Looking at running my Nakamichi's with a preamp. I understand that the Naks run on internal power and need to work with a preamp that has the ability to run without phantom power. Now, that being said, once I get my Naks, i'm going to have Mr. Leegeddy mod my naks for phantom power.
So, the question comes down to this. Money at this point isn't an option for the preamp but these are the ones I've been looking at. Also note, I do a lot of stealth taping and I need a preamp that is stealthable.
Sonosax SX-M2 w/Lemo mod: Just got pricing back on this today from Cascade Media (thanks Frank and Brian Skalinder!). Price doesn't look bad and I like the sound of the Sonosax, especially after hearing Brian's APC tape from Columbus, OH. The only thing I don't like about it is the fact it does not have a ADC in it, which means that in the future I will end up having to buy one. Not a bad thing, but somewhat of an inconveinece.
Lunatec V3: What can I say about the V3 that hasn't already been said?
. I've got a bunch of buddies who run it and love it more than their g/f's and wives. I really think it sounds transparent, but provides all the right features that you would need to do 24/96 taping in the future. A little pricey, and definitly not stealthable, unless your the Schoeps taper I know in TN. I would really consider this if I was taping nothing but open taping bands, but that's not generally what comes through my neck of the woods.
Edirol UA-5: Again, lots of buzz about the UA-5 on this board and everywhere else. I've only heard a few tapes with it, but what I heard I liked (also note that most of the shows I've heard the UA-5 ran in, were ran with the Presence Mod). Also, provides all of the same ADC features that the V3 does for future 24/96 recording. The only thing that I keep hearing though is that the Edirol unit isn't bit accurate. I haven't seen any real proof of it, but i imagine the tapers on here know what they are talking about, but I would really like to see where this is evident. Because if that is the case, I think I might shy away from the unit, as I think bit accuracy is important when doing digital recording.
Now, the only problem with these options, is that I've never heard Naks ran through any of these Preamps. So, Nak guru's of the TapersSection, please share of your ultimate wisdom
Many thanks,
Benjamin