the pendulum audio quartet is the best of all of those for under 3000

Johnson Cabasa wrote: the pendulum audio quartet is the best of all of those for under 3000

It just occurred to me that I might be creating the confusion :oops: by looking for something in one piece of equipment that applies to two completely separate needs. Wanting a mic preamp for vocals and a preamp for instruments. Maybe there's no such thing?

The Hardy reads as if it might be the perfect vocal pre... then again, so does the ViPre; with it's switchable possibilities. The Manley appears to be more for instrument signals... but (really) I don't know; it might be perfect for both. The Pendulum seems to be comparable to the Manley more-so than to the ViPre or the Hardy.

So, I did. I created the confusion. Or did I? I'm trying to find out about new equipment and now I'm not sure if I've asked you to compare apples to oranges.

God wrote: No, you didn't create any confusion, you are just confused. Any of the preamps you've mentioned (and including the Pendulum) are good for both vocals and instruments. The Manley and Pendulum have the added De-Esser and Compressor which are both very helpful in tweaking the vocal signal on the way to the board, but if you have these pieces of equipment in your outboard arsenal why buy them again? The EQ available on the Manley and Pendulum would be better suited to instruments than vocals where EQ would typically be applied to the vocal track during mixing/mix down more so than on the way in to keep the options open.

You have to ask yourself if plugging into one of two transformers available on two different inputs of the Pendulum or plugging into one transformer at the input stage of the Hardy and Manley allows for as much flexibility as the ViPre in situations where signal shaping via transformer input is important. Ask yourself if you want a preamp that has multiple possibilities or limited possibilities where transformers are concerned. If you strip away the De-Esser, Compressor and EQ from the Manley and Pendulum would you be left with a piece of equipment as versatile as the ViPre? Even with the optional output transformer on the Hardy… another stripped down unit like the ViPre (no EQ, no De-Esser, no Compressor)… ask yourself if it is as flexible as the ViPre.

The ViPre has an advantage over the others mentioned because of the variable impedance and amplifier rise-time switching which allows for a huge amount of possibilities for both vocals and instruments; while it does not have the De-Esser, Compressor or EQ available on the Manley and Pendulum, these unique 'switching' options open the door to more possibilities than the Manley, Pendulum and Hardy are capable of. You can always tweak a signal tracked through the ViPre with an outboard De-Esser, Compressor and EQ but you can't tweak a signal tracked with the Manley, Pendulum or Hardy with the switching options available on the ViPre. All the units mentioned have a transformer on the input side but the ViPre outpaces them all… the Manley and Hardy by 4 to 1 and the Pendulum by 2 to 1.

Your question to the forum would have been better served if it were asked this way:
Which preamp… ViPre, Manley or Hardy… would you prefer (on either a vocal or instrument signal) if the De-Esser, Compressor and EQ were bypassed?

I'd tell you but I can't because I gave you the freedom to make your own decisions… you know, free will... sorry.
Good luck,
God

wow... now what?
Oh, yeah...

Which preamp… ViPre, Manley or Hardy… would you prefer (on either a vocal or instrument signal) if the De-Esser, Compressor and EQ were bypassed?

Well I appreciate the reads and the one suggestion of the Pendulum but I'm slowly coming to the conclusion this may not be the place to ask the question in the first place. It all comes down to personal preference, personal experience and opinions anyway; after all, this isn't Mix Online!

There's more information in reading, talking to live people who have used the equipment and have some tales to tell... and, of course, trying some of it out. This is a great place to begin searching, to get pointed in any number of directions to any number of great products but not where definitive answers can be found. There's nothing wrong with that and it's probably better in the long run.

So, anyway I know what I'm getting... I'm sure some people were holding their breath on that... go ahead, breathe. :wink:

Since all three units are quite capable and are also quite different from one another, any one of them could be the perfect unit or could not be the perfect unit. More people didn't bother to answaer because the question is subjective and there is NO right or best answer. You seem to be on the right track in that only YOU can answer the question.