I have bought and tried 13 preamps before I bought SPL Goldmike 9844. I feel that no one of them are as good. I will list the items down below. Some of them are much more expensive. 6 of them has been bought from Thomann and they have never complained that I have returned them, which I think show what remarkable service they give!
What makes the SPL Goldmike so good is that every microphone sound great with it. I have tested it with my 9 large diafragm mics and 15 dynamic microphones. It probably sound so good because the preamp is transparent but not sterile at all. The microphones react much more to differences in the angle to the sound source and if a mic doesn?t sound good with my voice angled strait to the mouth it will be better if I angle it down or up.
The preamp also has low noise with my microphones.
My only complaint is that it doesn?t have a DI. I also wish it had LINE in and not only mic in. You can get a DI if you buy the MK II version but it is much more expensive and seem to sound about the same.
The list of preamps I have tried:
Heritage Audio HA-73EQ, Black Lion Audio B173, Fredenstein F200, Fredenstein VAS pre, Warm Audio WA12, Universal Audio LA610, Focusrite ISA one, Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5017, ART pro MPA II, Golden Age Project Pre-73, Audient ASP800, Audient ID44, Universal Audio Apollo Twin.
