Topic: Anyone compared USBPre2 against EAA PSP-2 ?

[TNJazz]

Curious if anyone might have done a comp of some sort

[H₂O]

According to the Sound Devices web site the USBPre2 have the same Pre Amp stage as the SD 702/722/744.  Thus  I would think it would be wildly different in sound to the PSP-2 (since the PSP-2 uses input transformers).


I ran both the SD702 and PSP-2 for a while and never liked the SD702's pre-amps (very thin and shrilly) with my various Schoeps (both m222 and cmc6xt's and various caps) - and endded up getting rid of the 702 as in my mind it was not an all in one solution for my mics.






I

[kirk97132]

Well the SD website says that it shares the same topology as the 744T.  But they are not the exact same preamps since the voltages it runs on are much different than the 744T.  The USBPre2 runs on 5 volts/500mA.  As for what do the really mean by say the same topology....I dunno.  Assuming they do sound sound sililiar is probably pretty close to the truth.  Sine I have not run a PSP-2 I don't know what they sound like.  I can tell you that the USBPre2 and the Tascam DR-680 preamps are very similar sounding.  I have not had a chance to run my MP-2 and the USBPre2 side by side but like you said I would expect a difference since the MP-2 has transformers also. 

[bhadella]

This is right up your alley Dirk since you know the 'sax sound very well.

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I just completed a 3 day run of comparisons between my Sonosax SX-M2 preamp and the Sound Devices USBPre 2.   The source is Umphreys McGee recorded in three different venues using DPA 4022 mics setup DFC at FOH.  Mics were in the DIN configuration approximately 8' up.  I split the signal coming from the mics to both preamps.  Phantom power was provided by the Sonosax.  I've uploaded the 16 bit filesets to the archive where you can download them.  Gain was set to peak around -3 dbs, post processing included adding gain till both sources had the same RMS.   On the 1st and 3rd nights, I used the a/d function on the USBPre 2 in addition to the preamp.  On the 2nd night, I ran analog in to the R44 (set at unity). 


02/16/11 - The Music Farm, Charleston, SC   
http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-16.usbpre2.flacf16
http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-16.sax.flacf16

02/17/11 - The Orange Peel, Asheville, NC
http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-17.usbpre2.flacf16
http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-17.sax.flacf16

02/19/11 - The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-19.usbpre2.flacf16
http://www.archive.org/details/um2011-02-19.sax.flacf16

I'd love to get some feedback on how everyone feels the two pre-amps compare.