Is the DAV BG-1 the "best bang" pre under $1000??

[tdm71]

$700 for two channels & GLOWING reviews, this baby seems to be the best bang for the buck out there under or close to 1k. I have done my research and nothing seems to compare at this price point or am I missing something?? Are there any negatives to this unit for what it offers? I'm a lookin and I'm a likin

[jdjustice]

Yes its a great unit. You should be very happy with it. I haven't really heard any negatives around this forum at least. If there are any, I'd like to hear them and why you feel the BG-1 isn't an awesome pre (that extends to 50kHz!!)..

J.D.

[tdm71]

THANKS any other comments?

[dubrichie]

only positive here!

regards,

richie.

[Lynn Fuston]

There is some competition on the horizon. That's all I can say for now.

Maybe after AES Europe I can say more.

[Blast9]

Hey Lynn...

Whatever happened to the ADK preamp that was being developed? (Actually.... Come to think of it, is this what you're referring to?)

[Lynn Fuston]

Originally Posted by Blast9

Hey Lynn...

Whatever happened to the ADK preamp that was being developed? (Actually.... Come to think of it, is this what you're referring to?)

Not what I'm referring to, and I don't have any idea what the price is for those.

It's out. I've been seeing ads and just got a note from Larry Villella (owner of ADK) a few weeks ago. I've not heard it or spoken to anyone who has. Cool concept though.

Here's a picture that Larry sent me. So far, I think they offer 5 preamps and 5 transformers. Each interchangeable in the same unit. That means lots of options.

[Lynn Fuston]

Actually, I just can't discuss specifics, but the Wes Dooley preamp that was designed by Fred Forssell to be used with ribbon mics will be shown at AES Europe next week.

I can't get into more specifics than I've already revealed at my site after AES '05.
See item 23 in this post:

http://www.3daudioinc.com/3db/showpo...1&postcount=33

It will be in the $800 price range for a stereo unit. In my preliminary tests, it sounds very good. I'll know more when I get one that I can hang onto longer.

[T.RayBullard]

DAV is fantastic. a search will show you how much they are loved here.

Post this in the remote /location forum..many users there.

[coosticks]

Didn't Dave Gilmour buy a load of these?

[T.RayBullard]

Originally Posted by coosticks

Didn't Dave Gilmour buy a load of these?

yep. Mark Knopfler too.

[AdamJay]

I'd like to hear the BG-1 against a ULN-2, which also gives you 2 A/D and 4 D/A for under a grand.

The ULN-2 is such a fast preamp that it took me all but about 10 seconds of recording to realize my Earthworks TC30k's + ULN-2 was not gonna happen. (There is such a thing as too much transient response)

I think when yer talking "bang for buck", the ULN-2 might have the edge thanks to the addition of (very GOOD) converters, sends/returns, extra outs, etc. And while it requires a Mac for firewire operation, it can work in standalone mode, and you could set up every posssible routing config on a friend's Mac with the MIO Console.app and save them to the 10 "snapshot" buttons.

[mds]

DAV pre is great. I've yet to run into something I didn't like about it. It is a clean pre with a little extra fat, but not a colored pre by any means. Super smooth and detailed. I love it.

[Plush]

When are you guys going to get your heads cut in?
I mean REALLY. . .

Stop talking out of your ass where you say DAV is good for the price.

DAV Electronics mic amps are the best mic amps in the world--regardless of price.

If you don't have the DECCA knowledge, you CAN'T beat the DECCA sound.
Other designers must realize that by now.

All I can sincerely say is that if you don't listen to DAV, you haven't lived!

[mds]

Hahaha...woah...hahaha... :D

[T.RayBullard]

Get em Plush!

Originally Posted by Plush

When are you guys going to get your heads cut in?
I mean REALLY. . .

Stop talking out of your ass where you say DAV is good for the price.

DAV Electronics mic amps are the best mic amps in the world--regardless of price.

If you don't have the DECCA knowledge, you CAN'T beat the DECCA sound.
Other designers must realize that by now.

All I can sincerely say is that if you don't listen to DAV, you haven't lived!

[sears]

How does the BG-1 stack over lots of tracks?

[Axiz7]

Originally Posted by sears

How does the BG-1 stack over lots of tracks?

