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Worth Way More Than The Price!
By: Kevin J
Submitted: 1/26/2023
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Rating
Product Review
So I ordered one of these just to try it out and see how it stacked up against my Millennia HV-3C and AMS Neve 1073DPA. I was pleasantly surprised! It hung right in there with them. I changed out the tubes and did a shootout of a song I was working on, and the ART actually won! With the impedance settings, I can choose a cleaner or more vintage tone. With the impedance on high and keeping the tube drive just below hitting the yellow LEDs, I was able to achieve a nice subtle color (less color than the Neve), but also retain clarity similar to my Millennia. It is definitely a keeper for me.
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Awesome product!!!
By: Claystarmusic
Submitted: 11/5/2022
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
I saw this product being highly recommended in a studio review. So, I ordered it and love the warmth that it brings to my tracks. It's hard to believe such a high end product for such an inexpensive price. I had this product for about a month. I'm thinking about ordering another one to use along with other gears in my studio.
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It was a great mic preamp.
By: Jet lee
Submitted: 2/7/2022
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
It was a great mic preamp. I love it. I would recomend it
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WOW
By: Brandon Hilding
Submitted: 1/5/2022
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
For such an affordable price this really brings great color
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Good Product
By: DJ DNC
Submitted: 3/4/2021
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
At first had a slight issue with a bad power supply had to return it....but the tech support with AMS was awesome and he made sure I got my replacement fast! After I got the replacement everything worked great definitely took my recording to a new level. Close to Pro level gear for a budget price
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Great Value !!!
By: Bradley
Submitted: 1/8/2021
6 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
This is a great value for the price, I thought something this good would cost double the price.
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Low Self Noise at Budget Price
By: Tyler G
Submitted: 11/6/2020
5 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Very solid low noise pre amp, produces a good clean signal.
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Preamp with power and warmth
By: Rick
Submitted: 8/11/2020
Product Review
I was looking for an analog tube preamp that was in my price to complete my home studio. Something that would have the gain to push some of my mics and the warmth of a tube amp. After looking at and reading reviews I decided to get the ART Pro MPA II. It was a great choice for my price and my needs. It has the power to push my Shure sm7b and ribbon mics. Although the stock tubes sound good, I am going to swap them out for some Tung-sols which I have read that they will improve the sound. Thanks to AMC for allowing the financing and fast delivery.
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Sounds better than your interfaces preamps
By: Tony
Submitted: 7/28/2020
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
This unit sounds very thick and clear, pleased with the low noise floor in it as well. Definitely noticed a difference in tracking from my umc1820’s preamps
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For the price and for home studio... it’s great!
By: Kevin Herrera
Submitted: 5/12/2020
4 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
This is an amazing product for the price. Gives a lot of clarity on vocals, body, warmth. I did, however, change the tubes. Not like theres anything wrong with stock tubes. But an absolute improvement on overall tone and character to the pre amp. I also use this on electric guitar while using amp simulators. Not a fan on amp sims as a rule, but living an apartment, there limitations to sound. Plug my guitar to the mic pre and to the amp simulation... it really gives you a warm tube amp tones. Amazing on acoustic guitars as well. Highly recommended for studio owners just starting out... don’t let the price full you.
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The product is a very useful addition to my equipments.
By: Antonette Vergara
Submitted: 4/9/2020
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
The product is a very useful addition to my equipments. I had no issues with the product. Looking forward to more products from AMS
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Great poweramp at a great price from a great company!
By: Daniel Cannon
Submitted: 4/9/2020
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
I stumble upon American music.com on accident. I was immediately approved which was awesome and my new preamp arrived much earlier than I thought. I spoke with customer service and they were extremely nice and helpful! I definitely plan on Buying from American music again!
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Win Win great price for a great product!
By: MThune
Submitted: 3/31/2020
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
You won’t be disappointed with the performance of this mic preamp. It made our live vocals pop! Exactly why I purchased it!
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AMS is the best
By: Sade
Submitted: 1/7/2020
Product Review
I love this company there is always an option for payment arrangements and they ship fast as well. AMS is always my first choice for my audio gear & accessories
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Worth it
By: Cj Prewitt
Submitted: 3/26/2019
5 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
The 4:1 is amazing.. This company invested some time when they created this compressor.
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Wonderful tone machine
By: Michael Peters
Submitted: 2/11/2019
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Great tube warmth to add power and luster to microphone, and when coupled with PRO VLA ll compressor vocals shine
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This is one professional piece!
