Art MPA Gold swap tubes really make a difference?

[Chris Lago]

Get some Nos Telefunken 12Ax7 Tubes for it, better than tungsols and yes it does make a difference! Ask Bowie for these tubes, he's the best out there when it comes to tubes.

[mex345]

thanks chris. also long time ago i miss with the meter trim by turning them a little bit. does that do something to the preamp or is it just the meter.

[Chris Lago]

If you want the tubes to affect the sound more, you push the input more and the output less, and you engage the +20 gain on it.

[Ca$h Marty]

+1 for Bowie. You don't HAVE to get really expensive NOS tubes as nice as they are. Tung-sol's or any other decent tube will be a vast improvement over the cheapo stock ones. But if you do have the money, go for it!

[mex345]

thanks again guys. i want to spend about 50 dollars on tubes. i pm bowie, hopes he get back at me. im going to record me testing my mic so y'all can hear it.

[mex345]

mic test. can anybody eq this for me. to where it don't sound buddy. also i meant to say art mpa not mpa art lol.

[Lifted]

Originally Posted by mex345

hey guys i have a art gold preamp, and it sounds bad to me, i have heard people saying that changing the tubes on it will make a big difference. but then i seen on some site that it really wont make no difference. so thats why i came here, if i change it to a Tung-Sol
Tung-Sol 12AX7 / ECC803-S Gold

will it make a big impact on the vocals, (i will only use it on vocals.)
other then that what are the tubes for, is it only for warmth, depth on vocals...

if anyone has any song from the preamp and swap tubes please send it to me so i can hear it.

thank guys.

**** YES it WILL make a difference, I have changed the tubes, and A/B'ed the results...wow!

Nos Telefunken will make the sound pretty dark on the pre.

I have PRO MPA II and I would say the character to describe the pre-amp would be dark. So choose wisely what you need.

Contact Bowie for tube suggestion, I bought several tubes from him, and he helped me pick out what I need based on my request.

[role_65]

+1 for Bowie!
I got my a used tele & Mullard from Bowie for my MPA

[mex345]

im talking to him right now. cool guy

[dkelley]

Originally Posted by chrislago

If you want the tubes to affect the sound more, you push the input more and the output less, and you engage the +20 gain on it.

yes... ALWAYS engage the +20db gain button unless absolutely necessary to disengage it. the sound of the mpa gold comes from having that gain button in. I treat that button as a reverse pad... it's always engaged, but for very loud sources I have to disengage it.

however if you dno't like the sound of the mpa gold then maybe you don't like the warm sound of valve preamps....

but definitely you will want to engage the 20db boost.

[MrCrowbar]

Yep, NOS Telefunken tubes sound pretty awesome in there. Night and day difference compared to the chinese tubes.

I always have the +20 dB engages, except when I use it as a (active) bass DI box. Use the high plate voltage only for the lead instrument/vocal, else you'll have a hard time making one thing in the mix stand out.

[RTR]

Originally Posted by mex345

hey guys i have a art gold preamp, and it sounds bad to me, i have heard people saying that changing the tubes on it will make a big difference. but then i seen on some site that it really wont make no difference. so thats why i came here, if i change it to a Tung-Sol
Tung-Sol 12AX7 / ECC803-S Gold

will it make a big impact on the vocals, (i will only use it on vocals.)
other then that what are the tubes for, is it only for warmth, depth on vocals...

if anyone has any song from the preamp and swap tubes please send it to me so i can hear it.

thank guys.

Tell ya the truth..I swapped them out for some expensive ass tubes and really did not hear that big of a difference..it was there but not much!!

[Old Goat]

I did an a/b when I swapped the tubes in mine. It's up here somewhere--you might do a search. I first swapped the Chinese tubes for JJs, then put an RCA Black Plate in the channel I use for vocals (Thanks, BOWIE!). Not a huge difference between each, but between the Chin and the RCA it's pretty significant.

[hello people]

I have the Art Mpa Gold...and am using my Presonus Firebox as its link to my PC...

Am I doing myself a disservice by using the Firebox as the converter?

If that's my basic chain...would it be advisable to do anything to improve it?

I mean...is the Firebox degrading my sound?

thanks!!!!!!

[CZ101]

Originally Posted by hello people

I have the Art Mpa Gold...and am using my Presonus Firebox as its link to my PC...

Am I doing myself a disservice by using the Firebox as the converter?

If that's my basic chain...would it be advisable to do anything to improve it?

I mean...is the Firebox degrading my sound?

thanks!!!!!!

Naw, it won't get in the way of making good recordings - the Firebox has very respectable "low-end" quality A/D D/A .. Just make sure you're going in balanced and at the proper gain..

[hello people]

Proper gain hey?

That's the trick isn't it? Can you briefly elaborate?

[CZ101]

Originally Posted by hello people

Proper gain hey?

That's the trick isn't it? Can you briefly elaborate?

I mean - just make sure that you have the "+4" input sensitivity set on your Firebox (because "+4" is the level coming out of your mpa gold)..

[hello people]

I don't think my Firebox has such a setting. I know my preamp can be switched from +4 or -10dBu....but the Firebox...I dunno about that...

[Lifted]

Originally Posted by hello people

I don't think my Firebox has such a setting. I know my preamp can be switched from +4 or -10dBu....but the Firebox...I dunno about that...

As long as you go in via TRS cable the interface assumes it's Line Level signal (+4db) and everything is good.

Going through the XLR jack might cause a mismatch, but not too much of a problem. Unless there is a Line/Mic switch on each jack.

[hello people]

I go TRS all through the Firebox....the only xlr is when I plug mic's into the pre. So I suppose I'm ok

[Lifted]

Originally Posted by hello people

I go TRS all through the Firebox....the only xlr is when I plug mic's into the pre. So I suppose I'm ok

If there is no Mic/Line button or switch, then you are all good.

Some interfaces have a switch that switches between mic level -10dbu to line level +4dbu (not to be confused with instrument Hi Z switch) then you are all good.

My interface treats a TRS jack as line level signal (@ 10k ohms resistance in my interface) and XLR jack as mic level signal (@ 3k ohms resistance). I have no switches to worry about.

[CZ101]

Originally Posted by hello people

I go TRS all through the Firebox....the only xlr is when I plug mic's into the pre. So I suppose I'm ok

thumbsup

[hello people]

[Jumpy]

These are the correct valves?
Matched Pair ECC83 Siemens gut // to use (3690) | eBay

[Silent Sound]

Originally Posted by Jumpy

These are the correct valves?
Matched Pair ECC83 Siemens gut // to use (3690) | eBay

Yup! The ECC83 is the European equivalent of the 12ax7. They're interchangeable.