Customer Reviews

ART Tube PAC Microphone Preamp/Compressor

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Before ordering this unit, i read reviews and talked to folks in home recording website groups. This product is very well respcted so i purchased it. No regrets here. The warmth that the tube adds to my vocals, guitar, and mandolin in this frigid digital world is worth the price alone but the improved tone it offered my direct in bass guitar was a really pleasant surprise. I haven't even used the compressor yet but i'm sure it won't disappoint. This thing is built like a tank. Superior craftsmanship and quality to boot for an unbeatable price. Color me satisfied.

This unit proves you don't always get what you pay for, but this story does not have a happy ending. It is worth a lot less than what you will pay for it. As others have noted, it is noisy. I found this to be true both electrically and audibly. When I turned the first one on, I could hear a hum. After connecting it to my digital recorder, I saw that I was at a fairly high and constant input level. Not good. Same for the second unit I tried. Listening to the recordings showed I was recording some type of line noise, even though I was not speaking at the time.

For this test, I was running a fairly high end dynamic mic into the ART Tube PAC and the output was going to my digital recorder. As a check against this setup, I ran the mic straight into the recorder and found the sound was clean, but low volume, hence the desire for a preamp. The clean input without the added electronics showed the Tube PAC was responsible for any noise, not the mic or the recorder. I was also interested in the compressor aspects of the ART to enhance voice recordings. While I was able to tame the noise level on recordings through lowering my input level on the recorder, the compressor functions did not add anything at all to the sound. Wasted electronics.

As a preamp only, it is not bad, but you are still left with the residual hum the Tube PAC introduces. Even a quick look around at other sources will find show many preamps that are a lot less expensive than this unit was. That is why I say it is not worthless, but it is worth less: The preamp is usable, but it is not worth what you will pay for it.

I ordered this product from Musicians [...] and was very skeptical about a [...] "tube" preamp/compressor however! I brought it to MDV reheasrsal Studios in LV and used an AKG cheap mic and set my eq's on the board all 12 o clock. I sang an this and dialed it in and then went straight to the board pardon my french but Holy Sh@T this preamp blew my mind I am now using it live every venue and get compliments on my vocals!
It's a must have superb quality and price!

I would give it zero stars if Amazon permitted it.
Save your money and get something else. For $200 you can get something fairly decent. This thing literally makes noise. It has a humming sound. It is also apparent in what is audible through the mix. Perhaps I had a defective one, but these things are prone to being noisy. Buyer Beware!

I enjoyed this little guy for the first month I had it. Then, the tube fried or something. Turned it on one day and smelled like something was burnt, and the only thing coming out of it was really distorted crackles. Sure seems like at least a blown tube. Tubes are delicate, but come on, had this thing just about a month and it already fries. Really annoying. I had just thrown away the shipping box, too. I'll contact ART support and see how they are. Really looking forward to packing, shipping, waiting, trying again with this NEW product. I'll leave another review after I see how their support is.

Just a note.. you can find this item brand new on other sites like Musician's Friend for 80 dollars cheaper.. the list price is only 145, not sure why it's so expensive here.

I've had my tube pac for 6 years now and it still works as great as the first day. the unit is simple to use .I find that a big bonus ,because theres nothing worse than having to fiddle with several settings to do a simple job. and the tube pac does the job very well. considering the quality and 2 hand matched ax7 tubes it can compete with units many times the price. the tube pac is dead quiet and easily a basic staple in any home recording or live setup.