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Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: reverser on March 25, 2008, 02:25:59 PM

Title: FEL Battery Preamp vs. other options
Post by: reverser on March 25, 2008, 02:25:59 PM

I have recently come across this page:

http://www.felmicamps.co.uk/products/felbattpreamp.html (http://www.felmicamps.co.uk/products/felbattpreamp.html)

I am currently running:

SP-CMC-8 > SPSB-11 > Mic-in PCM-D50 / PCM-D1 [stealth]
SP-CMC-8 > Sony XLR-1 > Mic-in PCM-D50 / PCM-D1 [open]

My question is specifically regarding amplification for stealth setup.

First of all, does anyone have any experience with this amp that can compare it to other options (CA preamp, other small options, etc.)?

I am curious as to what, if any, improvement I would see by eliminating the SPSB-11 and going into this FEL Preamp.  In listening to the sample on thier page, background hiss is signifigantly less on the R-09 while using this preamp, but it is my understanding that the D50's (and certainly the D1's) preamps are much cleaner than the R-09.  So, given that the preamplification on my devices is (in theory) much cleaner, would I benefit from eliminating the SPSB-11 and going line-in to the D50 or D1?  Or, are the preamps on my devices at least as good as this one and hence, I do myself no added benefit by bypassing their mic preamps.

Thanks in advance for helping me better understand this issue.

Title: Re: FEL Battery Preamp vs. other options
Post by: powermonkey on March 27, 2008, 05:21:51 AM

I got my hands on one of those FEL BMA pres a few months back, and I've been pretty damn pleased with the resulting recordings.

Probably not the most versatile preamp in the world, because of the fixed minimum gain of +10db, but I'm starting to get used to it. Also, the build quality doesn't feel all that great.... mind you, the same could have been said of my R09 when I first got my hands on it, and that's served me very well.

I go Church Audio STC-11s > FEL pre > (line in) R09

They're only mp3s, but here are the last two shows I taped with my rig:

Kid Harpoon & The Powers That Be:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FJLGLDT5

Peter Doherty Live at the Torriano:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BV10ICGB

Hope that helps. I've only ever taped with one other pre - a Church Audio ST9000 - and that I only used briefly, so I'm sure there are far better samples out there using CA pre's to compare.

Title: Re: FEL Battery Preamp vs. other options
Post by: reverser on March 28, 2008, 10:02:07 AM

Awesome.  Thanks so much.  Great info.  +T if I could.

Title: Re: FEL Battery Preamp vs. other options
Post by: powermonkey on March 28, 2008, 12:32:29 PM

No worries, glad to help.

One thing that occurs to me. The FEL pre is quite substantially bigger than the CA pres that I've seen. Not big enough for it to be a particular issue, but something worth bearing in mind nonetheless.