Phonic T8100 Tube Microphone Preamp
Studio quality mic/line pre; warmth control; +48V phantom; dual 3-band, mid-sweep EQ
Overall User Ratings (based on 8 ratings)
Submitted December 5, 2005 by a customer from siliconaudio.co.nz
"Looks nice - Sounds mediocre"
This unit is visually attractive, but sonically uninspiring. I'll probably hang onto it a while to see if it has a use. Maybe to tame an overly bright mic or a shrill voice. But for me, clarity, low noise and low distortion are important factors that this unit is missing.
Sound
Of all the mic pre-amps I own (including the mic pres in my Behringer mixer), this unit is the noisiest. I hear subtle distortion even with the tube timbre knob all the way to "cold". The T8100's mellow sound may come in handy - but this unit is definitely not transparent.
Features
The EQ is quite nice, and missing on other pre-amps in this price range. The phase inversion switch is not implimented properly and changes the sound of the unit more than it should. It's nice to have separate phantom switches per channel.
Quality
Nice chassis, but the plastic knobs look/feel cheap. The high self noise and distortion are what drops the perceived quality for me.
Value
I'm rating this 5 out of 10 - right in the middle. Not terrible value, but not great either.
Manufacturer Support
Support only gets a 5 because the phonic.com site has been down for a long, long time. I have not had to make a warrantee claim.
The Wow Factor
It does have nice aesthetics, but the audio quality doesn't quite live up to them.
Musical Background:
Active musician, home studio owner.
Musical Style:
Acoustic Rock
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