Hi!
I've had a look at the SP-Preamp from Soundprofessionals.com. They
offer it for 159USD and says this is 100 USD below retail price.
Obviously good with it:
Nice box, nice belt clip, - stereo, low noise, good pip voltage, low
current consumption (8mA), small, easy to handle. It's perfect for
the user of low noise PIP-mic's, MT24/96 and Edirol R-09.
It can also drive headphones with enough juice, at least my 250 Ohm ones.
Questionable:
The box is not shielded, neither are the cables inside. There should
be a note (like in the Telinga manual...) saying: "This preamp should
be connected to battery operated equipment only." Indoors, connected
to a mains operated recorder, you will get mains hum.
The on/off switch will break. It is a only about 1 mm thick "finger"
pointing out about 6 mm above the panel, switching the positions "off
/ low sens / high sens". It can be operated cautiously, but should be
protected some way.
Finally I don't like the volume wheel. (Gain control??) It seems as
if it is a log. or even lin. double potentiometer in the gain
circuit. So for the first 80% of it, very little happens, - then
comes all of it. The one in my sample is also badly linked, so one
channel go from left to right and then back again.
On the other hand, this "volume" could be at maximum all the time,
then setting the levels at the recorder.
I don't know what happens if you short the output to ground, neither
what happens if you turn the 9v battery the wrong way, which seems to
be possible.
For the ones who have better pip mic's than the recorder input, I say
that this amp is worth 159 dollars. You get rid of the self noise!
259 is in my opinion too much, but I realize the problem. "Made in
China" it would cost 39.99 at Radio Shack... Life is terrible.
Klas.
Telinga Microphones, Botarbo,
S-748 96 Tobo, Sweden.
Phone & fax int + 295 310 01
email:
website: www.telinga.com
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