All user reviews of 3/5 for the Behringer Tube Ultragain MIC100

Preamp / DI "lamp".
Size of a DI.
Input and output XLR and Jack.
Phantom power (48V??), PAD, phase inversion and a "limiter" (gadget).
Input gain, output volume, VU mêtre.
Mechanically strong.

UTILIZATION

Use could not be more simple. Very correct ergonomics.
The manual seems unnecessary given the simplicity of the object.

SOUND QUALITY

To be clear, we have a little cheap preamp to get a microphone to line level, to go on an online PC input or simply to feed a microphone that requires phantom.
The sound and the S / N ratio are correct no more.
The tube (the "lamp") is there to look pretty and vaguely color the sound by a pair distortion: the tube is undernourished ("starved", hungry) and can not even find the characteristic curves for such a low anode voltage. In any case if it is non-linear we want to color the sound, it is served ...

OVERALL OPINION

Bought around 2004 given its low price to supply a small static phantom, I go occasionally when the audio quality does not matter.
For this purpose it is perfect, it is the equivalent of an adapter is needed from time to time.
Pros: price, durability, reduced size.
The -: blah sound quality, the tube is a selling point (or possibly a distortion that can not be deleted), the limit is unnecessary and inefficient gadget.

Preamp tube.

Jack / XLR input / output
Gain and volume knob

Limiter
20dB Pad
Phase inversion
48V Phantom Power

Supplied AC power (9V, 1.3A)


For 35 €, it is strictly necessary.

UTILIZATION

it is very simple.

one branch entering one of two inputs (jacks or XLR), ditto for the exit.
whether a power supply, you press the small button 48 V.

And we turn the gains and volume.

It heats up a bit, but nothing too bad.

SOUND QUALITY

amplifies it.

it does its job, it does not seem too blow. after, is that it colors too, not enough? I'm not good enough material to tell.

OVERALL OPINION

for about a year.
I use it for:
guitar and bass for home recording, the input line.
Singing and instrument mic with XLR in home studio.

I also used to live and repeat, for a 48V power supply, and to manage 2-3 instruments on the same output (by changing the volumes myself, and managing the power supply).


he does his job. it is inexpensive, reliable now (again, concert in the dust, ok, nothing wrong).

we'll see if it still stands in 5 or 10 years.

for studio use, I find it does not blow much (much less than the preamp of my integrated audio card M).


for 35 €, if you fall on a flawless model (the problem with the entry-level), it does very well what he is asked: preamplify and 48V supply.
For the real studio, it will surely be inadequate. but hey, this is € 35, not 500.

This is a little one channel tube preamp made by Behringer. There are no effects other than gain and a built-in limiter. There are a couple other features though. There is a 20dB pad in case you have a very hot signal that is clipping even with the gain all the way down. There is a switch for phantom power for condenser mics. There is a switch for phase reversal if you are doing multi-miking or stereo miking. Then there is a switch to engage the limiter if you want it. The gain is controlled in two stages - a tube gain stage, and then an output stage with another 10db of gain and attenuation down to 0. The connections are XLR mic connectors. It is not rackable, it is a small table-top preamp. It is powered by a 9V wall wart plug.

UTILIZATION

This preamp is very, very easy to use. The controls are very simple so you pretty much just plug it in, decide which features you want engaged, and fiddle with the gains from there. The manual does explain everything it can do, though there is not much documentation necessary because the device is pretty simple.

SOUND QUALITY

This preamp does color your sound a bit, it's not a very transparent pre-amp. It seems to make things sound a little bit crispier and thinner. It sounds pretty good for electric guitars, but not so good for something that is generally more full featured like lead vocals. Overall I was impressed with its sound considering it's from Behringer, but you definitely don't want to use this on anything with a wide frequency spectrum because this will mess with the sound too much.

OVERALL OPINION

I used this at a studio about a year ago. I liked what it does to electric guitars, it definitely helped the sound for the track we were recording. It made them more raw and present. I don't like what it does to most other sources, because the coloration usually seems detrimental. I have used a lot of preamps. This one is very cheap, so if you want a starter preamp and you'll be recording a lot of distorted guitars, you may want to consider this one. I wouldn't buy one for my own.