Does anyone have an informed opinion regarding comparisons of SCA mic preamps vs John Hardy, or Great River? I realize the "bang for the buck" argument on behalf of SCA. But from a head-to-head comparison of sheer sonic quality, can you hear a difference between e.g. the SCA J99 vs the John Hardy manufactured mic preamp?
Especially with respect to sonic seperation within the stero field.
My dilemma: Do I want to IMMEDIATELY purchase an SCA Unit with say J99, Neve, API. Or would I rather buy the real deals at a rate of 1 per year for the next few years.
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I haven't heard the GR or Hardy, but I have an SCA rack with 2 x
I haven't heard the GR or Hardy, but I have an SCA rack with 2 x J99 and 2 x N72 and they sound great.
If you're trying to compare the N72 to the Great River MP-2NV, you're really looking at an apples vs. oranges deal, because the GR is a new design that Dan Kennedy and Fletcher did with the goal to IMPROVE on the Neve 1073 mic amp. Fletcher says they wanted the rich sound with a tighter more cohesive low end, and from what I've heard about it, they got it right. The N72 is more of a straight 1272 ala Vintech and Brent Averill. It does sound wonderful, though
The J99 is supposedly more of a direct translation of the Hardy Twin Servo design, complete with dual Hardy 990c opamps, if you can still get them. It took Tim at SCA 8 weeks to get four of them for my pair of J99's last year. The original Twin Servo design was actually a creation of Deane Jensen, the late transformer guru and father of Jensen trannies, so I don't think SCA is ripping Hardy off by marketing their version of it. In any event, the J99 sounds incredible.
Thanks for the inputs guys. Each of you has half the answer whi
Thanks for the inputs guys. Each of you has half the answer which is very helpful. Hopefully, someone out there has actually performed an A/B.
Screws -- On Songramp. I heard some of your material recorded with J99s (acoustic guitar and vocals) -- very nice -- both the songs and the sonic quality. BTW -- I emailed you a couple of weeks ago via your web-site regarding the J99s and other stuff. Not sure if you received it or not.
No, I never got your email. Send it to me here: stevecruz@bells
No, I never got your email. Send it to me here:
I haven't tried the SCA stuff yet, but... You just can't go wro
I haven't tried the SCA stuff yet, but...
You just can't go wrong with John Hardy or Great River.
I own many channels of both and use them every day.
Both will hold thier value over time and are "proven" mic pre's.
Maybe not the exact answer your looking for but at least half an answer.
Chris