Yeah...What he said!

[Plush]

WHAT??

You are in charge of the "stacking" of tracks.
Besides, what you ask about is a fallacy!

SO. . .you control how you stack and the airiness or density thereof.

The machine does not control you----YOU control the machine.

How does it stack? It stacks as YOU require.

besides, I'd rather spend time with she who is stacked than a piece of gear.

[sears]

I do pretty good stacking with my Mackies. I thought my question was clear.

You're from Chicago, Plush: would you prefer to stack BG-1 or Sytek tracks and why? Do you have any other preamps you can compare in this regard? How would you describe the overall flavor of a lot of tracks?

Sixteen tracks of Mackie starts to show a little ghostliness, especially the percussion. This thread interests me because the BG-1 is one upgrade I'm considering. I hope I have made myself clearer.

[Bhang]

I have a Ward Beck M460B stereo channel strip with EQ which cost me @ $800 shipped from Dave Thomas. This pre is colored, but I think it sounds great. I have done some direct comparisons with a Manley 2 channel tube pre / and an older Trident pre ( which all sounded quite different from each other) and I prefered the Ward Beck. This is a great pre for under $1,000.00 - just not new and if you are looking for uncolored this is not the one.
Cheers,
Bhang

[orville]

This is almost funny.
Again, and again is the dav pre good..
Why is it so many times that people ask and ask anew, regardless of all the posts and threads about how great the dav pres are?

Is it because they are not expensive?

And i also agree with Plush, whats with the 'bang for the buck' bull?

-Have you heard this pre/ have you heard pricier pres? Then, surely you d hear its a great pre, not 'for the buck'...
If you ve used it, you know its not built for 'bucks', its built for resolution, definition, width and depth.

[lerone]

The BG1 is toooooooo good! Best £500 i've ever spent, second place comes EH 12ay7 with cryo treated GEC's for £190! Sounds so gorgeous. These are my best bargains ever!

[pianomog]

little help please... trying to decide between the great river me1nv, or the dav BG1. i have About $1000.00 to spend and have herd great things about the great river. but if i can get two quality pres for the price of 1. that would be good. just wana know if it stacks up. my set up is digi 002 rack, mac pro, rme adi2, focusrite octopre, mojave ma-200,. just to let you know, this is my first post, i have done nothing but read all these post for the last two years and have learned so much. so on behalf of all us NOOBS. THANK YOU!

[Nobilmente]

The DAV preamps are a class act in everyway.

I feel so happy about plugging microphones into them on location, I know it's going to give those mics a chance to show what they can do and not rob them of any of their quality.

We have lots of DAV channels here.............but not enough!!

[Jim Williams]

Plenty of used ones on the market now. Seems for those folks the thrill is gone.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[PDC]

Originally Posted by Nobilmente

The DAV preamps are a class act in everyway.

I feel so happy about plugging microphones into them on location, I know it's going to give those mics a chance to show what they can do and not rob them of any of their quality.

We have lots of DAV channels here.............but not enough!!

Didn't someone look under the hood and discover that there isn't much diff between dav and Behringer? Trying to find the post.

[FireMoon]

Originally Posted by Jim Williams

Plenty of used ones on the market now. Seems for those folks the thrill is gone.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

That is a tad unfair. There's a lot of people bought them for their home set up who ,after a couple of years decided recordings not for them. Plus, there are a whole welter of people who think , because of the price, as they move up the food chain they *ought to buy something more expensive*, irrelevant of whether it is actually 1 suitable and 2 actually any better..

Then, there are a hell of a lot of people who sell the small form version to buy the rack mount one, simply because it looks the dogs danglies...

[Teddy Ray]

Jim Williams has been on a crusade against Mick and his products since they came out... pay no attention to him. I suspect part of this crusade is inspired by his desire to do his modifications..like most everything else he posts.cant blame him really, all have something to sell.

or the dunce that says "not much difference between them and behringer"

..



Mick was a design engineer at Decca for many, many years. That says enough right there.

that isnt to say that everyone will like it..but if you cannot get an amazing recording out of DAV amps, it isnt the amps that are to blame...

[aleatoric]

Check out the BLA Auteur! Never had a BG-1 so I can't really speak about that but I love my BLA Auteur.....total bang for the buck!