Very expensive so not ideal for people with a small budget.

Can be prone to causing EMF interference in other gear like guitar amps as it has a high output circuit, but the unit itself is low noise.

Image credit: Avalon Check Price on Sweetwater The EQ provides a really smooth tone that blends nicely with the warmth of the compressor and tube circuitry. There are high and low frequency controls and dual midrange controls that have a sweeping capability and variable Q. The EQ can be flipped between pre or post to accommodate your needs (as an effect or for tone shaping). It can be especially handy when you need some extra spectral control or even some de-essing. The preamp also features an EQ with a sidechain to shape audio before it hits your DAW. Attack, release, threshold, and ratio controls are available for the opto compressor just like you would find on a normal compressor unit, and you can get a variety of dynamic controls out of it, from soft knee compression to very hard limiting and everything in between. The VT includes an opto compressor with twin vacuum tubes for gain matching, and there is an optical attenuator for passive level controlling.

The high pass filter allows you to clear out some rumble and muddiness without sacrificing the warmth and richness that the VT gives. The high gain switch increases the power output on the unit and is best for recording with extremely low volume microphones, like ribbon mics. Two dual cascading vacuum tubes power the circuitry and are what give the VT-737SP its warmth and power.Īlso featured on the preamp is a high gain switch, a high pass filter, and phase reverse relay. They are: a high performance mic input with phantom power, an instrument direct input jack, and third, a balanced line input with Class A circuitry.Ĭlass A circuits are known for providing a lot of power and adding brightness, warmth, and saturation or distortion to a signal. Getting into the specifics, the VT has a Class A preamp design with 3 input selections. If you want energy in your recordings, the VT-737SP will get you that with ease. The VT-737SP can brighten up even the dullest of microphones and add warmth to any sound that passes through it. The VT-737SP by Avalon is easily the ultimate best tube mic preamp. This article details reviews of some of the world’s best preamps you can buy to add warmth and brightness to your studio. No good microphone is complete until you’ve got an awesome preamp to go with it. Some of the best microphone preamps ever made are available in 2022. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn an affiliate commission. Consordinis articles are written by musicians who independently research, test, and recommend the best instruments and products.

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