By: Daniel
Submitted: 1/25/2019
Product Review
great cost for quality studio equipment
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Most definitely worth purchasing
By: M7K Productions
Submitted: 1/5/2019
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
Easy set up, amazing sound , affordable price , you can’t go wrong with this unit. I didn’t really think this would sound as good as it does, I paired it with the PRO VLA II , and every artist I have tracked has been blown away with the sound.
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Warm and clean
By: Michael
Submitted: 11/26/2018
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
This is light years better than the presonus blue tube thst I owned! Everyone differs, but I think this thing sounds great with the stock tubes. Might replace them to test the difference. Using this with the EV RE20 Mic for podcast and they both sound great!
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Tube sound for you rack
By: D Trujillo
Submitted: 9/6/2018
1 person found this review helpful.
Product Review
So I run my VL3 into a Behringer XR12, come out the that into the art preamp into some QSC powered speakers. Tweak a few knobs, dial in the right amount of preamp and all is well for the audience's ears. Nice smooth anti digital sound. Did install a matching pair of 12AX7 from the 60's, German made. Its all about the sound man. Nice rugged enclosure.
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Great product, sounds great!
By: Maximus Prime
Submitted: 10/9/2015
6 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
Everything pertaining to the order was great. The item itself sounds amazing and has exceeded expectations. Thanks AMS for the help with this purchase.
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Works great!
By: Christoopher
Submitted: 3/3/2015
3 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I've had this preamp for over a week and have no complaints. Nice saturation if you push it hard. Works really well on bass DI.
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ART makes GREAT preamps!!
By: Marco
Submitted: 1/2/2015
4 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
i currently own 3 of the ART preamps and they're all amazing and not just because they're affordable but because you really get a great sound and a whole lot of features at your finger tips. the impedance control knob gives you lots of flexibility and lets you get the most out of your various microphones. the stock tubes aren't bad persay but you should swap them out to really make these units shine. also be mindful of the effects of RFI/EMI on tube amps. i have an excessive amount of EMI/RFI in my area and it caused my preamps to act in a very strange manner at first. if you want more info on that feel free to hit me up but to make a long story short i picked up a Furman PL Plus-C and knocked that nasty interference right out;^)
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Great Product for the Price
By: TLT
Submitted: 11/10/2014
2 people found this review helpful.
Product Review
I bought this unit to be my front in pre-amp for my recording studio, but also use it for live performance as well. It works great for acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, vocals and drums. I also use to track my midi sound modules. This adds natural warmth, and can be crystal clean, to pretty dirty distortion. This is a great pre-amp, it will simply boost your signal level with clarity, or if you want it can boost it with distortion, all at your control. This unit is very well built, while it does seem to add some noise when driving the tubes extremely hard, or if the signal isn't boosted enough, you can easily remove this with noise suppression or a gate. I would recommend this for anyone looking for any pre-amp, and if you are looking for a tube pre-amp this is a great unit to have.
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Very happy with my purchase
By: Bryan Thompson
Submitted: 11/15/2013
2 people found this review helpful.
Your general opinion of this product.
I bought this unit to get my mics on a better pre, instead of interface pre. I use it with a Zoom R16. don't listen to the bloggers on gear sluts, this unit definitely improved my front end, don't get me wrong i still need a better interface eventually.
Unit is a tank. Like all electronics it is an issue of the internal guts lasting. Time will tell.
Super easy to use. just get the VU meters set for your particular interface and it's almost as easy as turning up a gain knob. I say that a little cautiously because unlike just turning up a gain knob this puppy has options, like the Impedance match, low cut filter, plate voltage, etc... i find myself spending about 10 minutes pre-record dialing the unit in to craft the cleanest signal possible. hopefully it gets faster with experience.
There are too many good features to list just one, but I do like the M/S function, but since you have two pre's you can do Blumlein pair also. I wish you had an option like on the Art Compressor VLA II to look at the meters in either input or output stage.
This unit is amazing if you take the time to tweak your tone. Also do yourself a favor and pair it with the Art Pro VLA II. This combination is a knock out. My recording already sound more transparent, a huge plus when it's time to go back in the box and add Reverb's and other effects. i notice i can add more, although less is more, without my S/N ratio sounding like crap.
Just got it, but outside of the external build quality, which i said is a tank, it's all about the guts. For you newer project studio guys check out the Sound on Sound review for both the MPA and the VLA. if you can read through he typical British underhandedness you will see that these units are one definite bang for the buck. granted they aren't Neve or Meridian or Great River. but as a first go to pre you could not ask for more and it works on a budget.
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Well worth the mony
By: Pito from Pecos Tx US
Submitted: 4/26/2013
1 person found this review helpful.
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Great step-up preamp!
By: Hoss from Emmett, ID
Submitted: 7/18/2011
2 people found this review helpful.
