Golden Age Project Pre73

[slowjett]

So here are some sound clips:

Here it is compared to the standard Firestudio preamps
I used an Oktava MK-012 thinking it would be a fairly familiar mic.

I didnt label which is which pre, because I want to see what you guys think about each one first.

Vocals in a mix.. the weird click or pop is my voice for some reason..

http://stashbox.org/347543/PREMK012TEST1X.mp3
http://stashbox.org/347545/PREMK012TEST1Y.mp3


Acoustic Guitar, I had trouble playing the exact same thing twice ;)
http://stashbox.org/347547/PREMK012TEST2X.mp3
http://stashbox.org/347548/PREMK012TEST2Y.mp3


-josh

[bash]

Here's hoping 2X is the Pre73. Slightly fuller and more dimensional to my untrained ears. Nice guitar tone, btw, what brand/model is that?

[slowjett]

Originally Posted by bash

Nice guitar tone, btw, what brand/model is that?

Cool thanks, Its a Cole-Cark FL1AC

[lpkyer]

X sounds better in both cases

[O'Ryan]

X Sounds Better in both. I pray that is the Pre.

[JoeDeF]

Originally Posted by slowjett

So here are some sound clips:
...
Vocals in a mix.. the weird click or pop is my voice for some reason..
...
had trouble playing the exact same thing twice ;)
-josh

Hi Josh,

Thanks for taking the time to post this little shootout!

My opinions:

Voice - I'm going to guess that Y is the GAP73 - fuller, more present mids - to my ears at least. I'm not totally sure about this, because moving an inch or two away from the mic, or just performing with less or more "oomph" can have a big effect as well.

Guitar - I'm going to guess that X is the GAP73, for similar reasons. Nice guitar sound, btw!

I look forward to the results - if I happened to be right about both, I'll be picking up a GAP73 as soon as I can afford it. If I'm 1 for 2, maybe. If I'm 0 for 2, I'll probably wait a while to hear other recorded sounds before making a decision....

In any case, your post is very helpful!

Joe

[JMc]

I don't mean to nit pick here. I mean, if this thing sounds like a Neve for $300, I'll be thrilled and all, but couldn't they have also thrown in some little rubber dots to stick on the bottom of this thing since it isn't rackable? I think I've got some silicone ones around here somewhere... Hmmmm

Okay, I found my silicon dot feet things, stuck 'em on the bottom and plugged the Pre73 in. One thing is for sure, it defintely has plenty of gain. I connected my RCA 77D to the thing and it has more than enough juice to power that ribbon. I've only plugged a few mics into it so far, with varying success. I think this sounds a little woolier than I would have preferred, but I need to play with it a little bit more. For me, the jury is still out. It might be worth keeping as long as I have the RCA 77D, though.

[slowjett]

Originally Posted by JoeDeF

because moving an inch or two away from the mic, or just performing with less or more "oomph" can have a big effect as well.

Your very right about this. I might just re-do my experiment using two mics feeding the two pre's at the same time, with the mics far enough away to minimize any differences in sound to do small differences in placement I dont have a mic splitter or a real 'matched pair' so I will do each track twice using each mic on each pre once to eliminate any weird issues.

I may also try them out on bass, snare and kick. Unfortunately my day today is booked I will have to leave you all hanging until sunday evening.

-josh

[slowjett]

OK I just made a recording of vocals and guitar now im late! :)

Here is the deal there are two takes and each take used two MK012's each plugged into a different pre "firestudio pre/golden age pre"

The GAP pre73 was turned up using clean gain, I never turned it up past 40, it starts to add harmonic distortion at about 55-60. Which is considered the color, so this test is only to compare the reular clean gain..

GUITAR:
Take 1
http://newenglandhorses.com/test1/PREGUITA.mp3
http://newenglandhorses.com/test1/PREGUITB.mp3
Take 2 mics swapped
http://newenglandhorses.com/test1/PREGUITC.mp3
http://newenglandhorses.com/test1/PREGUITD.mp3

VOX
Take1
http://newenglandhorses.com/test1/PREVOXA.mp3
http://newenglandhorses.com/test1/PREVOXB.mp3
Take2 mics swapped
http://newenglandhorses.com/test1/PREVOXC.mp3
http://newenglandhorses.com/test1/PREVOXD.mp3


I wish I had a mic splitter!

-josh

As far these mk012's go the difference to me is negligible and not worth 300 so far. I will crank up the color and use some other mics later this weekend.

[JMc]

Hey Anthony,

Please request additional copies of the manual for the "Dirty Dozen". The original U.S. "GAP 73 Pioneers". I'd like to have one.

I also noticed on the receipt that the warranty is the same as the manufacturers warranty, but of course without any paperwork from the manufacturer, what does this mean? What IS the warranty? Or is there none?

My unit arrived with a tiny scratch on the top panel of the case, which would probably make returning it for a refund difficult. Fortunately, I have no intention of returning it after spending an hour or two fiddling with the knobs.

I like it. But I would like a manual and warranty information - just because.

