Used and often right at $200 is the ART Pro MPA. The older one without the converters.

I will say it again used Aphex 107 the grey one (the first one)
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.soundons…"]Aphex 107[/]="http://www.soundons…"]Aphex 107[/]
you can find them for $70USD

Alright guys, instead of starting a new thread, im just going to change this one up a bit.

I have the option of either getting Rode NT1-A with the M-Audio for drum overheads, and that would take up the rest of the budget, OR get AT2035's with the ART Pro MPA, they are just about the exact same price. which would you prefer?

I think the mics are a toss-up and the MPA has a more 'complete' soundfield.

the mics themselves might be a toss-up, but the 130$+ difference between them is big enough.

i think thats just bout enough to say the AT's with the MPA would be the best. THey do have the roll-off and pad. unlike the RODE, they can handle up to 150dB

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 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.

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

where do you even find them, they are discontinued.

yes btw im talking about the USA version

google it, there are a few on another forum....

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.

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.

Used Rane DMS22
Used Presonus MP20

My vote would be for a used Presonus MP20. I've had both the DMP3 and ART MPA Gold here and sold them both.
The ART did have a really nice tone to it but I found it to be very noisey.