MPA Gold VS Presonus Eureeka

[ForgottenG]

I realize there are significant differences in these two preamps but I am curious. I just got an Apex 205 so I need to start thinking about pre-amps. I know a lot of people are into the ART MPA Gold but I don't hear much about the Eureeka and I am curious . I like the channel strip thing better than just the pre-amp. Has anyone had any expirience with Ribbons and Eureeka. What are the plusses and minuses?

[dkelley]

Originally Posted by ForgottenG

I realize there are significant differences in these two preamps but I am curious. I just got an Apex 205 so I need to start thinking about pre-amps. I know a lot of people are into the ART MPA Gold but I don't hear much about the Eureeka and I am curious . I like the channel strip thing better than just the pre-amp. Has anyone had any expirience with Ribbons and Eureeka. What are the plusses and minuses?

only know the mpa gold, and I'll tell you right now that it's (A) good and (B) the main reason I bought it originally was because it offers enough really high clean gain to work with any ribbon mic. I don't know how much gain the eureka offers, but something in the back of my head tells me it's a nice pre also but quite different. However I've probably only read a magazine review of it or something and I don't base toooooo much on that stuff generally.

Anyway, one thing that matters here is lots of gain wthout problems, mpa gold does offer that, for the record, along with variable input impedence which is nice with ribbons, particularly with a 205 I run it at 2:00 on the impedence dial (which is prbably around 1100kohm or 1200kohm). that stuff matters to me, significantly higher on the impedence and the tone changes a tiny bit in a 205 I think negatively, and too much lower and a 205 just shuts down and gets all floppy sounding and quiet (as do most ribbons).

very interested to hear what people have to say about the eureka though

Cheers,
Don

[Thrice_Removed]

The Eureka is one of the most marked up items in all of lower end audio - the guys at GC are pushed to sell these as GC marks them up almost $200 then what they get them for. With that said - they aren't really the best deal out there as such a ridiculously marked up price.

[hurd300403]

I paind $499 for the Eureka and wouldn't consider it very marked up at all considering what they pack into that bad boy. Class A High Headroom Transformer Coupled Microphone Preamplifier, AND Variable Microphone Input Impedance (which is usually only found in higher end preamps). Not too bad, plus I think it sounds fantastic ESPECIALLY for Bass guitar DI. The compressor is actually decent, the EQ not so much but useful to have in an emergency or something. Also, the "tube" saturation control is kinda cool and more flattering than not.

Anyway, the preamp certainly isn't the best on the market, but for the price you get more than anything else I can think of. Not to mention right now you can get the 192A/D internal converter card for free (normally $200) from Presonus.

Also, I haven't had any lack of gain problems.

Great deal all around which is why I bought one!

[Ashofapheonix]

For just 500$ a preamp have you thought about an FMR RNP or True Systems P-Solo these two seem to hold up better than the rest of their price class, the Presonus MP20 isn't bad though, I don't know if the Eureka uses the same preamp of not. But if I were driving a Ribbon i'd definiteley look into FMR's stuff, it seems hard to beat for this price class.

[Jonboy79]

I owned a Eureka for well over a year and used it every time I recorded. I'd grown to hate it. It's sterile but not in a good way, the eq and comp section can easily be surpassed by nearly any plug in and all those knobs bunched up together sucks. There are far better options out there at that price, and IMO a good preamp would be superior sounding when compared to a cheap pre with a barely useful comp and eq.

[8th_note]

I have an MPA Gold upgraded with Mullard tubes and a Presonus MP20 upgraded with BurrBrown 627 opamps. I don't know if the Eureka has the same mic preamp as the MP20 but the description on their website sounds similar. I'm going to assume that the mic pre in the Eureka sounds similar to the MP20.

The first thing I would check is to find out if you can upgrade the mic pre opamps in the Eureka. If not then I would lean toward the MPA Gold. If you can upgrade the opamps then it's a harder decision.

The MPA Gold with upgraded tubes is a gorgeous sound - harmonically rich and very three dimensional. For not a huge investment you can experiment with different tubes to decide which you like best. This pre is great for vocals and acoustic guitar and it works fine for everything else.

The Presonus with the stock opamps is OK but nothing to write home about. There's nothing that stands out as being wrong with it and it's a good workmanlike piece of gear but I wasn't that thrilled with it before I upgraded the opamps. With the BurrBrown opamps, however, this pre comes to life. It's super detailed and clean. Great for overheads and just fine for everything else. Not as much gain as the MPA Gold but enough for everything I've done. You can drive it pretty hard and still get a clean signal.

I have them both and plan to keep them both, even as I upgrade. They are complimentary and both have their uses. If I had to choose between one or the other I would probably go with the MPA Gold because I like what is does on vocals. If you're looking for a channel strip then you can go with the ART Pro Channel. I have two of those as well and use them on every session.

[dkelley]

+1 on checking opamps for upgradability.

+1 on mpa gold as per his descriptions.

to me the mp20 is presonus through and through, clear, clean and forgettable. great for anything other than vocals or instruments during lead breaks. I have one here but use it only as a backup for my board's preamps which I actually prefer for neutral stuff, call me wierd. probably will sell the presonus sooner rather than later, but only because I already have a board that does it's thing really well so it's redundant and expensively redundant.

Don