very true, however the gain that I'd get out of it was based on the output of my mics (which I didn't mention, my bad). My beyer 930s average an output just above 0dbu for what I record, so if the max output of the preamp is +15dbu, then I'm only getting about 12-15dbu of gain out of the box before I'd hit it's top limit. I wouldn't complain, except my 722 takes a (non-attenuated signal) of +20. For the price this will be, I shouldn't have to add 5db of gain on the recorder.
Hmm. I have read your conversation several times, thinking whether I should answer it or not. I simply cannot stop myself, might not be to your benefit but hopefully for others reading this forum.
Basically, with a 722 you do not need any more preamps to get the gain you need. Simply connect the mic into the 722, turn on phantom power and turn up the gain. There is plenty enough gain there.
If you really want to have the external preamp, gain is not really what is missing. So simply setting the gain staging correctly will work. A little more or less in the external preamp or in the 722 makes very little difference when working on line level signals.
So, I guess, what you want to have is a change in sound. You might want the mic preamp to create a specific sound for you. Totally reasonable as such, but why choose one clean preamp in favor of another clean preamp? Especially with a modern transformerless condensor mic ( see below) . Both the 722 and the Nagra have preamps that tends toward the clean gain without coloring camp. It might be possible to hear a very slight difference in a blind AB test, but I would not bet too much money on that. If you really want to change the sound, it might be better to aim for a preamp that has a different tonality. There are several available, one example might be the Neve Portico.
Note on mics: modern transformerless Condensor mics are rather insensitivy to what mic preamp you set behind, at least compared to other mic types. The low impedance output is rather less sensitive for the loading from the mic and the high output level sets less demands on gain. Contrast this with, say, a ribbon microphone. These have much lower output levels requiring much more gain from the preamp, and also sports a rather high impedance output through a transformer and can sound quite different depending on the load the preamp gives the mic.
// Gunnar
Topic: Nagra to announce new preamp at NAB (Read 16391 times)