Skip to main content

Best Dual-Channel Preamp for under 200$

Your Avatar
Submitted by DrummerDan on

I was looking at the M-Audio DMP3, which appears to be universally liked, at its 160$ But if you guys know more obscure pres' let me know.



Just dual-channel or more please

Comments

Your Avatar
Link555

Not an ART fan here, spent too many hours repairing their design issues. Aphex on the other hand is built well and does what it is supposed to do. The mic purchase is more important. Do you like the RODE sound? They are a bit bright in the upper mids, it works well on somethings, and not on others. I have not experienced that model AT, but I like every AT mic I have used. I would avoid the Maudio stuff, lack of quality control...

Tue, 05/24/2011 - 05:53 Permalink
Your Avatar
moonbaby

I have a pair of Aphex 107's, and they are a very serviceable mic pre at a real bargain...$100 each. They don't have a DI input but they do load a mic in a good way. Also, there is the Remote Mute function which lets you turn on/off each XLR input by a footswitch! Plus you can always upgrade the tube...And now that Aphex is sold out and made in China, they are an even better deal.

The MPA's that are "pre-converter, USA-made" versions have a real good reputation, people don't like letting go of theirs. BTW, I have used the original NT-1's as OH, I feel that the NT-5 worked better, IMHO.

Tue, 05/24/2011 - 08:52 Permalink
Your Avatar
DrummerDan

Link555, post: 371641 wrote: Not an ART fan here, spent too many hours repairing their design issues. Aphex on the other hand is built well and does what it is supposed to do. The mic purchase is more important. Do you like the RODE sound? They are a bit bright in the upper mids, it works well on somethings, and not on others. I have not experienced that model AT, but I like every AT mic I have used. I would avoid the Maudio stuff, lack of quality control...



i havent used either, i dont have any way to test them out

Tue, 05/24/2011 - 12:21 Permalink
Your Avatar
RastaSean

Naiant pre-amps kick ass. They may not be ideal for all situations but I think its the best pre for under $500.

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://naiant.com/n…"]Naiant - Microphone Amplifiers[/]="http://naiant.com/n…"]Naiant - Microphone Amplifiers[/]



Sometime this summer there will be a littlebox 1.5 version which will include an upgrade to the amp and a change of input and output transformers.

Wed, 06/08/2011 - 19:08 Permalink
Your Avatar
Mirrormix

I am consistently impressed with the sound of the DMP3. It has plenty of headroom. It has a clean presentation without any harshness and without sacrificing fullness in the low frequencies. It's actually a great sounding pre at any price IMO, and I have some pretty expensive pres that I regularly use. The DMP isn't much of a compromise compared to them. For $160 it's great.



I wrote a review of the DMP3 in use with an NT1A [[url=http://[/URL]="http://enlightenedh…"]HERE[/]="http://enlightenedh…"]HERE[/]. You might check it out.

Tue, 08/09/2011 - 08:35 Permalink