Anyone tried the Golden Age Project PRE-73?

[tarnationsauce]

Looks very nice!
Would it be too much to ask for a pic of the guts??

[AON]

Originally Posted by World Studios

well... they sold me one with EQ!

I know, but it´s a demo unit right? I was just wondering because it´s not on Musikbörsen´s site.

[World Studios]

Any and all technical questions should be directed to the people at Golden Age Music. I will not take it apart to take pictures. I am a Gear Slut, but no electrician...

I can see the picture in the thread/post, but here it is, slightly bigger than in the post:

www.worldstudios.se/IMG_0009.jpg

[World Studios]

Originally Posted by AON

I know, but it´s a demo unit right? I was just wondering because it´s not on Musikbörsen´s site.

Yes, demo.

[retractablezing]

Originally Posted by World Studios

Any and all technical questions should be directed to the people at Golden Age Music. I will not take it apart to take pictures. I am a Gear Slut, but no electrician...

I can see the picture in the thread/post, but here it is, slightly bigger than in the post:

www.worldstudios.se/IMG_0009.jpg

ah! thank you very much. nice knobs, i didn't expect that. looks very sober, that's nice.

[World Studios]

Originally Posted by retractablezing

ah! thank you very much. nice knobs, i didn't expect that. looks very sober, that's nice.

Nice big knobs for a 1U rack, yes - and they feel good too. I would't say it looks hi end, but it looks OK, if a bit unsexy.

[retractablezing]

Originally Posted by World Studios

Nice big knobs for a 1U rack, yes - and they feel good too. I would't say it looks hi end, but it looks OK, if a bit unsexy.

i prefer unsexy to avalon any day of the week ;)

actually, i prefer no faceplate at all to avalon any day of the week too.

[chris carter]

I will say it does look prettier than the CL on the outside.... inside? Hmmmm....

[World Studios]

I think the CL looks pretty "pro" but the warm red of the GA attracts the women to the studio no end ;-)

[retractablezing]

Originally Posted by chris carter

I will say it does look prettier than the CL on the outside.... inside? Hmmmm....

CL looks like Mattel toys, but i admit the gear has a dorky/geeky appeal to it, i wouldn't mind having the dual pre and the new valve comp on my racks.

[chris carter]

It would be interesting to know if they are exactly the same on the inside as there are billions of reviews of the CL. The company that makes the GA products makes products for lots of people... all the same product with different paint/letters. That said, sometimes specific changes on the inside are requested, or the brand company makes modifications themselves.

[retractablezing]

Originally Posted by chris carter

It would be interesting to know if they are exactly the same on the inside as there are billions of reviews of the CL. The company that makes the GA products makes products for lots of people... all the same product with different paint/letters. That said, sometimes specific changes on the inside are requested, or the brand company makes modifications themselves.

i would like to know that as well, but i doubt it's the same, as the general opinion seems to be that the CL stuff ain't worth it for the preamp alone. i really hope that is the case, cause at the same time i'm very tempted about waiting a couple of months more till i can afford a M87D.

[videoracer]

It'd be foolish to think those two aren't identical inside. They're made in China, remember? Kinda like this:
R-F-T Telefunken M16 and Apex 460 Bench Test

So the only question is who'll sell it for less...

[AON]

I got mail from Bo at Golden age music. He wrote that the PRE-73 is going to be availiable in august and that they will release the PREQ-73, or the PRE1-81 soon after.

[Chance]

I see there is mention of the Golden Age mic here



Subject: Chance - Mic & Preamp tests at ABBEY ROAD Studio 3 - ONE WEEK ONLY


Microphone and Preamp tests recorded at ABBEY ROAD Studio 3

Special Offer for one week only

(Want to unsubscribe? Click the link at the bottom of this message for instant and permanent removal.)

Just a quick note to say that we have been recording and filming at London's Abbey Road Studio - 'home of The Beatles' - recently.

We compared a total of 14 microphones and 5 preamps in three sessions, with three female singers.

The mics include some that are so classic they would cost up to $30,000 each - if they ever came up for sale. We also included mics you can buy for less than $300.

The mics are these...
Neumann U47 vintage tube (2 of them!)
Neumann U47fet - the vintage transistor version of the original U47
AKG C12 vintage tube (2 of them) - a close equivalent to the Telefunken ELA M251 in North America
Telefunken M 12F - a modern recreation of the AKG C12
Neumann U87 - the original classic U87
Neumann U87Ai - the modern U87, which some people say isn't as good as the original U87. Is it?
AKG C12VR - a modern recreation of the classic C12/M251, but is it exactly the same?
Shure SM57 - a classic dynamic mic, available today for around $100
Bruel & Kjaer (DPA) 4011 - one of the most accurate mics available anytime, anywhere
CAD M9 - a modern tube mic for around $300!
Golden Age R1 Active - a modern ribbon mic for around $200
Neumann M147 - a modern vacuum tube microphone
The preamps are...
Avalon M5 - probably the best you can get, for around $1600 per channel!
Focusrite Octopre LE - can a preamp at a reasonable price compete with the best?
Universal Audio Solo/610 - a modern tube preamp with a classic vintage sound
Neve 1073 - THE CLASSIC transistor preamp!
Behringer MIC100 - a tube preamp for $40! Was it a crazy idea to take it to Abbey Road? Judge for yourself when you hear it!
What you will hear in these tests are the EXACT sounds of these microphones and preamplifiers, tested in Abbey Road Studio 3.

