Mic Preamp Shootout 2026

MirrorProfiles

MirrorProfiles

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Link here, downloads are enabled if you want to load them into a DAW to compare quickly:

https://samply.app/p/M9PJlcjqxq2kOGvzilGT?si=J0UMGf38XHOuODMXmQKCeM3zX2d2

Preamps include:

Chandler TG-2
1073 (Sound Scourge PQ73)
API A2D
Focusrite ISA Two
AVID Pre
RME UCX II

Mic is a Shure Unidyne 545 Unidyne 3. Converters are RME ADI-2 PRO FS R BE (except for the UCX II example where I used the UCXII converters). Amp is Bogner Uberschall Rev Green, cab is 2002 Mesa Oversized Straight Slant

I've included various impedance settings where possible.

Which do you like best? Anything stand out as good or bad?
 
Admittedly, I'm listening on ear pods atm, sorry. But I like both APIs and both Chandlers the best. Maybe a smidge more clarity in frequency range with seemingly more saturation? I prefer API overall. 1073 and ISA med are nice too.
 
Just listening on little desktop speakers, the differences are slight - eg the TG-2 sounds meaner and more focused than the 1073. Without context, all I could really say is that yep they sound a tiny bit different but nothing that makes me thing one is good or bad. It's context that would make one a better or worse choice.
 
It’s definitely one of those things where no one should go in expecting a drastic difference, especially when just adding gain. For high gain tones, I wouldn’t really want to drive these preamps much - on the Neve I actually had to re-do it as I was running things a bit hot and the saturation was getting in the way.

Things can get a bit more interesting when combining preamps into line amps and using eq etc.

I generally agree with the comments above, I think most differences are things you’d account for largely with amp settings and mic positions etc. Same goes for mic tolerances by and large
 
Yeah not hearing huge drastic differences. I think further processing probably brings out some of the subtle details, but there's nothing there that I'd complain about really.
 
They all sounds great, I'm hearing very little difference between any of those. I'd be very happy to record with that sound and any of those mic preamps.
 
This seems like a safe place to say that I've been rolling capacitors in my 1081 clones, so I do appreciate a bit of preamp cork sniffery and there definitely WOULD be a preference in an actual production I'm sure - I just can't have an opinion beyond "it's different" when it's a guitar track in isolation without the emotional shit that would surround an actual song
 
Great comparison. My hearing is all screwed up from getting sick, but cleared up a little bit just now.

Compared to the rest, I liked the API A2D 2:1 mode the least. It’s kind of strident vs the rest and sounds high-passed.

For the 1073-based preamps, I liked the way the palm mutes sounded with the higher impedance, but preferred the high end of the lower impedance.

The Avid pre kind of sounds different than everything else, and is interesting.

All are cool sounds. It takes immediate back to back listening to hear the differences. Having all those options seems like they could help guitar tracks either poke out or gel a tiny bit.
 
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