[quote title=vegas4ever wrote on Wed, 30 January 2008 07:52
Hey hey, I used to own a MXL 2001 Tube MOD, that will give any high end mic a run for the money, but going back to the topic, CAN SOMEONE TELL ME what the MPA gold its like???[/quote]
Yeah, it's like any number of preamps - it amplifies a mic. The difference between mics is typically greater than the difference between preamps as far as the sound. The features are very good for the money. Lots of gain, decent metering, the variable impedence is really handy and interesting - it really changes the character of an SM57 for example, and the high plate voltage setting does what the manual says. I did a shootout between the MPA Gold and my Studiomaster Series II pres, a Millenia (forgot the model # but it's around $3K) and an API 512. I liked the API myself, but when I played it all back for some people, one of the guys I respect a lot picked the ART as best of the bunch. It's very decent - you can't miss for the money AFAIC.