UPDATE: Like many many others, I've youtube'd a million times and read as much as I can find and have narrowed it to:

Black Lion b172a (dual 1176 and 2a)

or

Black Lion Seventeen (1176) and Golden Age 3a

Any opinions, preferences, guidance? As the original post, vocals and acoustics is all I'll use them for. Either way I'm going to pair them with either a BL Eighteen I think.

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Take it easy on me, I'm just now moving into this territory myself. In the past, I just wrote and played in person.

I recently got a fantastic deal on a Townsend L22. I'm torn on whether to buy the Twin X, or, since I have other mics (and will be buying more), to go the hardware route and use the L22 without the Twin since you don't need it. The Twin X comes with a lot of classic preamps and compressor plugins, so it's tempting.

My current mics are the Townsend L22, Warm 47, SM7b, RE20, Audio Technica AE5400, Shure Super 55.

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For preamps, I've narrowed down to Warm (Tone Beast, WA12, WA-MPX, WA73) and Black Lion (Auteur, B173a), the UA 710.

And compressors, Warm's 2A or Black Lion's b127a (dual). They both have others, which I'm open to.

Or, to throw an expensive wrench in, is the Universal 6176 (preamp and compressor combo) worth it? Comes with a free Satellite currently to up the value.

What I'm unsure about is how much difference they'll make as a whole, the more expensive ones versus the cheaper ones being that most of them are clones I guess? I've read reviews about all of this stuff until my head is spinning.
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For context, I'm a singer and guitarist with a fairly deep voice and I do stuff similar to 90's rock and country. I'm also not recording other musicians or bands, just myself and any people I play with. I have most of the things figured out for what I want. I use a digital Roland 17KVX set for drums, an acoustic-electric guitar direct, a Quad Cortex/Tonex for electric and bass, and I want to focus on a solid vocal chain to polish it off.

I'd like to keep it to those brands for the most part if possible. Thanks for all the expertise!

The TB12 is my favourite of the Warm Audio preamps but to be honest, all of them are capable of professional recordings including those built into your interface.
I like tracking through a compressor and have a modded Klark Teknik KT-2a and KT-76. Both of these work great. I know a top producer/engineer who has had numerous number one jazz albums in the UK and a number one RnB single with American Idol who uses a modded KT-2a for vocals and refers it to his UA.

The KT-2A - even in stock form is certainly within the realms of what an LA-2A sounds like - yes it is on the heavy/coloured side but given the vast margins of what an LA-2A is over the years if you put a UA badge on it no-one would bat an eyelid - it's just another one of the many varied flavours of LA-2A and people give it a hard time because it's made by Evil B - if it was a £1,500 clone made in the US people it would have been well received. The KT-76 is a no nonsense clean compressor - no real character but it does the job.

Would the Warm WA-2A be a step up in any way to the KT or pretty similar at 3x the price? I'd add the BL Opto if I got that, which still leaves it around half the Warm. I've had fine experience with B stuff in the past (X32, compressors, headphone amps, etc). I did have an X32 issue, they shipped it for repair and got it back to me quickly at no cost to me.

Black Lion's b172a is a dual compressor, 1176 and LA-2A. I'm trying to decide, with it on sale at $1199 (normally $1399), if it's worth stepping up to it or just going the KT/Warm. Vocals is my main concern, possibly some acoustic but that'd be all.

I have an A&H CQ (I like the mic preamps on it, superior to the Qu series I already liked previously) and will likely get an Apollo Twin X so I'm thinking maybe just a compressor then.

Updated the first post.
==
UPDATE: Like many many others, I've youtube'd a million times and read as much as I can find and have narrowed it to:

Black Lion b172a (dual 1176 and 2a)

or

Black Lion Seventeen (1176) and Golden Age 3a

Any opinions, preferences, guidance? As the original post, vocals and acoustics is all I'll use them for. Either way I'm going to pair them with either a BL Eighteen I think.
==


Any more with some helpful advice?

I went down that rabbit hole and had a KT 76, a Black Lion Bluey and also an GAP 2A. All decent units, but I found a used Distressor for a great deal, around a grand a year later and quickly found myself using it instead of all the other pieces.

These threads are OK for kicking around opinions and options, but your hands on the gear and with your ears in your studio is the meaningful test. In trying to not waste money on equipment, I’ve found out a lot about my own preferences and foibles. I can’t work with tiny knobs, switches and meters. I can’t work happily with stereo equipment where the controls are mirror image. If the left-most knob on channel 1 is gain, I need the left-most knob on channel 2 to be gain. I am uncomfortable and make mistakes otherwise. And other foibles…
Then we get to what the equipment does and how it sounds. I do like the WA2A, and bought it without hearing it, because I had just visited the Warm Audio facility in Texas, and was impressed by the place and the people. I had also bought other Warm gear and liked it. The WA2A sounds phenomenal , but I haven’t heard every other choice. The KT is a Behringer product. I do believe people who say it sounds very good. I have bought Behringer products, but I avoid them whenever possible. I think Uli loves money and Bryce loves equipment.