[Hotstuff]

Hi All,

I was told by Erwin from Golden Age Music that the GAP Pre-73 does not come with a manual to keep the costs down and since the pre is so easy to operate didn´t really need one.

The pre should have at least one year warranty and your receipt will be your proof of purchase and the purchase date will be the beginning of the warranty.

Golden Age Music now also has a rack tray to hold 2 GAP Pre-73 modules in a 1unit rack space.
I got a universal rack tray to hold mine from Thomann, I had to drill holes in the tray to match the only 2 screws on the bottom of the pre´s. I will have it mounted soon and will post a pic.

Any body who has doubts should try one out with a return policy but once you have tried it you will want to keep it.

[3rd&4thT]

Any idea when the version with EQ will be brought to market?

3rd&4thT

[JoeDeF]

Originally Posted by slowjett

OK I just made a recording of vocals and guitar now im late! :)

Here is the deal there are two takes and each take used two MK012's each plugged into a different pre "firestudio pre/golden age pre"

Thanks again, Josh! Anthony, this guy is turning out to be your best sales avenue - give him a free GAP73 for his trouble! OK, then how about an old DOS version of Cakewalk?

Josh, I don't mean this to be even the slightest bit critical, but merely ironic, in saying that the MK012 is legendary for its non-matched frequency response from mic to mic! Nevertheless, your new test is made much more valid since you swapped mic/pre combinations between takes.

My preferences this time:

Guitar B

Guitar C

I feel confident that these two were either recorded with the same preamp, or with the same mic. My confidence stems from the fact that it is logically impossible for any other result to be true . Seriously, I think that they're both the GAP73.

For the vocals, though I could hear a slight difference, it was harder for me to pick. I'm not sure which is which, but I'll say I that I slightly preferred:

Vocal B

Vocal D

I can't wait to find out the results, so I can hurry out and get my new Firestudio (or ear dewaxing kit).

Joe

[kidvybes]

Originally Posted by slowjett

As far these mk012's go the difference to me is negligible and not worth 300 so far. I will crank up the color and use some other mics later this weekend.

...I agree...bring on the dynamics and ribbons!...the SM7 will separate the boys from the men...

[JMc]

Okay, now that I've spent a few days with this thing, I absolutely love it. It came down to switching to lower impedance and some experimentation with input and gain.
For $300, this thing really is golden.

[slowjett]

Thanks guys!

Originally Posted by kidvybes

...I agree...bring on the dynamics and ribbons!...the SM7 will separate the boys from the men...

I dont have an SM7 yet remember?! :)

Did you get your pre yet? I dont have any ribbons either :( I'll see if I can source a mic splitter to borrow.

-josh

[O'Ryan]

Damn I really need one. I wish it had a stereo bus.

[Hotstuff]

I have rack mounted my 2 GAP Pre-73 preamps!
Here are some pics.

[O'Ryan]

Originally Posted by Hotstuff

I have rack mounted my 2 GAP Pre-73 preamps!
Here are some pics.

I was just about to post if its rackable. How did you do it ?

[Hotstuff]

I got a rack tray for non rack or half rack modules from Thomann.de and just bolted the pre´s on to it.
Golden Age Music also have a rack mounting option for the preamps.
Here is and underside pic.

[O'Ryan]

Originally Posted by Hotstuff

Golden Age Music also have a rack mounting option for the preamps.

THanks.....Hey anthony do you think alto will have some of those.....

[kidvybes]

Originally Posted by slowjett

I dont have an SM7 yet remember?! :)
Did you get your pre yet? I dont have any ribbons either :(

no...not yet...hopefully in a day or two...

Originally Posted by O'Ryan

Hey anthony do you think alto will have some of those.....

...any "universal mount" 1U rack tray should work...easy to find:

Buy Raxxess Universal Component Rack Shelf | Rack Accessories | Musician's Friend

[slowjett]

Originally Posted by slowjett

stashbox.org : free anonymous file hosting
stashbox.org : free anonymous file hosting


Acoustic Guitar, I had trouble playing the exact same thing twice ;)
stashbox.org : free anonymous file hosting
stashbox.org : free anonymous file hosting

For the first post,

X's are both Firestudio Stock Preamps
Y's are both Pre73


as for the other ones:

Guitar
A 73
B FS
C FS
D 73

vox
A FS
B 73
C FS
D 73


I'd say with these mics, the pre73 seems to be smoother for vox, but it seems to be too smooth in comparison to the FS preamps for this guitar.

-josh

[dickiefunk]

I am curious about this pre after hearing a lot of good stuff about it!

I currently have an ART MPA Gold (which I'm gonna re-tube), M-Audio Tampa and DMP3.

Would this preamp offer anything different to those or have better audio quality?

[JoeDeF]

Originally Posted by slowjett

I'd say with these mics, the pre73 seems to be smoother for vox, but it seems to be too smooth in comparison to the FS preamps for this guitar.

-josh

Thanks once again for posting these comparisons, Josh. I guess since I picked the Pre73 for all three vocals and the FS for all three guitars, I was agreeing with you without knowing it....

