Universal Audio Twinfinity, the budget conscious might be better directed to the Studio Projects VTB1 we reviewed in SOS July , or some of ART's more affordable tube hybrid offerings where the degree of tube coloration is adjustable.
These are both very capable little preamps that offer a very good cost-to-performance ratio, as well as a degree of character adjustment. Alternatives When it comes to preamps that offer the choice of 'with and without' tube flavouring, the choice is pretty limited, and even more so at this end of the price range.
Pros Good audio quality for the price. Variable tube flavouring is a nice bonus. Cons Physical format means that a rack tray is needed for rackmounting. Summary These are both very capable little preamps that offer a very good cost-to-performance ratio, as well as a degree of character adjustment. Prices include VAT. Buy PDF version. Previous article Next article. New forum posts Re: Reaper or Studio One for drum tracking?
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AIYIMA T5 6K4 Tube preamp review
Today that blue and green glow is modulated by LED lighting instead of the incandescent bulbs of vintage Macs , meticulously adjusted by factory technicians so all of your Mac components glow with equal intensity and color temperature. Like their outgoing C two-box preamplifier, the C splits control and amplification functions across two chassis, offering higher performance and lower noise as a result of giving the power supply a bit of space from the sensitive gain stages. The C took things further, offering the option of being configured with a solid-state or vacuum tube active stage, along with having the ability to control both! When was the last time you went to buy a new car and the new model offered more performance at a lower price? I thought so. Having both side by side on the rack begs a head-to-head comparison providing an excellent opportunity to see what shakes out sonically for the extra dough. Though the C52 retains the slightly warm, tonally saturated sound that made McIntosh famous, it is all solid-state, so no glowing bottles here.
Audio Research Corporation Reference 5 Linestage Preamp (TAS 205)
World Premiere Review! Review By Tom Lyle. I t was about a decade ago when I last reviewed a component manufactured by Rogue Audio. I distinctly remember my time spent with that preamp because I was very impressed with its sound quality. But when I un-boxed their new RP-7 preamplifier it looked as if it was made by a different company. As good as their older component looked, the Rogue Audio RP-7 seemed as if its fit and finish was light years better than the older unit. Of course I'm exaggerating a bit, as I don't remember the older unit looking so bad. Plus I didn't have the older preamp in front of me to compare the two, and I certainly don't remember the older component looking bad, but I was very impressed with how modern and stylish this new rectangular black box looked. After I connected it to my system and switched its power on, I was even more impressed with the preamplifier's appearance when it's blue LED display lit up.
FX Audio TUBE-03MKII BT Tube Preamp & Headphone Amp
This precision tube phono pre-amplifier benefits from outstanding circuit technology from Dr. Sykora and uses ultimate components. Compatible with both MM and MC cartridges. It offers connection for two turntables plus two selectable line outputs and a continuously variable selection of input impedance for low output MC cartridges while playing a record!
UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection
And so of course, the unabashed tone hound in me was curious. When I contacted Micah Smaldone, owner and builder of Arkham, he was kind enough to not only put up with my excessive questions on the phone but send his Abyss preamp in the mail. What arrived was a handsome and robust looking tabletop preamp unit whose feature set and build quality had me interested from the moment I unboxed it. Micah Smaldone is one of those guys who has been tinkering and experimenting with tube amps and audio equipment since he was a teenager. Originally an acoustic guitarist who in his youth, played in a punk rock band in Boston, Smaldone settled in Maine. I cloned a B in a tiny chassis and immediately had the right tone.
Review: Carvin X1 All-Tube Guitar Preamp Pedal
Phono Stages. Those MAY make a substantial difference for the better, but they better for the cost! I have owned around a dozen or so phono stages in the last 20 years. For me, 3 or more years is the super long haul as most of us into HiFi swap our gear like we change our socks. We always are after that next thing that will bring our system to the next level, even if sometimes we take a step back before taking a step forward. How does it sound? Again, a phono stage with a great sound but it sounds an awful lot like the one I just pulled out, but with less of a soundstage..
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Hot stuff… literally! Fast forward to , and Scott has updated the s to a mk2 preamp design. I had a chance to work with them both for several weeks, and was easily as impressed as Justin was! There are a trio of toggle controls for 48V phantom power, —20 dB pad, and phase invert. The unit is front-vented and also offers a small black pull handle.
Are you enjoying the nostalgic beats and sounds from turntables? Yes, they may seem vintage, old-school, and outdated but turntables remain revolutionary in giving a sentimental sound that brings the spirit of the music that touches not only the ears but the heart and soul as well. However, this signal, though already amplified by the needle, is still so weak that it needs extra amplification to get the standard line level. This is where amplifiers work. They amplify, increase, or intensify the signal, thus making music loud.
One of the nicest by-products of the vinyl revival is the constant flow of affordable phono stages, essential to allow newcomers to adapt to LP playback the line-level-only integrated amps that have proliferated since Thorens, Mobile Fidelity, Musical Fidelity, NAD, Cambridge — there are too many to list, but the go-to brand for me is the one that also 'owns' the entry-level turntable market: Pro-Ject. Available in black or silver, with a choice of wooden side cheeks, and with those triode tubes sprouting out of the top, it was the perfect yin to the MoFi UltraPhono's solid-state yang [ HFN Mar '20]. If you want something a bit more lavish, there is the RS range.
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