I grabbed a Golden Age 3a because I wanted to try a 3a, and Black Lion b172a (1176/2a) for a price I couldn't resist to get me into a 2a and 1176 of some sort. I love the routing options via a selector on the front of it.

On to looking for a preamp. I have an ART Tube preamp I've had for years, kept in a rack mostly and not abused at all, but am ready to try something new. This one is falling apart piece by piece. Neither sides needle moves, the left doesn't light up half the time if you turn a knob a certain way, and the screen over the middle meter fell off long ago, but despite it all.... it really does sound good. Haha. Great character with the tubes I guess.

Keep thinking the Black Lion Eighteen, though, I can't almost anything on it from real people (which seems kind of odd). The B173, Auteur and B12 seem well-received. Warm Tone Beast maybe? Warm's 1073 that much better? Golden Age Pre73's look nice. The ART channel strips look fully features but... I do fear they'll fall apart on me as well.

My mixer's and Apollo Twin X have clean preamps, I want something to add character.

I'd get the Klark 76-KT and the Golden 3a.

The black lion units don't have the 'all buttons mode' which great for drum or vocal smash.

As far as the B173 goes, you can do worse. The current (MK2) generation is quality stuff. In that price range, I think it's all mostly good. The Neve clones don't quite get you there in terms of the big low end associated with Neve. While the API clones don't quite get you there in terms of wider band extension (compared to the real thing).

Heritage Audio Elite would be my starting point if I were looking for the closest thing to a Neve in that price bracket. And the B173 if you just want something with character and sounds cool. And I'd skip the rest.

I'm really hopeful the Black Lion stuff turns out to do the trick, they seem to do well in the few comparisons I've seen and have nice features. I have a b172a dual compressor on the way, crossing my fingers.

I watched a video comparing the Heritage and Warm 73 and they seemed very close. I'm definitely interested in the Heritage stuff regardless, the Britstrip is near the top of my list.

I still owened a BLA Auteur mk2 and I was not so happY with this pre, because of it’s to high ohm number and relatively high self noise when Gain pushed over 58db amplification. So I don‘t know how fine their other preamps are and what’s the Big Bang for the buck with it. Now I still bought a second Fredenstein Vas micpre for stereo recordings with two Studio Projects C1 mk2 or Rode NT2A‘s, because the Signal to noise ratio and colouration of this preamp is much better, my experience. So if you wanna look for a more high end sound and low self noise, it would be the better decision to go with a SCA N72

I owned the black lion 17 and I didn't like it at it. The character, the hissing or the compression. Not too mention the pots started crackling after like 2 months of light use. If you want a cheap 1176 go lindell lin76 if you want a great middle priced the vintage audio m76 is fantastic. They even have a option to add phantom power and make it a preamp as well. The 3a from gap is great I hate I sold mine, but I have a urei 3a so I couldn't justify it just sitting in the rack for backup duties. If you get a t4 I would go with the k company. This all my opinion from my use.

Pretty sure I've seen that video. Experimenting with them, I did notice the Heritage has a bigger, deeper, fuller bass. Some might see that as the Warm having a tighter low end, depending on personal interpretation. But I did notice a difference in how they present the low end. I didn't buy either of them, but the Heritage really stood out to me as having a wow factor to it.

The Tone Beast gives you Warm’s variations on the American API console sound. The 1073 is their take on the classic Neve console preamp sound.
I wouldn’t say one is better than the other. I got the Warm WA12 MKII for their API sound. The Tone Beast’s options push my “try this/try that” time wasting tendencies too hard. I also have the Warm WA273 preamps.
Is either one better? To my ear, each is better on certain things. The API style can be cleaner and snappier, which is better on things that need definition while needing to stay clean. The 274 is, without pushing it, always a bit huskier and more ballsy than the 12. Both have the undefinable extra zing that transformers add.

Have the b172a and GAP 3a here and I like both a lot.

The GAP, of course, is much simpler to hook up and just go to it with. It really does sound great, I didn't know what to expect. I wish they made a 1176 type as I want to try more of their stuff. The MKIV 1073 that just came out looks nice but I can't find much about what makes it different than the MKIII that's on sale currently.

I will say, the Black Lion 1073 and B12 are both on sale and have Cinemag transformers like some of the Warm stuff. The GAP says 'The pcb is prepared for the Carnhill input transformer'. The III says the same thing.

The b172a was more cables, more time, and some honest thought to get setup but it really sounds good as well. It's more versatile due to it. Their support has been fantastic in responding and being helpful toward the cause. I can't decide if I'd rather use it as a separate 2a and 1176 or how I have it currently a into b. I like options, I do, but I like not having to think about it as well.

Thanks for the comments about preamps, I'm ready to try some. I wish I had more hands-on experience with what 'character' sounds like from one to another.

