Sound Skulptor MP573

I use this preamp in my home studio/project studio.
As I love great electronic circuitry, I wish I could afford a Neve 1073, but since I can’t I decided to try this API500-format rendition of it. The result is a very good surprise.
While I can’t actually compare it with a real 1073, I can confirm the feeling of it being “larger than the real thing”.
First on a drum kick, just through headphone, the result was pure pleasure! (this feeling was confirmed later after recording and mixing)
The same with a snare or a DI-ed bass: a big, big sound.
My Soundcraft Venue II’s preamps now seem a bit thin-sounding, though they’re still correct. As to my TC "Gold channel" preamp, it shows its difference: while a bit “cold”-sounding compared with the MP573, it remains very classy and clear. I can get results just as punchy after working on it and a little help from my DBX 566.
My MP573 is the first version, with a matte black front, which I put in a Bento 2.

The only thing I regret with the MP573 is its lack of an output level setting, as the more you push the gain the huger the sound gets… The problem being to be able to attenuate it afterward.! As soon as I start getting the MP573 to clip, I’ve been in the red for a while on both my mixer and (even worse) my sound interface! So, I have to use the DBX566 for attenuation.
This small problem has not dissuaded me from buying a new ready-to-assemble unit (a new version, with impedance choice on the input) which I have just received. Next, the EQ.

Now, excuse me to leave but the iron’s hot and waiting for me!