The Great River pre gets my attention. It was this site that made me decide to wait and buy the good stuff rather than buy something like the RNP or VTB1.

Thornbyrd wrote: Is it just me, or do others feel that the Studio projects C1 mic and VTB1 pre really shine as you listen to all the samples using either of them?

Most would say the SP stuff is very good. Many of those (myself included) would qualify that statement with "it's very good stuff for the price". Once in a while, someone will dis the SP stuff, but that's very rare.

To my ears, the SP stuff is very good at its price point(s). There are certainly much better pres and mics available, usually at higher to much higher prices.

If you can't hear the difference, it doesn't matter. If you can't (or don't want to) afford the difference, it also doesn't matter.

Preamp VTB-1

I have a VTB-1 it's a clean pre but I dont see a big difference with this preamp then the pre in my boards A&H,Yamaha pro 01 or the Berhinger pre,

I by a Sebatron 2000e and I heard a real difference more bass more acurate sound and good service from Sebatron, I dream to have 8 Sebatron pre

The VTB1 isn't meant to be in the running with those kinds of pres and for what it is, it works fine. I like sound of Mackie pres just a little better in side by side comparisons but in a blind test on unrelated matierial, I would be hard pressed to say which was which.

I have a friend that uses a VTB1 with his KORG D1600 and the VTB1 is a large improvement over the KORG's pres and it's probably a good bit better than the pres in any of the porta studios.

As a stand alone pre for a 2 input sound card set up, the VTB1 is perfect, providing control over basic functions like phase, HP filter, pre-post gain structure, input impeadence and overdrive control with pre-post metering. There's not much that SP overlooked in terms of features. It's a great pre with all the bells and whistles at an affordable cost. What's not to like?