Universal Audio DCS Preamp - are they any good?

mljung · 14th September 2008

Just wanted to know if anyone here have any experience with the UA DCS remote preamp. I'm not interested in it's detailed features unless it really sounds good. Has someone compared them to a D.A.V. or any other well known preamp, for it's sound quality alone?

Mads

DustinPottyMouth · 24th September 2008

sure would be nice if someone actually knew.....

markalex · 19th May 2010

I love mine - I got nervous, since there weren't any great celeb. endorsements for this (unlike the other UA gear) but 4 magazines gave it great reviews, so I tried it.

Its incredibly simple, and a treat to monitor through instead of software -- no latency, simple mix control of recorded material and vocals, great metering and hey - they're UA pres ! Its not a 610, but I'd say its pretty damn close to a 110.

vicwind · 11th August 2011

I got the DCS when it first came out while working at L&M in Vancouver. I also have the DAV BG No.2, so I could not resist chiming in on this old thread.
First off, the DCS pre is actually clean if kept within the middle of its range.
It also sounds clearer with the low cut engaged. I agree with other posters in another thread that this pre does seem to lack headroom somewhat. But I found that with very careful level setting, I was able to achieve clean tracks. If I tried to record hot, it sounded muddy and hinted at breaking up. THe other downside is the digital control of the pre itself, on a continuous gain knob. It causes little clicks if you adjust it during tracking. The gain pot is fine when not moving.

The DAV Broadhurst gardens pres are nothing like the DCS and are my main mic pre right now. I'm looking to get the eight channel version next. Clear, open, yet leaning toward thick sounding. Close to an HV3D, far less expensive.
Bottom line is the DCS does give a decent input path and handy 0 latency monitoring and reverb in a neat package.
One more thing: the trans-impedance type pre-amp used tends to heat up quite significantly, which always made me concerned.

14th September 2008	#1
mljung Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Location: Copenhagen, DK Posts: 1,136 Thread Starter 1 Review written	Universal Audio DCS Preamp - are they any good? Just wanted to know if anyone here have any experience with the UA DCS remote preamp. I'm not interested in it's detailed features unless it really sounds good. Has someone compared them to a D.A.V. or any other well known preamp, for it's sound quality alone? Mads __________________ ¤ Sound and Visual Art ¤ ¤ Risk Recording ¤

19th May 2010	#3
markalex Gear interested Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 13	ua dcs I love mine - I got nervous, since there weren't any great celeb. endorsements for this (unlike the other UA gear) but 4 magazines gave it great reviews, so I tried it. Its incredibly simple, and a treat to monitor through instead of software -- no latency, simple mix control of recorded material and vocals, great metering and hey - they're UA pres ! Its not a 610, but I'd say its pretty damn close to a 110.

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24th September 2008	#2
DustinPottyMouth Gear Head Joined: Jun 2008 Posts: 47	sure would be nice if someone actually knew.....

11th August 2011	#4
vicwind Gear interested Joined: Feb 2010 Posts: 6	I got the DCS when it first came out while working at L&M in Vancouver. I also have the DAV BG No.2, so I could not resist chiming in on this old thread. First off, the DCS pre is actually clean if kept within the middle of its range. It also sounds clearer with the low cut engaged. I agree with other posters in another thread that this pre does seem to lack headroom somewhat. But I found that with very careful level setting, I was able to achieve clean tracks. If I tried to record hot, it sounded muddy and hinted at breaking up. THe other downside is the digital control of the pre itself, on a continuous gain knob. It causes little clicks if you adjust it during tracking. The gain pot is fine when not moving. The DAV Broadhurst gardens pres are nothing like the DCS and are my main mic pre right now. I'm looking to get the eight channel version next. Clear, open, yet leaning toward thick sounding. Close to an HV3D, far less expensive. Bottom line is the DCS does give a decent input path and handy 0 latency monitoring and reverb in a neat package. One more thing: the trans-impedance type pre-amp used tends to heat up quite significantly, which always made me concerned.