$5 mic pre vs. $1500 mic pre... can you hear the difference?

Ice Man said:
Well, aside from the whole cost effectiveness debate, I like how the converters used wasn't mentioned. Your AD/DA conversation will play a HUGE roll in how preamps, especially variances in preamps, will translate. Plus, as others have stated, how preamps influence a mix. Track a whole mix through each one and then see. That, or send all three through high-quality conversion and I'm pretty sure the results would be much less hazy.:)
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You sound like you hang out on Gearslutz too much. :heh:

The whole converter debate thing is pretty overblown, IMNSHO. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I've heard some really impressive stuff recorded through an ADA8000.
 
OzNimbus said:
The whole converter debate thing is pretty overblown, IMNSHO. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I've heard some really impressive stuff recorded through an ADA8000.
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Yeah there was this guy at gearslutz who cycled an song through his ADA 1/couple/32 times and posted it, needless to see, a little got chopped but much of the song was still there. ADA8000 Sounds pretty good to me :headbang:
 
OzNimbus said:
You sound like you hang out on Gearslutz too much. :heh:

The whole converter debate thing is pretty overblown, IMNSHO. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I've heard some really impressive stuff recorded through an ADA8000.
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Oh, I agree...GS has every other thread based around conversion, however, it's certain not irrelevant by any means. Granted, the tester said that comparison wasn't scientific, but if you wanna compare preamps, you should run it into gear that'll let you actually hear the difference. I mean, do you think your APIs would sound as good if run into a firepod or fast track instead of your FF800? No, because the FF800 has far better conversion to truly accent and show the sonic characteristics. That's all I'm sayin'.
 
Ice Man said:
No, because the FF800 has far better conversion to truly accent and show the sonic characteristics. That's all I'm sayin'.
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When will it ever stop, theres different characteristics to every converter. One does this, the other does that... I hate people who compare shit like this. I've heard plenty of crap recorded on million dollar equipment and amazing records on firepods. Its about the ears... the ears :loco:
 
R-Stuur said:
When will it ever stop, theres different characteristics to every converter. One does this, the other does that... I hate people who compare shit like this. I've heard plenty of crap recorded on million dollar equipment and amazing records on firepods. Its about the ears... the ears :loco:
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Well I agree on the latter part, but I'm not sure a converter is something that can have any characteristics besides "good" or "bad." Cuz unlike a preamp, where some coloration is inevitable, as I see it the only variable in converters is the quality of their clock and jitter reduction, which is either good or shitty.

That being said, though, one thing I've come to believe is that converter quality is much more noticeable in really acoustic music, like live ensembles and such...
 
Bump on this one. Has anyone got around to building these suckers? I forgot the whole thing, and just yesterday had another look at it. I'm a bit confused, though. If I were to leave all the extra such as phantom out of the circuit, would I leave with only the INA217 and the resistors? If someone would like to make a layout-for-the-idiots -drawing of this circuit, I'd be willing to give a blowj... erm... a nice, warm thankyou, at least.
 
Yes, as said before I've built them, so unless I don't count they have been built. I have not, however, been able to get more 217s as my supply from the free sample is all used up. I did, however, get a few of the two-per-chip and four-per-chip circuits so that might happen when I'm not trying to graduate. I don't have mine anymore, but I will eventually be able to ship a few out to board members, I think.

I actually put everything in, but then disabled the phantom power by just wiring it with the switch off. It's not that much more to solder in, I don't remember exactly how it's supposed to be boiled down all the way. The circuit is, at heart, an INA217 with shit around it, so if you're good with basic op-amp design you should be able to work it out... and if not, Wikipedia!

Jeff
 
Without phantom power, you only need 4. You can also use two 9Vs and two charge pump converters (like the 820s use to get 18V out of a 9V battery) if you really don't like batteries.

Jeff
 
I guess I have to hunt down a few of these chips and fiddle around a bit. I don't think I'm going to include the phantom option, since having 9 batteries in a single unit doesn't seem very convenient to me. I just have to figure out how I'm supposed to connect the batteries to the chip (the whole +15V to one pin and -15V to another boggles the shit outta me, since fuzz stomps are the most complicated units I have built ;)) and it should be all set.
 
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