I think I chose the Pre73 (unknowingly) for vox because I liked the upper-mid punch that the Pre73 imparted.

As for the guitar, the three (FS) tracks I chose were chosen because I felt that they had just a bit more accurate bass, especially when playing chords featuring the (low) E and A strings against the higher strings.

I guess one (man)'s upper-mid presence is another (man or guitar)'s lack of bass. Boosting is cutting is boosting....

Joe

[videoracer]

I did some tests with my GA Pre-73, but I got some noises that were unexpected. Not from the preamp, mind you, as I got the same noises with my Rane DMS-22, so I'm not sure what's up.

I've concluded my Cascade Fathead is inducing hum via local transformers in the room, like that on my UPS. I tried a test with an AKG C-3000, and that was kinda noisy (again, both pres), possibly the mic's self noise, dunno.

The Pre-73's gain is awesome, however. Very open-sounding. I must say, however, that my Rane held itself up quite well in it's detail and articulation compared to this thing, which says a lot about those Burr-Brown ICs in it. The hype on discreet components is a bit, well, hyped, I must say. :-)

Overall I say the Pre-73 is a good deal if you're in the market for a single channel preamp. If you're sitting on the fence on this, I say just go for it.

[MSR74]

Has anyone done an A/B shootout with the CL stuff? If so what has been your impressions? I'm considering the single channel CL 7602 MkII and obviously no eq on the GAP Pre-73 but I could prob do without the EQ anyway.

Thanks.

mick

[dickiefunk]

Originally Posted by MSR74

Has anyone done an A/B shootout with the CL stuff? If so what has been your impressions? I'm considering the single channel CL 7602 MkII and obviously no eq on the GAP Pre-73 but I could prob do without the EQ anyway.

Thanks.

mick

I'd be very interested in this also!!

[videoracer]

Well, I've run a few test, and I'm hearing some more noise than I expected, but I'm not sure if it's coming from the preamps, the mics, or the Behringer BCA2000 I'm using as an A/D.

One thing's for sure, the Cascade Fathead hums. I shut all my gear and UPS down and used only a laptop, the pre's and the BCA2000 with the mics and that Fathead still hums. Any Fathead users reading this? Do you get hum like this? This is a stock Fathead.

I adjusted the BCA2000 input down to -11dB and bumped up the Rane and the Pre-73 outputs to minimize noise. It helped, but there's still noise coming in from somewhere. Have a listen here:

Cad E-300 (original)_GA Pre-73 Lo Z
http://stashbox.org/352745/e373lonm.wav

Fathead_GA Pre-73 Lo Z
http://stashbox.org/352755/fh73lonm.wav

Cad E-300 (original)_Rane DMS-22 (Z fixed @ 1k)
http://stashbox.org/352766/e300rane.wav

Fathead_Rane DMS-22
http://stashbox.org/352771/fhnmrane.wav

Quick specs on the Rane can be found here if you're curious:
http://www.rane.com/pdf/old/dms22dat.pdf

Hopefully you folks will find my voice will be tolerable. So I'm curious, aside from the Fathead's hum, do any of you get similar noise levels on your individual tracks? I've purposely isolated these tracks and left some "silence" at the end so you can study the noise floor. This is regardless of what preamp you may use. In these examples it's two different pre's from two schools of design, but while they certainly sound different from each other, there's not much difference in noise levels.

Some of the noise you'll hear in the background is the laptop's fan, but it's easy to differentiate from electrical noise. Occasionally noise from outside my apartment may leak in from people passing through the halls, but this may not be in any of these particular takes. At one point (although I'm not sure if it's in any of these particular takes either) the building's boiler was rumbling through (and that sucker if 5 flights down!). So there are noise variables, but they are fairly readily identifiable.

While I regularly run noise reduction on my mic'd tracks, I always try to get the cleanest signal I can up front. These are raw tracks. Typically I record a little hotter than this (except for the Fathead up to now that I have the Pre-73), run NR and mix down.

The Rane used no EQ. The Fathead pushed the Rane to it's limits. The Rane's dials aren't calibrated, but both input and output were at 9 for the Fathead. The Pre-73 was at -55 input with the output on the 8th dot (why couldn't they have a calibrated output?). Because the Rane was almost maxed, I didn't run hotter signals. I kept the CAD's recorded energy levels similarly for comparison purposes.

So I welcome your comments and opinions on these tracks. No jokes about my voice. More than anything else, I really dig the Pre-73's gain. No regrets getting this sucker. If you're looking for a high gain preamp, consider this one.

[Hotstuff]

Hi videoracer,

Up until today my pre´s have yet to make any noise, they are very quiet.
You could be picking up some interference, sounds like a ground loop problem, try notching out with a filter plugin around 50/60 hz and see if it goes away, if so you have some kind of ground loop induced noise in your system.

It could also be your Behringer AD, (I don´t usually knock there gear as I use some pieces, BCF2000 and headphone amp ) but they do have a reputation for low quality control ).