I haven't owned other tube preamps besides the ART or any 1073's, 610's, API's. I love character, I just want to be able to back off of it a little if it's more suitable.

In my experience, slapping an analog 1176 or LA2A on a track will change the character of the track more than most preamps, even if you don’t compress at all. But unlike many here, I have not found overdriving any device for “saturation” is usually pleasing to me, so I am comparing clean sound to clean sound.
I had ART’s highest end tube dual rack preamp for years. To my ear it was a good preamp, but a little soft and characterless. As interface preamps improved, I didn’t have any use for it. Other than gain, it seemed that it only gave me a little less clarity, which for me is not a reason to insert outboard.

Get the GAP 1073 and focus on writing/recording music. The GAP 1073 has been reviewed here by crille mannen and it sounded virtually identical to a vintage 1272. After that you'll have a Neve and two good compressors. Time to start focusing on writing/recording music and forgetting about the gear. I definitely would've gotten an 1176 with 'all buttons in' mode. .02

I dug around and found the video you're talking about. I'm probably going to get one. I love the 3a I just got. Simple and sounds great.

I didn't notice before I bought it that the all buttons mode wasn't available on it. Looking around now to find a 1176 to pair with the 3a.

Yes. You want a normal 1176 with 'all buttons in' capability. The Klark 76-KT sounds good imo and is affordable. Check out the 'all buttons in' Youtube clip for the Klark. It has rad distortion that cool for drums. I think it sounds good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azd69j2vjQA

Also the GAP COMP-3a sounds great for an optical and again is affordable.

Those two compressors together are a good pair and won't break the bank.

I love that all buttons in sound, I didn't know how much I needed it. Sounds GREAT in that video.

I had been considering the Warm 76, Lindell Lin76, Black Lion Bluey and a more expensive choice; Distressor before. I'll look again at the Klark.

Yes the 'all buttons in' is cool. I've used it on drums and vocals. All of those 1176's are good...but the Klark is the most affordable. You can get two Klark's for one Bluey. Distressor (with British mode (empirical's term for all buttons in) is good but lots of $.

Here's another video showing a bunch of 1176's...including a vintage real 1176, a Lindell and the Klark. Personally I can't hear a difference between any of them, which tells me the Klark is just fine and the most affordable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=398SgkhsbBs

Yeah, I'd want to download the audio tracks to confirm what I thought I was hearing and generally agreed with him, but we're talking minutia at this point, could easily swap any of these in/out on a rock mix and you'd never know.

Glad he calibrated though: I've seen a few where they were just going by the knobs and that's a short-cut to nowhere.

Despite the calibration, the attack and release times seemed to not be the same given by the amount of gain reduction happening on the KT-76. I bet you could dial them all in even closer.

When I listened I couldn't hear any real difference that I cared about. They all seemed close enough. The lindell seemed to have bit better bass...but I could EQ that in and it wouldn't bother me. The lindell is a bit more than the Klark.

I found a couple of Lindell's for less than the Klark, so it makes it a wash on which I pick I guess? I can't imagine hearing either of them and being disappointed.

I really love the sound I get from Black Lion b172a, I wish it did the all buttons in thing. As I don't track drums, I'm wondering though if I should be concerned about it?

The rest I can/will do in a DAW with plugins (UA Spark or Plugin Alliance sub).

The All Buttons thing is cool, but if you're not recording drums, I don't know if you'd miss it other than if you wanted a nuke option on something.

I've used a very good 1176 plugin...in 'all buttons mode' many times on vocals. So for me, it's been drums and vocals I've used 'British mode' on. It's just such a creative thing to have imo. A great tool at your disposal.

Wanna put an overhead over a drum kit (not playing cymbals) and do a cool kick, snare tom thing with some awesome compressed distortion? All buttons in...
Makes vocals jump out of the speaker too.

Plus all of the other things an 1176 can be good for. Lightly touching things in lower ratios, etc.

Yeah, all buttons mode can be pretty universal as an effect. I wouldn't want a 1176 without it, that's half the fun.

Well...I have used the All buttons in mode on vocals and it's been cool many times. If you're not ever going to track something percussive that could benefit from the All buttons in mode, I guess you may not need it. Remember...1176 compression makes things 'punchy' and distorted in all buttons mode.

For me...I definitely plan on tracking drums (it's one of my favourite things to do) and other percussive instruments.

If the lindell that you looked at, that was cheaper than the Klark was used, I would caution against used. For me, I want to only buy new....to ensure proper operation.

Has anyone used the Black Lion Bluey and Seventeen/b172a and can give a little comparison and/or preference?

I have the b172a and am enjoying it a lot but, with vocals being the biggest part of what I'm doing, I'm thinking the Bluey might be a better fit. It's pretty much the same price that I got the 172 for. I have the GAP-3a still that I might Bluey>3a with. Or, change for a GAP-2a.