Valve Mic Pre-Amps for Classical Music

[Gaston69]

I wonder if any of you use Valve Mic Pre-Amps for Classical Music. I have a Philips recording (The Nutcracker) with Valery Gergiev which has been recorded by Jaap de Jong who used Valve Mic-Pre-Amps.

Does any of you use/recommend Valve Pre-amps?

Gaston

[fifthcircle]

It would be a very dark day that I give up my Vac Rac preamps. Love them.

Other good tube pres I've used for classical include A Designs MP2, Tubetec, and a few others (my memory is a bit short right now). They all have different sounds that can work better or worse for certain things. In the end, though, there is a certain visceral sound you get with tubes and transformers that you simply cannot get with the more transparent stuff.

--Ben

[Plush]

I often use a Thermionic Culture Earlybird 1.2 for my main pair mic amp. The sound is full and thick with tone. Very fast response to transients and big bass too.
Build quality is less than great on Thermionic gear but the sound is very good.

DW Fearn VT series mic amps are also endorsed.
These have excellent sparkly tone and are very well built units. Please support this great American company. Made in U.S.A.

ADL 600 is an outstanding tube mic amp with transformer sound and lots of tone. Buy it used for a good price. Another great Made in U.S.A. company.

[Ronnie Dixon]

I have been using sebatron4000e for recording choir and small ensemble string/percussion sections.Very versatile and musical.

It has made a big difference to the sound.Much warmer and less irritating in the high and high mids area.Thinking of getting a second one so I can have eight channels of valves for close micing AND room mics etc.

[avebr]

My main pair is usually on Millennia M-2b tube preamp - it sounds just amazing with Josephson C617s, Sennheiser MKH800s or [undervaluated] MBHOs (omnis, 604 + KA 100LK) - even brighty KM183s gets nicer with it!

For Decca I go to Benchmark - not enought tube channels for now, so I put the M-2b tube for room pair... also very sexy!

And all spots are non-valve (like Millennia, Grace, Benchmark, Focus[Red], API). Is this sacrilege? I always liked such mixtur!

Never enough pres, never enough mics...


all the best,
ave.

[Marlan]

Just started using a pair V78 Tab Funkenwerk mic amps my studio partner purchased. Thick and juicy. The older I get the more I'm getting into tubes.

I just recorded acoustic guitar with two Wagner U47's going into the V78's.

Damn! If I don't mind saying so myself.

[didier.brest]

I most often prefer the Fearn VT-2 with respect to the DAV BG1 for recording piano. Samples for comparing both on this page (post #15).

[nomoreflakes]

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