Each microphone test consists of 9 24-bit/96 kHz, 'Studio Master' recordings, each lasting around a minute to a minute and a half - plenty of time to evaluate the mic without over-taxing the singer. After each set of tests, the singer performs another verse with a selected microphone or preamp combination.

You can download the exact, uncompressed 'Studio Master' recordings that were made in the actual session, without any processing.

If you have a low-bandwidth Internet connection, then smaller file size versions are also available.

And there is video too!

Not only can you hear these classic and modern microphones and preamps in ultra-fidelity recordings, you can also see the sessions as they took place.

This offers a fascinating insight into how the tests were conducted, from the singers' points of view. It also shows a 'real-life' view of work going on in the live room of Abbey Road Studio 3.

In total, the videos from the three sessions are 80 minutes long and you get to hear all of the studio 'chat'.

How often do you normally get the chance to see a session in progress?

In summary, we haven't had so much fun in the studio for ages, and the audio and video recordings that have come out of the Abbey Road sessions will show you amazing things about the mics and preamps we chose.

Ultimately, the material will go into the Audio Masterclass Music Production and Sound Engineering online course, which currently costs $267 and is likely to go up in price due to these new additions.

But for a period of ONE WEEK, which is unlikely ever to be repeated, we can offer the audio and video material at a very special price...
Test 1, including 9 totally classic mics, is available for just $11 US dollars.

Test 2, including 9 classic and modern mics, is also available for $11.

Test 3, which includes 5 preamps from $1500 down to $40 is available for just $7.
You can buy all three tests together for $23, which is a $6 saving on buying them individually.

Really, you owe it to yourself to hear some of the best mics and the best preamps in the world, recorded in the best studio in the world.

You might find the results surprising!

http://www.record-producer.com/ar91027463.cfm

David Mellor
Record-Producer.com

[MATTI]

Yes, they have ACM-1 type mics in active and passive versions,
Golden Age Audio I meant.

Cheers

Matti

[World Studios]

The mic test sounds interresting and all, but it is off topic and a sales pitch. Now, if it were free of charge to us Slutz...

[MATTI]

Oh, Chance has nothing to do with Abbey Road unless they have opened a new Californian bussines branch

Matti

[Chance]

Heres a couple of pics of their mics

[Claude G.]

Originally Posted by AON

I got mail from Bo at Golden age music. He wrote that the PRE-73 is going to be availiable in august and that they will release the PREQ-73, or the PRE1-81 soon after.

.....apparently they are not interested in sales to the US. I emailed them last week and did not even receive a reply...!

[gainreduction]

I don´t want to rain on the parade but...

The parts alone needed for rebuilding/cloning a 1073 properly would be more than what this unit is selling for.

The goldplated ELMA gain switch is like 1/3 of the price alone. Then you have the freq selector switches of the eq...

Don´t expect the transformers to be St Ives either.

It simply would not be doable at that price. So while they might have made a nice sounding usable preamp it won´t be anything close to an original when it comes to the quality of components used.

[Bob Yordan]

On the Musikbörsen site the it looks like this.

[tWoKp.]

is there an update on this? is it still coming out this month?

[XLR2XLR]

I have to say it would not do the manufacturer/distributor of this so far non existent product any harm to let on when it will actually be available. After all it has been advertised for about 3 months in the UK and not a word gets replied to on the
GAP website/forum.

There is a total silence.

If it's not happening can you put us out of our misery or if it is tell us when and
get some decent pics up, not low res crap, of front, rear and inside?

[Claude G.]

Originally Posted by XLR2XLR

I have to say it would not do the manufacturer/distributor of this so far non existent product any harm to let on when it will actually be available. After all it has been advertised for about 3 months in the UK and not a word gets replied to on the
GAP website/forum.

There is a total silence.

If it's not happening can you put us out of our misery or if it is tell us when and
get some decent pics up, not low res crap, of front, rear and inside?

I think this is another urban legend....no one has seen nor heard of these elusive products officially.....

[MATTI]

Early summer Bo of GoldenAge offered to sell me one of his examples
so at least he´s got couple of them. The production run is expected to be ready
somewhere September or so?

Matti

[tWoKp.]

before it was august, now its september

[MATTI]

So it goes! September is MY quess, not their given information

Matti

[Chance]

FWIW China is in a real mess with the games going on. Our (TnC) gear production has been hindered a little too.