The Great River MP-2NV (MicPre 2 NeVe - or MicPre 2 eNVy) is a 2 channel microhpne preamplifier in a compact 1 U chassis. It has XLR and jack outputs and also features a unbalanced insert. A perfect feature for connecting unbalanced outboard equipment (like the RNC) and still using the output transformer of the MP-2NV. Input impedance switch, output loading switch, phantom power, phase reverse switch, switchable gain (up to 60dB's) and a potentiometer for trimming the output further. It also has an instrument jack input on the front.

The character of the MP-2NV ranges from fairly clean to quite aggressive! Turning up the input gain and dimming the output trim will yield the most colored sounds from the unit and vice versa.
The tone of the amp is VERY powerful, punchy and solid. It is my go to preamp for almost every purpose.
Don't forget to mess with the output loading as it tend to "clean up" the sound of the preamp.
For electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass and synths the instrument input sounds better than anything I have ever heard. It captures the timbre of the instruments in a very pleasing way.

It pairs nicely up with every mic in my arsenal. Especially my Royer R121's love the MP-2NV. They need quite a lot of gain. Here it really can add some character when driven hard.

This is one of the worlds greatest preamps. Thanks to Dan Kennedy at Great River and the guys at Mercenary for creating this masterpiece!

This is the only piece of equipment (after my interface and computer) that I use on every session as a mic pre and DI. I actually don't use the few features it has and don't overdrive it preferring a clean sound. I 'd recommend it to anyone as their first quality pre.

Other pres have come and gone but I can't imagine ever getting rid of it.

Now I don't have much experience with Neve clones. When I got the opportunity to demo out this unit it was alongside my LA610 which is a preamp with a different color. There aren't very many controls on this guy. It has some interesting buttons on the front like the "loading" button for adjusting the output resistance. The impedance setting was great for using with my low output microphones like a Shure SM7 or ribbon mic, although, even with it was set for the best results I still needed to pull the gain dial all the way to the max setting to get the right level. Luckily, though, when it was set all the way up it was a consistent, pleasurable, not noisy, warm sound that I imagine is what is makes that british tone so favorable. I like this better than either of the single channels because it fits nicely in the rack and I can use one channel for my bass DI and the other for micing sources like guitars or use both channels to get a nice warm stereo sound. I will say that the warmth compared to my LA610 was more of a midrange voiced but in a pleasing way. Get this!

The Great River MP-2NV is simply the best money I have ever spent on a piece of studio recording equipment. I was originally directed to check it out by my long time buddy and Vancouver audio engineer Rob Begg. He couldn't say enough good about it and felt that "it would bring a special little sparkle to my sounds" while recording my solo CD in my home studio. I was recording on a Digi 003 rack with PT Le 8 and while having the ability to track my own work on my own schedule was awesome the digi's pre-amps just were not cutting it. The change for me was instant and obvious. I used it on practically everything. My main mike was a Rode NT2 and with the Great River pre the acoustic instruments and vocals jumped to life. I used it on all my electric guitars and bass plugging straight in to the NV's Hi-Z input and quickly playing with the different input options of Polarity/ Impedance/ Loading/ and Phantom for the mics. It is VERY easy to use and the gain options are second to none. The designers of this pre-amp really know what they are doing. I don't have a million dollar studio but investing in this pre-amp made me sound a lot closer and made me realize the value of having a great signal path! Im planning on ditching my Digi 003 and getting one of the Universal Audio Apollo I/O's as soon as they are available. You can hear my finished record that I used the Great River Pre on at Steve McCall | Halifax, NS, CA | Rock | Music, Lyrics, Songs, and Videos | ReverbNation

I know that this well-known mic preamp is a modern classic, but I wanted to leave a review anyhow. My first experience with Great River was when I picked up a used MP2H mic pre about 15 years ago. This was Dan Kennedy's original product which has since been discontinued and it was my first decent preamp. If you ever find one for sale, buy it! A very clean but big-sounding pre. I love it and still use it. Anyway, I bought the MP2NV about five years later, after comparing it to a pair of Neve pres I had that were converted from a broadcast console. The Neve and the MP2NV sounded almost identical, but with the MP2NV having a better top end. I sold the Neves, bought the MP2NV and put some extra money in my pocket for other gear. The MP2NV is a well thought-out design, a fantastic, versatile mic pre that can add some heft to your tracks, and it is built like a tank.

I want to mention Dan Kennedy's support of his products. A couple of years ago, I sent my old MP2H back to him when I started having problems with the DI jack switch. He replaced the jack for free, checked it out, and quickly sent it back at his own expense, and I was not even the original owner! Last month I accidentally stepped on a cable that was plugged into the DI of the MP2NV, which yanked the plug hard enough to break the plastic barrel on the DI jack. I attempted to repair it myself but could not get the pre taken apart enough to do it, so I sent it back to Dan. He repaired it immediately and sent it back. Not only did he replace the jack, he also upgraded the tantulum capacitors at the same time, without charge. This kind of service is rare these days. You may think Great River gear to be expensive, but when you take into account this level of support, it's a bargain.