8 channel preamp - £600

[dickiefunk]

Hi,

I'm looking to get an 8 channel preamp for my studio for general tracking duties of guitars, vocals and bass. My budget is £600 and I would like the following features :-

1/ 2+ DI's on the front
2/ ADAT and analogue outputs
3/ 1u rackmountable
4/ All controls + power switch on the front

I've been having a look around and I'm interested in the following options :-

1/ Tascam 8p Dyna
2/ Focusrite Clarett OctoPre
3/ Audient ASP 800 (though no power button)
4/ Arturia AudioFuse 8-Pre

I will be connecting these to a Motu 828-ES interface. I also have a Warm TB12 preamp and Klark Teknik KT-2A and 76-KT compressors which I use during tracking. I also have an Audient Mico though I will be selling this because the 8 channel pre will be replacing this.
I've had great experience with the Audient Mico and really like what the HMX feature does on this preamp. However, I am put off by this not having and power switch!?
I have also had good experience with Focusrite ISA pres (which I believe the Clarett OctoPre is modelled on but without the Lundahl transformer)? There's a lot of great reviews on the quality of the Clarett preamps. However, these don't have any pads on the pres? Also, I like the fact that the Audient has the HMX and Iron features for adding subtle tone shaping. I also noticed that both of these need a d-sub cable for the outputs.
I notice that Focusrite has a cheaper Scarlett OctoPre and I'm wondering if Focusrite will be updating this to the Scarlett Gen 3 spec as the pres in those are said to be a step up. If they do I would also be interested to know how these compare to the Scarlett and Audient ASP.
I don't know anything about the Tascam 8p Dyna or Arturia AudioFuse units and don't know how these compare to either the Audient or Focusrite Clarett in audio quality performance?

What would you recommend from these units? Are there any others I've missed that would be worth checking out?

[James Perrett]

I would say that the Audient sounds ideal - I'm sure that there are ways of incorporating an external power switch into the system if it is really important. I have the older ASP008 which just works as it should with easy to read controls and everything you need in a preamp. The Focusrite interface that sits under it feels like a toy in comparison with fiddly controls and no visual feedback. The only missing feature on the Audient is a word clock output (which you probably won't need).

[Aled Hughes]

If the Focusrite appeals, then also look at the Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen and the Clarett 8pre. They both do all that you want as well as being a rather nifty backup interface for you.

Aled

[ef37a]

If the ability to turn the pre amp on and off independantly is important get a trio of wireless mains switches.

I have had 3 on my TV/Freeview recorder rig for a good 5 years, never a problem and I can do a power cycle on individual devices from my armchair!

I have another set in a bedroom which have the added handy "all on" or "all off" facilty for the 4 stations though I am onlly using 3.

Handy wee boxes in many situations where you don't want to dive in amongst the dust and spiders.

Dave.

[Sam Inglis]

We are supposed to be receiving an Audiofuse 8Pre for review soon. It looks an interesting product and does have some nice features such as separate line inputs that don't go through the mic preamp circuits, and insert points on inputs 1/2.

The specs are a bit confusing, though. The Audient ASP880 specs state that the mic inputs can accommodate levels of up to +22dBu without pad and +32dBu with the pad. Arturia's specs quote a maximum level of +11dBu, but it's not clear whether this relates to use with the pad or not.

[dickiefunk]

If the ability to turn the pre amp on and off independantly is important get a trio of wireless mains switches.

I have had 3 on my TV/Freeview recorder rig for a good 5 years, never a problem and I can do a power cycle on individual devices from my armchair!

I have another set in a bedroom which have the added handy "all on" or "all off" facilty for the 4 stations though I am onlly using 3.

Handy wee boxes in many situations where you don't want to dive in amongst the dust and spiders.

Dave.

Could you post a link to the product you’re using please?

[ef37a]

If the ability to turn the pre amp on and off independantly is important get a trio of wireless mains switches.

I have had 3 on my TV/Freeview recorder rig for a good 5 years, never a problem and I can do a power cycle on individual devices from my armchair!

I have another set in a bedroom which have the added handy "all on" or "all off" facilty for the 4 stations though I am onlly using 3.

Handy wee boxes in many situations where you don't want to dive in amongst the dust and spiders.

Dave.

Could you post a link to the product you’re using please?

Certanly: https://www.diy.com/departments/electri ... 764792.cat

Not my exact model, got those from the local Homebase before they closed it. There are many and varied models and prices.

Dave.

[ImdurC]

We are supposed to be receiving an Audiofuse 8Pre for review soon. It looks an interesting product and does have some nice features such as separate line inputs that don't go through the mic preamp circuits, and insert points on inputs 1/2.

The specs are a bit confusing, though. The Audient ASP880 specs state that the mic inputs can accommodate levels of up to +22dBu without pad and +32dBu with the pad. Arturia's specs quote a maximum level of +11dBu, but it's not clear whether this relates to use with the pad or not.

Hi Sam. I read the SOS review just now and saw the line, "it also sounds really good." Can you give a close comparison to an interface that it sounds like? What interface would you equate it to, sound-wise?

Just for clarity, I'm selling a Clarett 8Pre as I'm moving away from thunderbolt. I thought I was going to buy the USB version of the Clarett 8Pre, but, the Audiofuse 8Pre caught my eye. So, any help would be most appreciated! Thanks

[jimjazzdad]

ART TubeOpto 8 is not on your list and may tick all the boxes. https://artproaudio.com/product/tubeopto-8-eight-channel-mic-preamp-with-adat/

[Sam Inglis]

Hi Sam. I read the SOS review just now and saw the line, "it also sounds really good." Can you give a close comparison to an interface that it sounds like? What interface would you equate it to, sound-wise?

I'm not a great believer in the idea that audio interfaces have a strong sound character. If they do I've not heard it, except in features that are deliberately designed to colour the sound, like Focusrite's Air buttons or the 4K button on the SSL interfaces.

What's really good about the Arturia 8Pre is that it has a huge amount of very clean preamp gain. If you record a lot of speech or acoustic instruments I think it's about as good as it gets for the price. At the other end of the scale you can clip it when recording drums if you try hard enough -- for instance if you like using capacitor mics on snare -- but there should be enough headroom for most sessions and miking options.

[innerchord]

At that sort of price I rather like the PreSonus XMax preamps, as on the Studio 192 and the Quantum interfaces.
The Audient is good, too, as is the Clarett. Stay away from the Scarlett; it's really not up to the quality of the others.
I've not heard the Arturia preamps.

Also, you don't say which mics or DIs you use. That might influence your choice.