you bypass the 002r pre's by using the 1/4". it will not degregade the sound of your focusrite.

miks wrote: you bypass the 002r pre's by using the 1/4". it will not degregade the sound of your focusrite.

Unless they changed the circuitry from the 001 to the 002, you do NOT avoid the preamp circuitry by using the 1/4" jack. You avoid it by using inputs 5-8. You only change the input level for inputs 1-4 by using the 1/4" input, you don't physically bypass the circuitry. I asked that exact question from the Digi folks about the 001 and that was their response.

AFAIK, there is no hardwire "bypass" switch on the 002R mic inputs. The preamp circuit is always active.

The preamps are pretty clean, and you can certainly run a line-level input to them, but I would still suggest using inputs 5-8 for the cleanest possible signal from an external preamp output.

Thanks for the reply, I am looking into several pre-amps right now. I would like to stay under $1500, so if anyone has any ideas, lemme know.

The focusrite you are talking about sounds awfully LIKE the mic pres on the 002 (and may even be the same)

Have you looked at the Daking eq/pre for about 1500?
Discrete, Class A and enourmously better sounding.
I've made entire records on them. Happily.

It's what i'm using now going into my 002 in my home/writing set-up.

get a Avalon 737 sp on ebay ;)

and speaking of unexciting mic pres:

"get a Avalon 737..." (sic)

unexciting???? r u talking about THE avalon 737 sp??? have you ever trid one? they are way better then the focusrite!!! way better! I know I had one and switched to the avalon a week later!! ;)

I quite agree that it is better than the Focusrite... and that BOTH are unexciting.