sytek mpx4aii or broadhurst gardens no.2

[audiothings]

hello

i'm in the market for a clean 4 channel pre and have narrowed my choices to

1. Sytek Mpx-4Aii

or

2. Broadhurst Gardens No.2

as always, here in india, theres no 'try before buy', i have to go by hearsay and general vibrations.

thanks,
self.

[jdunn]

If it were me, I'd go for the DAV BG2. I would like to try one out myself.

[jeronimo]

Well... I have a Sytek and that's the best pre amp I own (btw RNP, Aphex 107, Joe Meek VC6 and 001). I would love to hear someone that has listened to both to compare...

[Saucyjack]

Sytek.

[cally]

I have a BG1 and its a fantastic pre. Its got a lovely big open sound. Its great value for money in my opinion so I guess the BG2 is even more of a bargain.

[Plush]

Hiya Pre fans,

You all know me as a booster of the Broadhurst Gardens line.
We are in Chicago, the home of Sytek.

We have used Sytek for years and they are good mic amps--excellent value for money. Here a new Sytek 4 channel sells for $850.00.

That said, the BG#1 is a whole different sound--phatter, more flattering, more dimension and more fine detail.
The BG#2 is a little more expensive than 2 BG#1's.

Sytek is good, but BG is phenomenal!
In my mind, there is NO CHOICE---BG all the way!

[AnthonyV]

How much does the BG2 go for?

[cally]

around 2100 dollars i think

[santacore]

I've got a sytek and love it. Very clean and transparent sound. Extremely quiet too. Hard to beat for the money.

I haven't heard the the other pre but it does sound great. I would guess the price is going to come in at double the sytek.

[audiothings]

"BG No1 costs 410 GBP,BG No2 costs 910 GBP, and BG No4 1400 GBP.all costs include shipping.all units are in stock."

- Mark Hinton, DAV Electronics, 20th Oct'2004

[jdunn]

Live mid-market rates as of 2004.10.20 19:05:52 GMT.

910.00 GBP
United Kingdom Pounds=

1,654.13 USD
United States Dollars

Just in case any US sluts were wondering.

[Plush]

Those of you in the USA who are interested in the Broadhurst Gardens line of mic amps will be pleasantly surprised to learn that there is a special deal on the 2 channel BG #1 when you buy direct from the manufacturer--- $ 595.00.

Also checks in US dollars are accepted.

How can you lose?

If you need four channels, buy two BG#1's.

Don't buy it if you want a glamour pre-amp---only if you demand and expect the best sound. It has no flashing lites or meters.
It has no chrome finish. It is not advertised. It is plain looking.


FOR PROFESSIONALS ONLY

[jeronimo]

How come the 2 ch costs 595 and the 4 ch costs 1600???

[fifthcircle]

The 4 channel one is in a 19" rack chassis and has some extra features (phase switch, rolloff, etc..). Otherwise the 2 preamps are the same.

--Ben

(who is waiting for his fink clients to pay up so he can buy a BG#1)

[audiothings]

the no.2 has 66 dB of gain in 4 dB steps, while the no.1 has 59 dB of gain in 3 dB steps.

no.2 has hpfs at 22, 36 and 68 Hz while the no.1 has hpfs at 40, 80 and 150 Hz.

this info is probably not worth $.02 to anyone

[Plush]

Here is the correct USA US$ pricing for Broadhurst Gardens products. This was sent to my by Mick Hinton from d.a.v. electronics.


BG No 1 is 595 U.S.
BG No 2 is 1400 U.S.$
BG No 3 is 2100 U.S $
BG No 4 & 5 are 1700 U.S $ ALL PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING.

Jump on it NOW if you want a deal. These are all really fine products.

visit
http:/www.davelectronics.com for more info

[olli]

has anyone used bg1 with ribbon mics? does it work with quiet material?
it´s input impedance is 1kOhms. does it dampen ribbons?

[Plush]

Originally posted by olli
has anyone used bg1 with ribbon mics? does it work with quiet material?
it´s input impedance is 1kOhms. does it dampen ribbons?

I believe max gain is 56 dB. I have used it with the AEA R84 with outstanding results. Dampen ribbons???---each mic is different in this regard. Don't dream it, BE IT!

[jeronimo]

Have anyone compared the BG w/ the RNP? I'm very interested on getting a BG.1 in a few weeks...

[olli]

Originally posted by Plush
I believe max gain is 56 dB. I have used it with the AEA R84 with outstanding results. Dampen ribbons???---each mic is different in this regard. Don't dream it, BE IT!

