compasspnt wrote on Wed, 30 August 2006 21:59 |
However, remember that is just one opinion. Jim Gilliland, for instance, preferred his 828 in many instances. And you do get more pre-per-buck that SP way.
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Actually, I never said that I preferred my SP828 in any instance (well, except for price <g>).
What I said was that in the situations that I tested, I got no better results with the Brick than I did with the SP828. The Brick did a fine job, but so did the SP828. I tested both vocals and direct instrument inputs. Both came in at mic level via a stage splitter, so I was not using the Brick as a DI. The resulting tracks were so similar that I simply couldn't tell them apart.
Now, had I driven both pres to their maximums, I have no doubt that there would have been a larger difference (as Terry and others have pointed out). Transformers and tubes are bound to sound different than transistors when pushed hard. But at the gentle levels I was recording on that evening, the two units produced nearly identical results.
At the time that I was comparing the units, I decided that I was better off with eight channels of mic pres than two channels for the same price, especially when the results were indistinguishable. So I returned the Bricks and bought the SP828. I am still quite comfortable that I made the right decision. As I said four months ago, I didn't find either unit to be anything "special". Both did their jobs reasonably well.
Nonetheless, at Guitar Center's closeout prices, the Brick is a steal. In fact, I just went out and bought one myself. I paid a LOT less for it this time than I did last year.
Interestingly, the SP828 recordings that I made on that evening last fall are about to be released as a live album. My intention that evening was simply to track (and later mix) for a radio broadcast, but the artist liked the recording so much that he opted to make it his next CD.