Re: inexpensive small true mic preamps

["Art Simon" <simart@gmail.com>]

I like the ART tube MP Studio. I use it with my guitar in front of a
M-Audio revolution 5.1 PCI soundcard. I like a very high gain,
distorted guitar sound, and the ART let's me add some grit and gain at
the beginning of the signal chain. So my observations may not apply to
different, cleaner instrument applications.

At one point I had an M-Audio audio buddy, Art Tube MP studio, Studio
Projects VTB-1 and Behringer ultragain preamp all in the same room. To
my ear the VTB-1 sounded best, but the ART was very, very close and a
lot cheaper. The Behringer had an abrupt decay at the tail end of soft
notes that was _very_ noticeable with high gain guitar. The audio
buddy didn't have adjustments for both input and output levels, so it
wasn't as useful for my application. I returned the others and kept
the Tube MP. I also tried a Rolls preamp that mounts in a 3.5"
computer drive bay. It's a cool idea, but the Rolls picked up noise
from the computer and was unusable.

The Studio Projects VTB-1 is only around $100 and is worth a listen:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Studio-Projects-VTB1-Tube-Blend-Mic-Preamp?sku=180360

These are all starved plate (not "true tube") designs, but they sound
good to my ear. I gather preamps are like speakers and can be a matter
of individual taste.

-- 
Art Simon
simart@null.net
http://art.simon.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/artsimon