Presonus TubePre?

[Brywool]

Hi, I've been using a Bose system for mandolin for the past few years. Sounded great. I've recently had to change my setup and now run my mandolin direct to a Behringer 4 channel mixer to the PA. This sounds extremely thin, even with he EQ on the board. This indicates to me that the Fishman pickup in the mandolin needs a preamp before the mixer.

I've got a Presonus TubePre. Unfortunately, it needs repair. Before I spend the dough to have it fixed, I'm wondering if this preamp would solve the thin issue.

My questions are:

1) Anyone out there in the forum using this for a mandolin preamp and if so, how do you like it?

If I don't get the Presonus fixed, I'm looking at a GigPro preamp or the Para DI 5. Just hate to spend the money if I don't have to and the repair I'm up against is nearly half the cost of the DI 5.
Thanks!

[almeriastrings]

The Fishman pickup needs a very high impedance input. The Behringer lacks this.

The TubePre does have a 1M Ohm instrument input, which is a usable minimum, but to perfectly honest, this is not a particularly highly regarded unit, and unless it can be fixed quickly, simply and cheaply it is probably not worth repairing. Certainly not worth spending much on.

In my opinion, by far the best solution would be to look closely at the Allen & Heath ZED 10.

This would bring you a major mixer upgrade (it really is significantly superior to the Behringers) but it also has two true high impedance (10M) jack inputs that work beautifully with both active and passive piezo transducers. It has excellent EQ for a small mixer. There is (for a bit more) also a version with built in reverbs, the ZED 10FX.

You could, of course, just get the separate Para DI (or similar) and run that into one of the mic input XLR's on your existing mixer, but I'm in no doubt that an A&H ZED would be a neater, overall better sounding solution.

[foldedpath]

+! for what Almeriastrings just posted. I don't recommend the TubePre for any application, let alone trying to repair it (just my personal bias against cheap gear that tries to sell itself with "tube" marketing when it doesn't act at all like the real thing that has high voltage power supplies and transformers).

I've used the A&H Zed 10FX (the version with reverb/delay) for a couple of years now on many gigs, and it's my go-to "little mixer" for small gigs. Great EQ, great preamps, and as Almeriastrings mentioned, you get two channels of high-Z inputs as a bonus.

There are other ways to skin this cat, but if you're already using a Behringer 4-channel mixer and need to solve this particular problem, the compact A&H mixer is a better solution than repairing that TubePre and sticking it in front of the Behringer.

[steve V. johnson]

As foldepath says, if you don't need four (or more) inputs 'there are other ways to skin this cat' than a mixer. Good and proper infos from both posters.

My first thought was toward a preamp that matched your Fishman better. Behringer = thin.

Best wishes,

stv

[kjbllc]

the red eye works well with piezo

[Brywool]

Thanks for the suggestion on the A&H Zed 10FX!
Found a great deal on Ebay and picked it up.

If I find out that you two guys were the Ebay guy, I'm gonna feel pretty silly!

[foldedpath]

Thanks for the suggestion on the A&H Zed 10FX!
Found a great deal on Ebay and picked it up.

If I find out that you two guys were the Ebay guy, I'm gonna feel pretty silly!

Nah, I'm keeping mine, it's a workhorse for small gigs.

Enjoy the mixer, and if you have any questions post 'em here.

[almeriastrings]

Good choice. Can't go wrong with those. One thing I often tell people (but they sometimes have a hard time believing, for some reason) is that the ultra-high impedance inputs on these is easily as good as the vast majority of 'dedicated' boxes - and you effectively get the rest of the thing "for free". I think you'll hear the difference over what you were using before.