I got my hands on a mic pre that uses the Neutrik Combo connector for
inputs. While this is handy for using either 1/4" or XLR cables, just from
looking at it it seems like there would possibly be some mating problems, as
compared to traditional 1/4" and XLR connectors. Has anyone had good or bad
experiences with these connectors?

On another note, I have the opportunity to pick up a lower end mic pre to
use in a project studio. Mics are pretty good, Rode NT1a and NT2 condensers.
I have heard some good things about the Presonus BlueTube and DigiTube mic
pre's, but from what research I have done on here and Google it seems that
the Symetrix 302 is almost universally agreed upon as an excellent
inexpensive mic pre, better than anything comparable in the ~$300 price
range, including anything by Behringer, ART, PreSonus, and at least as good
or better than the pre's in the Mackie 1202 and the JoeMeek 3Q. Can anyone
comment on this assessment?

-Ben

In article ,
"Ben Hanson" wrote:

I got my hands on a mic pre that uses the Neutrik Combo connector for
inputs. While this is handy for using either 1/4" or XLR cables, just from
looking at it it seems like there would possibly be some mating problems, as
compared to traditional 1/4" and XLR connectors. Has anyone had good or bad
experiences with these connectors?

On another note, I have the opportunity to pick up a lower end mic pre to
use in a project studio. Mics are pretty good, Rode NT1a and NT2 condensers.
I have heard some good things about the Presonus BlueTube and DigiTube mic
pre's, but from what research I have done on here and Google it seems that
the Symetrix 302 is almost universally agreed upon as an excellent
inexpensive mic pre, better than anything comparable in the ~$300 price
range, including anything by Behringer, ART, PreSonus, and at least as good
or better than the pre's in the Mackie 1202 and the JoeMeek 3Q. Can anyone
comment on this assessment?

-Ben




I have combo connectors on a few items now, I haven't noticed any issues
with them
george

Ben Hanson wrote:
I got my hands on a mic pre that uses the Neutrik Combo connector for
inputs. While this is handy for using either 1/4" or XLR cables, just from
looking at it it seems like there would possibly be some mating problems, as
compared to traditional 1/4" and XLR connectors. Has anyone had good or bad
experiences with these connectors?

I've been very happy with them. They don't look like they would be all
that secure, but when they first came out I put a bunch of them on the
field console I use for broadcast submixes, and they really held up well.

On another note, I have the opportunity to pick up a lower end mic pre to
use in a project studio. Mics are pretty good, Rode NT1a and NT2 condensers.
I have heard some good things about the Presonus BlueTube and DigiTube mic
pre's, but from what research I have done on here and Google it seems that
the Symetrix 302 is almost universally agreed upon as an excellent
inexpensive mic pre, better than anything comparable in the ~$300 price
range, including anything by Behringer, ART, PreSonus, and at least as good
or better than the pre's in the Mackie 1202 and the JoeMeek 3Q. Can anyone
comment on this assessment?

The older Symetrix 202 sounds better than the newer 302, and can be modified
to sound still better.

Event Electronics made something called the MP-1 for a while. They had some
serious manufacturing problems, and there are a lot of bad ones out there.
If you have good soldering skills, most of them clean up nicely with a
resoldering job.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
Ben Hanson wrote:
I got my hands on a mic pre that uses the Neutrik Combo connector for
inputs. While this is handy for using either 1/4" or XLR cables, just
from
looking at it it seems like there would possibly be some mating problems,
as
compared to traditional 1/4" and XLR connectors. Has anyone had good or
bad
experiences with these connectors?

I've been very happy with them. They don't look like they would be all
that secure, but when they first came out I put a bunch of them on the
field console I use for broadcast submixes, and they really held up well.

On another note, I have the opportunity to pick up a lower end mic pre to
use in a project studio. Mics are pretty good, Rode NT1a and NT2
condensers.
I have heard some good things about the Presonus BlueTube and DigiTube
mic
pre's, but from what research I have done on here and Google it seems
that
the Symetrix 302 is almost universally agreed upon as an excellent
inexpensive mic pre, better than anything comparable in the ~$300 price
range, including anything by Behringer, ART, PreSonus, and at least as
good
or better than the pre's in the Mackie 1202 and the JoeMeek 3Q. Can
anyone
comment on this assessment?

The older Symetrix 202 sounds better than the newer 302, and can be
modified
to sound still better.

Event Electronics made something called the MP-1 for a while. They had
some
serious manufacturing problems, and there are a lot of bad ones out there.
If you have good soldering skills, most of them clean up nicely with a
resoldering job.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."


Hi Scott. I have heard this about the Symetrix 202 vs. 302, is it because if
the 2017 (or 2107, etc.) change? Isn't that a transistor of some sort? Don't
recall all that I have read about the issues. I wonder if you can mod the
3023 to make it better as well.

How would you quantify the differences? Would the 302 still be considered
top of the field in that price range despite these issues? I have not had
the chance to listen to either of the Symetrix units yet.

-Ben

I use them in the field and love them.
By field I mean battery only application sites.
They have held up well.

I built a field case using them as well this year.
With only 4 combo connectors on the front case I wired them with jumpers
into to my a/d d/a and mic pre equipment..
My standard connection configuration is a choice between either 4 balanced
mic inputs using the XLR's or 2 unbalanced line inputs and 6 unbalanced
audio outputs on the 1/4". This gives me a compact field case that can
easily record or playback full uncompressed 24/96 surround.

Rich

"Ben Hanson" wrote in message
...
I got my hands on a mic pre that uses the Neutrik Combo connector for
inputs. While this is handy for using either 1/4" or XLR cables, just from
looking at it it seems like there would possibly be some mating problems,
as
compared to traditional 1/4" and XLR connectors. Has anyone had good or
bad
experiences with these connectors?

Ben Hanson wrote:
Hi Scott. I have heard this about the Symetrix 202 vs. 302, is it because if
the 2017 (or 2107, etc.) change? Isn't that a transistor of some sort? Don't
recall all that I have read about the issues. I wonder if you can mod the
3023 to make it better as well.

Basically, a company called PMI made a bunch of audio circuit on a chip
things, including two nice mike preamps. Using a single chip preamp is
a lot easier and cheaper these days than designing a discrete circuit.
PMI designed chips and had them made on a large chip manufacturer's
semicustom fab line, then did the marketing and sales themselves.

When PMI got bought out by Analog Devices, they started having to make
their products on the AD fab lines instead of their competitor's semicustom
line. So all of the PMI products either got revamped (and basically
changed completely) or discontinued. The SSM2015 and SSM2016 mike preamp
chips went, and were replaced with the poorer-sounding SSM2017 chip.

Burr-Brown makes a drop-in replacement that might be an improvement, but
I have not done direct testing.

How would you quantify the differences? Would the 302 still be considered
top of the field in that price range despite these issues? I have not had
the chance to listen to either of the Symetrix units yet.

Well, considering that a used 202 will cost you less than a new 302, that
is even more reason to go the 202 route.

As far as the 302 goes, it's really just an SSM2017 in a box with some output
stuff and a power supply. There are a bunch of other more or less identical
boxes out there under various names from various manufacturers.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."