OSA MP1-L = $575
API Lunchbox = $425

total = $1,000

and the next 5 preamps you buy will be cheaper because you'd already have the lunchbox.
OSA's are under $600
API, Shadow Hills, Purple, BAE are all under $700
and the A-Designs are around $800

its a no-brainer, really.

agreed, unless you absolutly NEED a scoop on vox while tracking, get some 500 gear and bulid it up and up and up , if you need some "control" on stuff the trident s40 has a really sick eq and and well rounded compressor, its very clean w/o being to "ticky ticky", thats a good option as well, b/c of the combination of quality eq and pre , maybee 850-900/

Not that I've used it, so take it with a huge grain of salt, but the Speck stuff looks like a lot of bang for the buck.

In that price range (USD), I had Grace 101, Presonus MP20, HHB Radius, Summit 2BA-221, RNP, Symetrix 302, and Speck MP5.0 here at the same. Of course some are single channel.

The Speck was far and away the best IMO, no contest. But, of course the most expensive out of that particular bunch. Just a great pure sound. And it also absolutely competed with much more expensive preamps after I brought those in.

Don't forget if you can pick up that line you might also be able to get the wonderful ASC equalizer. I think Speck equipment is hands down one of the greatest values in pro audio today,

Steve

One more vote for the DAV BG-1. $700.00 USD currently.

Oh, and the TAB-Funkenwerk. $950.00 USD.

Trust me on this (how arrogant).

The BAE 312a mic pre, mountable in a lunch box. They start at $599 and the more you buy, the better price those guys will give you. They sound heeeyuge and are hands down the best value in a top of the line mic pre available. I own 11. And I'm Canadian, if that counts for anything?

http://brentaverill.com/312a/

Hey Greg, you never told me which was your favorite clone: the BAEs or the Chandler LTD-1???

Give us the dirt!! heh heh


J.D.

Et voila le dirt! To me, the BAE 312a isn't a clone of an API. It shares similar characteristics, but it is its own thing. Open open open, huge huge huge. Best mic pre bang for the buck on the planet.

The Chandler LTD-1 is damn impressive and we love it at my studio (got 2). It's a little more aggressive sounding than Brent Averill's 1073, and I go back and forth between them for different things.

Proaudio Canada would do well with the Portico line by Rupert Neve.

This stuff is not the cheapest but it is great value and it sounds top drawer.

If the ToftAudio mixer turns out not to be a dud then that may be another hit product to look at.

For the most part I agree with what everyone else is recommending.

Lunchbox stuff is cool and cheaper.

This isn't about pre-amps ( as I haven't tried their pre's yet ) but you would do well to get Audio Engineering Associates on board. Their ribbon mics are to die for! They also specialize in a few more "esoteric" type of things. I don't know what sort of representation they have in Canada, but I'd imagine that'd be a good line to carry.

I'd also look at John Hardy, as I don't know if their factory-direct-sales thing applies to your market.

[QUOTE=proaudiocanada]I've heard from a few people that RNP sounds good, but is just a tad too ghetto for what we are trying to do. QUOTE]

And what is it you're trying to do? Make ignorant WTF comments on a public forum? If so, you're succeeding - and alienating potential buyers from taking you seriously.

DAV!

alright. sorry for the 'ghetto' slang. it wasn't ment to offend simply to illustrate that we don't want to carry products that are on the lower price scale (even if they are good). Like I said there are plenty of places that carry inexpensive products we just don't need to be one of them.

boy, people get offended so easily.