And yes, the vms preamps supply the capsules with the proper +60v of power, except the vms32ub, which supplies +12v power All of the vms preamps have the same exact preamps in them as well!
This really isn't right.
VMS32UB has XLRs and provides 12V PHANTOM to the XLRs. 5u provides 48V phantom to the XLRs (as does the VMS52UB).
So, I believe that a CMC6 body, which is capable of operating between 12v and 48v, would provide 60V of polarization voltage to capsules regardless of whether it is being supplied with 12V or 48V of phantom power.
A CMC5 body requires 48V of phantom, so it won't work with VMS32UB, but would work fine from the XLRs of a 5u or a 52UB.
So the nice thing about the VMS32UB for CMC6 owners is longer run times since it's providing 12V to power the mics instead of 48V.
Alternatively, I used one of Jon's PFAs on the VMS32UB and a KCY. They received 12V phantom at the XLR end of the PFA. I'm not sure what voltage the PFA sent to the KCY from the binder connector of the PFA. I assume the KCY then provided 60V polarization voltage to the capsules.
Well said
That's what I meant though
It seems as though the standalone preamp is becoming a thing of the past. That said, I wonder how the Schoeps VMS 5 U holds up today as a preamp. Are any of you still running this?
As to your original question, the VMS absolutely holds up and there are a good number of people here on ts.com that still use them. I'm a huge fan.
I personally don't think we've gotten to the point of the standalone preamp being a thing of the past, though I think we're at the front end of a transition period.
Until then, there will still be a strong market for the top quality stand alone preamps. I think there's always going to be some market for the best preamps just because top sound never goes out of style.
I couldn't agree anymore! People will always be after a certain sound, and that's achievable with different preamps and mics. But I don't see standalone preamps going away anytime soon IMO! Now standalone ADCs, that's a whole nother story! ADCs have already just about died off!
Regarding the preamps sound...I found the sound characteristics of the VMS5u to be basically identical to the VMS52UB, VMS32UB, and VMS02IB. Yes, it's a very transparent preamp. It is very detailed, yet very balanced. It's not overly bottom ended, but not overly top ended. I find the presentation to be fairly aggressive and 'in your face' without being harsh or grating...and as opposed to preamps I've heard that are laid back and 'soft' with a smoother rounder sound. I like the flavor because I can pick out the detail in my recordings, which for the type of music I listen to is defined by being able to hear the string vibrations within the notes of the bass guitar. At the opposite end are preamps that that are less defined, where those same notes are very bassy and warm, but the note isn't so defined that you can necessarily hear what's happening inside of the note. These preamps might be more for the bass-heads and might be more for recordings to shake the walls.
You and I pretty much like the same bands and styles of music, and prefer the same Schoeps sound, and you hit the nail on the head in this one too
The VMS boxes have a super defined soundstage, very detailed with quick transients, and like you said, have an 'in your face' sound that is hard to describe! My recordings are louder than my Littlebox while at the exact same levels, and the imaging is to die for! I lusted after a VMS preamp for around 15 years, and the mint condition vms02ib that I finally scored (Thanks to whomever hooked me up
) will probably never leave my arsenal! I mean, how can you go wrong with Schoeps capsules>Schoeps KCY/CMCx>VMS preamp? They were frickin MADE for each other
To the OP, if you have a chance to get a 5u, DO IT
Also, if you're still on the fence, you might want to check out
www.archive.org and bt.etree.org just to get an idea what the preamps sound like first
If I have the chance to get another VMS and I have the money(doubtful lol) then I would snatch it up in a heartbeat! Having [2] VMS couldn't be a bad thing haha
And like Steve and I said, the preamps are SUPER QUIET!!! It would be a perfect match with your recording style of doing nature/FX!