Avalon M5 Mono Pure Class A Microphone Preamp
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Posted on Jul 08, 2010 05:48 pm
CavvyStudios
www.cavvystudios.com
Member Since: May 31, 2010
So, after being really tempted by a couple other preamps for around $1,000 less, I've gone ahead and ordered the Avalon M5. It should arrive around the middle of next week, the guy at GC said no store on the West Coast actually keeps them in stock. Almost everyone is selling them for $1,575 or more, but I got mine for $1,500 with free shipping. I feel like I'm about 2/3 of the way to having a truly professional signal chain with the Neumann TLM 103 going to the Avalon M5, next on the list will be the Apogee Rosetta 200 ADC and the X-Symphony firewire interface to connect it to my computer to replace the Echo Mia MIDI soundcard I'm currently using. Anyone here have the Avalon M5? What do you like about it? What don't you like about it?
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Jul 08, 2010 05:59 pm Where I work, we don't have an M5. But, we do how ever have the SP737 comps that use the same pre.
Kick A$$ pre! Just keep in mind gain staging when using one. The have a ton of gain to them. And your signal can get very large, very quickly with them.
Congrats on the new Pre! I think that you will love it.
Jul 08, 2010 07:38 pm I almost got the VT-737 SP, but after reading some criticism of the optical compressor they have I decided I didn't really need the compressor or EQ they have, although the tube would be nice, and I opted for the M5 instead.
Thanks, I'm really looking forward to the improved quality I'm sure it'll give me.
Jul 08, 2010 11:42 pm The preamps are of totally different design and presentation - Nothing to do with each other / night and day. The 737 is all tube and the M5 is Class 'A' solid-state. The 737 is very "in-your-face" thick, tight & gritty where the M5 is very open, clear and detailed.
(The M5 also sounds exactly the same every time you warm it up)
I've used the 737's in live situations and they're pretty cool. On a few things in the studio, it's a handy piece. But 90% of the time, give me the M5 (or the two-channel version... 2000? 2200? I don't remember). You won't get that sort of transparency and "3D" soundstage out of a pair of 737's...
IMO/E, YMMV, etc., etc., yada, yada.
(EDIT)
Duh... I was looking for the model number of that dual-channel unit (AD2022) and found this: avalondesign.com/737m5.html
Much better explanation.
Jul 09, 2010 04:22 am Right on, thanks for the info. After reading that description on avalondesign.com I'm thinking I should also eventually get the VT-737 SP or another tube preamp later on down the road.
Jul 09, 2010 07:28 am Keep in mind that tubes rarely ever have anything at all to do with "tube sound" -- Some (okay, almost *all*) of the "warmest" and most "flavorful" preamps out there are solid state units with tasty and wonderful transformers in the circuit. API, Neve, Great River, Crane Song, Langevin, Amek, etc., etc. (I'd go through another dozen, but I just woke up).
Don't get me wrong here - Avalon, Manley, Tube Tech -- Fine gear, fine tube gear. But they still have tubes (and all the crap that goes along with tubes). I avoid them whenever possible. If someone could make a Variable Mu compressor without tubes (I know, it's sort of impossible by definition), I'd drop my Vari-Mu in a heartbeat.
No one "needs" a tube preamp - Warm, colorful, thick, gooey, creamy, forward, gritty, edgy, sure -- But again, that doesn't come from tubes (even on a lot of tube units).