Well, aea says "Recommended Load: 1.2 K ohm or greater"
in r84 specifications.
This is a quote from royer site: "The lower the input impedance, the more the ribbon becomes damped. An overly damped ribbon tends to sound dull and unexciting with weak highs and weak bass." http://www.royerlabs.com/preamps.html

It´s encouraging to hear you´ve got great results with it. 56db gain should be enough. I will order one or two and see myself (unless i decide to wait for daking IV, which has not arrived to scandinavia yet..).

[dizziness]

Originally posted by jeronimo
Have anyone compared the BG w/ the RNP? I'm very interested on getting a BG.1 in a few weeks...

I too am curious of this recommendation. So many positives with the BG#1 but the RNP looks mighty tempting and is a little over $100 less. I tend to like transimpedence amps and I can't get much info about the design of the BG pre's from Mick.

If someone had the BG#1 for rental, I'd pick up the FMR RNP and compare.

I'm sure both are better than the pre's in my Soundcraft console anyway and would be useful.

Chris

[Plush]

Originally posted by dizziness
I too am curious of this recommendation. So many positives with the BG#1 but the RNP looks mighty tempting and is a little over $100 less. I tend to like transimpedence amps and I can't get much info about the design of the BG pre's from Mick.

Chris

Hello Dizzy,

I'd stake my reputation on the statement that you'd have to spend 10 times the cost of the BG#1 to obtain 2% better sound.
Why save $100 when the RNP cannot deliver what the BG can?

Since you're in the Chicago area, flash me a note if you'd like to borrow my BG for a test drive. The word is getting out!

[jeronimo]

That would be awsome!!!! I'm really thinking about gettin the BG#1, OR saving for a Seven Circle rack... but the rack is kinda big to ask someone to bring me one to Brazil, so, the BG is a faster/more convenient to get.

[ozmorphasis]

For what it's worth(circa 2 cents usually), I just bought a BG1 and have been very impressed so far. Before I go into much detail, I have to say that the only other pres that I have at the moment are a VMP2 and the built in pre's on my Motu 896hd. So here goes...

As Plush has said in numerous posts, this pre is both open AND musical. The word that came mind first upon listening was smoothe. Very smooth.

What I like most is that everything sounds smooth while maintaining a very natural quality. In otherwords, it obviously does something to the sound, but whatever it is, it's very subtle and unobtrusive.

I've had great results for classical guitar with a stereo pair, and very nice results with a Soundelux U195 for voice. That particular combo is ultra smooth and pleasing I find, with a lot of 3D space around the sound.

I;ve yet to try it for location recording with a stereo pair, but Plush has repeatedly made it clear that this pre is a top pick for that type of use. Of course, the pre is designed for that very application in a "form follows function" sort of way.

Hopefully, after the concert that I'm busy preparing for at the moment, I'll get a chance to really test the pre exhaustively.

Things that I'd like to try:

Multi-tracking...to see how the sound stacks up in mix

different voice types in various styles and mixes

live stereo pair recording of various acoustic ensembles(big and small)

As many different mic combos as possible...read: as affordable.

If you are interested in my findings, let me know.

BTW, the price is definitely right for this type of sound!

O

[mr.gefell]

o.k plush,i am buying one.let's see how it compares to the gordon,grace and amek i have.

[Plush]

Hello Mr. Gefell,

What I would love is to see the face of the BG#1 buyer when they unwrap the shipment and first glimpse the BG. It's so plain, so home made, so unadvertised and so unglamorous! Especially compared to your Gordon!!

However, the sound is there in gobs and spades and this, frankly, is all that matters for the engineer secure about the size of his "package."

You won't regret having this little wonder in your equipment closet. Also the unit's sound grows on you over months and years and, eventually, one comes to realize its towering greatness. That is NO BS and you can quote me!

[Ted Nightshade]

I'm going to be REALLY interested to hear any comparisons of the Broadhurst Gardens to Millenia or Gordon. I had my first Millenia experience the other day, live stereo pair of big ol' tube mics, and liked it a lot. I need something big and open and deep like that, lots of dimension and detail. All live to 2 track stuff here.

[ozmorphasis]

Originally posted by mr.gefell
o.k plush,i am buying one.let's see how it compares to the gordon,grace and amek i have.

Mr. Gefell,

I definitely want to know more about the sound of the Gordon, and since you will have the BG1 soon, I would be very interested in your comparisons.thumbsup

[mr.gefell]

Originally posted by ozmorphasis
Mr. Gefell,

I definitely want to know more about the sound of the Gordon, and since you will have the BG1 soon, I would be very interested in your comparisons.thumbsup

well one thing the gordon has compared to the other pre's i have heard or demoed,is that the gordon has the most quietest "background" sound,it's really hard to explain.it's just a big black noiseless background.The pre also handles *s* information very well.And it's dense...Dense!

[Ted Nightshade]

Plush,

price aside, what would be your preamp of choice for stereo pickups of smaller ensembles? I know you mentioned Crookwood elsewhere...