BUT
i don't hear a difference between that A12 preamp (api) and that behringer eurodesk

http://www.chowhouse.com/~james/sca/

I've had excellent results pairing my 4038s with both sytek and john hardy m2s. Mine are 300 Ohm Coles made bought new about six years ago.

I'm really happy with this:

http://aes.harmony-central.com/115AES/C ... ni-MP.html

I've been using it with my Beyerdynamic M160 and M130 ribbons

They have been discontinued but maybe you can pick one up for cheap.

the cool thing is the mini-mp has a built-in M/S stereo decoder. Since the Coles is a Figure of Eight you will be able to do some cool M/S stuff.

If I want straight 4038, I like using the John Hardy, and Sytek preamps.
I will use our modified Ampex 351s as well. The added high end on the preamp is a perfect touch in most cases.

bigramp wrote:BUT
i don't hear a difference between that A12 preamp (api) and that behringer eurodesk

http://www.chowhouse.com/~james/sca/

Not the great difference I would expect on the snare, but the left channel definitely has some girth to it that the right doesn't on the guitar sample.

Grace Design M101.

Has a dedicated ribbon button that increases the input impedance (and disables phantom power), and 75db of gain. Sounds very clean and 'crisp' though rather than 'tube-y' - having said that, if you're going to be using the Coles for vocals or acoustic guitar as well as overheads you may benefit from the clarity and extended top end.

thanks everyone

i'm checking every pre-amps...

anybody here has experience with the DAV Electronics BG-1 ?
http://www.davelectronics.com/bg1.htm

or BG-1U, this one is more expensive but has a D.I
http://www.davelectronics.com/bg1u.htm

bigramp wrote:anybody here has experience with the DAV Electronics BG-1 ?
http://www.davelectronics.com/bg1.htm

Never tried it, but it has a good reputation. It seems to be a pre designed for stereo classical recording rather than rock n' roll / project studio use though.

The thing that puts me off it as an all-purpose pre is the universal phantom - both channels or none. I can straightaway think of several problems I'd have with that.

didn't notice the phantom power issue
i guess it can be easily modded to eliminate +48v on one input. maybe by e-mailing the guy before purchasing, or asking him what to unplug.

it seems a transparent preamp is recommended for a 4038 cause it surely has enough character itself...
yet i'm on the rock n roll side and spending that much money on something "transparent" is confusing me !

bigramp wrote:thanks everyone

i'm checking every pre-amps...

anybody here has experience with the DAV Electronics BG-1 ?
http://www.davelectronics.com/bg1.htm

or BG-1U, this one is more expensive but has a D.I
http://www.davelectronics.com/bg1u.htm

price?