Detented input and output knobs, sturdy box, nice VU meters, excellent sound, lots of features... All in all, this is an excellent preamp of high quality. I highly recommend it.
The only thing this preamp is missing that I would really like to see is an insert for a compressor or EQ chain. Otherwise, it is a VERY full-featured preamp, capable of tons of great tones and lots of versatility. The stereo function of this preamp is a fantastic feature and awesome for stereo miking acoustic guitars and drum overheads.
While there are lots of buttons and knobs, this thing is pretty straight forward to use. Plug in your mic, plug the output into your DAW, set your levels, and go. Use the impedance knob to tweak your tone. Adjust input, output, pad and plate voltage to get the sound you want.
Sounds fantastic. I've used it on kick and snare, where it did a fine job. Dialed in just a little bit of tube saturation to give them a little body, and it sounded nice. But this thing REALLY shines as a direct box. Bass sounds warm, fat, and punchy with great clarity. Direct electric guitar sounds wonderful; a perfect foundation for re-amping later or using in-the-box amp modeling. On clean tracks, I've actually used just the ART; no re-amping or modeling later, and it sounded great.
I haven't had it very long, but my entire rack took a pretty hard jolt when it fell from about a 6 inch height...Didn't phase it a bit. Seems to be built pretty tough. Knobs and buttons don't feel flimsy or cheesy at all; very smooth.
Your general opinion of this product.
So far, I'm very happy with it. I bought it intending to upgrade the tubes immediately (and I may in the future), but it sounds great out of the box, so I'm not gonna mess with what isn't broken at this point. Lots of features and great sound for the money.
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Low noise Pre-Amp
By: JD Flud
Submitted: 7/13/2011
Seams well made, and so far no problems
Two channels, adjustable plate voltage.
Simple operation with everything you need, increase input stage and lower output to drive tube harder.48 volt phantom power, adjustable plate voltage and two channels
Have used it with Golden Age ribbon, Rode NT1A and AKG 414 And all sound great, the low noise is very important with ribbon because of high gain settings.
Haven't had it long, Time will tell.
Your general opinion of this product.
I like this pre amp. Will add a second soon
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I'm Impressed
By: Tony C from Valrico Florida
Submitted: 6/14/2011
1 person found this review helpful.
I was unfamiliar and sceptable about these products and their quality - not anymore - thoroughly impressed now.
Hard to say: I like both the 20 db gain for use on some mics but the High-plate voltage switch has that subtle magic I especially need for my particular voice.
Didn't have to spend more than 10 minutes with the manual. Each piece of equipment kinda tells you it's thirsty and the unit has what it takes to quench that thirst with the press of a button.
Both mics (of different brands) and guitars can be easily adjusted and enhanced into my sound zone. I've even pre's the unit with a pod with great results.
Though I've had it a short time, I've produced consistantly clear outputs with whatever I've plugged in to it.
Your general opinion of this product.
Having little experience with these types of units, I am very happy with the the overall quality and functions of the unit. I am especially happy that it's a dual. Didn't have to comparatively spend a lot for all its functions and clarity. I can't say I know what a $1000 pre sounds like but I didn't hear anything bad coming out of this unit - totally clean. Great results and value for the money invested.
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Very good sound!!!! Until it stopped working
By: bigwev from US Army- Germany
Submitted: 4/26/2011
1 person found this review helpful.
To be determined
Nice sound very impressive. It makes my recordings sound like I know what I'm doing :}
Read the manual and you'll be alright
Very good
didn't have it long before I turned it on one day and It didn't work. To make a long story short. The fuse blew out. I was happy that thats all it was. Don't look for the company to help!! No ability to contact anyone other that by e-mail. That might be okay with you if your not in any rush to finish what your working on!!!!
Your general opinion of this product.
Really Good my go-to vocal recorder
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Awesome Pre
By: Mike from Martinsburg, WV
Submitted: 11/2/2009
Very well made piece of equipment. I plan on buying at least 2 more.
It is fine just the way it is. I like the plate voltage adjustment. I also like the ability to use it as a DI box.
With a little experimenting, not very hard. Plate voltage feature is something you want to experiment with. You can make the same guitar sound very different depending on the voltage you set it at.
It sounds great. Ten times better than any mixer pre amp. I use it with the ART Pro VLA II compressor. Awesome tone and pristine sound. The clarity is just amazing.
Only had it for a few weeks now but use it in a project studio setting. It has been used every day with no apperant defects at this time.
Your general opinion of this product.
This baby has a sound that will warm up any mic you decide to use. It sounds really crisp and clean with my MXL V69 Tube mic. It even adds tone and crispness to an SM57. Great pre at a great price.