2 part question,

first off...

how would you guys rate

grace design 101
groove tubes "the brick"
aphex 207d
presonus eureka
Mindprint Envoice MkII

compared to the mic pres on a Mackie 24x8 mixer.

secondly, for $1000... what can i get that would be a quality mic pre or even more bang for the buck.

thanks!

I have no experience with any of the mic pres you listed but I would say the Sytek MXP 4A four channel mic pre is a great deal for your money... very high gain, transparent sound.... solid... I think it goes new for under a grand.

I'll second the Sytek.

There are bunch of good preamps that can be built if you are DIY savvy. Have a look at the kits at jlmaudio.com. The Dual 99V is good.

Phillip

Compared to Mackie preamps, any of the ones on your list are a great improvement. Presonus - not that good. Grace - clean sounding in the low and mids, but those pre's do something weird to the high end. For $1000, it depends on how many channels you want. The Sytek is fantastic for four channels under 1000. But, if you don't need four channels, you could get a hell of a single or dual channel preamp. Also, as Mr P said, if you are handy with a soldering iron, you could build your own - besides JLM, Hamptone and Seventh Circle Audio make DIY kits for well under $1000.

i am getting back this today:
http://www.blacklionaudio.com/sm_pro_8_mki_mod.html

8 channels at about $390.00 after the mod. i will compare the modded SM 8 up against the syteks this weekend w/ and w/o bb mods, tube tech 1272, RNP, and api 312 pres. stupid cheap. plus it is new, hopefully that will make it reliable!

http://www.mercenaryaudio.com/greatrivmp1.html - Great River MP-1nv, gets great reviews everywhere. It's supposed to be "colored," but in a good way. About $1000.

For DIY: http://www.seventhcirclestudios.com/SCA/SCA.htm. The latest Tape Op has reviews of the SCA stuff, and they're definitely favorable.

Oh and seriously, check out http://www.gearslutz.com/board. Set aside a few hours and search for "preamp."

I'll add my support for the sytek mpx-4aii as well. Best improvement I made to my modest bedroom studio.

I've also heard very good things about the Brick, but haven't heard one in action. recording.com bbs loves those things.

LORENZO BOUGHT ONE OF THESE TUBETECH MP1A

http://www.tube-tech.com/image/MP-1A-Perspective.jpg

MUTHAFUKKIN TUBES. EAT DAT . GET DA SHIT NICE AND WARM LIKE INBETWEEN MY THIES BEFO IT GOES ONTO DA HDD, YOU SEE?

kimyetta wrote:MUTHAFUKKIN TUBES. EAT DAT . GET DA SHIT NICE AND WARM LIKE INBETWEEN MY THIES BEFO IT GOES ONTO DA HDD, YOU SEE?

i want you

Maybe a little beyond your budget, but John Hardy makes "the best microphone preamplifier in the whole fucking world," according to my wife, who works for the guy and builds mic preamps.