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mrjason « Great but very expensive »
Published on 11/30/12 at 04:42This preamp is a single channel unit made by Avalon, the M5 has phantom power and it can be racked if you choose to rack it but it will take up 2 rack spaces. There are no compression or EQ on the M5 but it does have 1 XLR inputs and 1 XLR output, both of those are analog because there are no digital inputs or outputs on this model; you also cannot connect this preamp to your computer. This Class A studio amp has great headroom and it is very quiet. You will not hear it running at all, it generates no hissing and will make your microphone sound great.
UTILIZATION
This is a studio preamp, and if you can afford it you need to get your hands on one now. It is priced very high but it is worth it. A local studio that we go to has two of these in it so I get the chance to use it a lot, though I cannot afford to have one for my own studio because the price is just outrageous. The M5 does have a high pass filter on it and a accurate stepped gain control of 2dB.
SOUND QUALITY
The frequency response on the M5 is 1 Hz to 120kHz. Being that this preamp is so expensive, I do recommend checking out another preamp by Vintech called the X73i. It has some of the exact specs of this preamp but it is hundreds of dollars cheaper and it will only take up 1 rack space while still being a Class A preamp (with EQ) .
OVERALL OPINION
If you have the money to purchase the M5 then go for it, I do not feel it is priced well to sell. It is made more for someone who has a bigger budget and a larger studio. There are plenty of other preamps on the market that are similar to this one but a lot cheaper. So in the big scheme of things I would say pass on the M5.
UTILIZATION
This is a studio preamp, and if you can afford it you need to get your hands on one now. It is priced very high but it is worth it. A local studio that we go to has two of these in it so I get the chance to use it a lot, though I cannot afford to have one for my own studio because the price is just outrageous. The M5 does have a high pass filter on it and a accurate stepped gain control of 2dB.
SOUND QUALITY
The frequency response on the M5 is 1 Hz to 120kHz. Being that this preamp is so expensive, I do recommend checking out another preamp by Vintech called the X73i. It has some of the exact specs of this preamp but it is hundreds of dollars cheaper and it will only take up 1 rack space while still being a Class A preamp (with EQ) .
OVERALL OPINION
If you have the money to purchase the M5 then go for it, I do not feel it is priced well to sell. It is made more for someone who has a bigger budget and a larger studio. There are plenty of other preamps on the market that are similar to this one but a lot cheaper. So in the big scheme of things I would say pass on the M5.