I would also consider the focusrite TwinTrak Pro if you are recording stereo sources. The TwinTrak has ganged stereo operation so you don't have to match your setting on both channels. Depends on what you are looking for.

Boltino

I have been told, by a studio owner I trust, that the MP20 is excellent.

TG

Since you mention the Aphex, I'll speak to it here.

Overall, it's a decent pre. It's better than what you'll find in most budget consoles. The tube is a starved plate so don't expect much tube sound. (That goes for almost every pre in this price range. The SP VTB-1 is a minor exception.)

They do a combination of through-the-board and surface mount stuff, so it's relatively easy to do mods and upgrades and the price is decent.

I'm personally not a fan of the Focusrite platinum series - Mackie 1202 sounds better (more open, cleaner, less strained) for the money.

J.

i'm gonna second the MP20. you can also stick some Burr Brown op amps in it super easily for $18 per channel- Burr-Brown opa627ap. i just did this last week and it tightens up the low end and gives it a different "sparkle." i have the one with jensen transformers and have been very happy with it on many sources!

heck, get 2 and do the op amp upgrade on one and leave the other one "stock." this way you'll have a dark one and a light one : ) i think i'm gonna grab another...

mckay

The Jensens in the M20 really make all the difference. Unfortunately, PreSonus only used them the first year of production. IMO the newer units don't measure up.

There's an issue with inadiquate output gain as well with all the PreSonus pres. For some reason unexplained, they have opted to use 0dB as the nominal output level. This shouldn't be an issue but there are many reports of the PreSonus pres failing to reach adiquate levels into a +4dB input. Of course, if you're running at semi pro levels (-10dB) this shouldn't be a problem.

I wrote a review of the M80 (the same pres in an 8 channel package). You can find it in the E Mag.

Uh.... None of the above. Really Nice Pre maybe. the really nice compressor bangs for the buck. I have heard good things about the sytek 4ch pre.

Guys i have to tell you the truth: I have an ugly preamp: Behringer this is the worst thing i ever heard.
Sorry never meant to hurt anyone!! :cry:

I was thinking maybe buy me a Mackie mixer. i really liked too when using a 4 channels tascam.

About the burr brown op amp? where can i find it??

Aphex: did you know any mods??

Just go to the texas instruments website and look up the opa627 (this is the opamp that is being refered to here, formerly made by Burr Brown corp). You can order free samples and they will overnight them to you at no cost. This is nice because it makes the mod painless if you don't like the results. I have done this mod on my Eureka and I like it, though I didn't really record to much through the Eureka with the old NE5534 opamp, so I can't really qualify any difference.

Tim