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Post by nick8801 on Mar 21, 2023 6:58:48 GMT -6
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Post by theshea on Mar 21, 2023 7:55:30 GMT -6
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Post by thehightenor on Mar 21, 2023 10:00:36 GMT -6
Funny, that was my first thought too! |
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Post by sirthought on Mar 21, 2023 18:46:05 GMT -6
www.soundonsound.com/reviews/warm-audio-wa-mpx-wa-2mpxSound On Sound did a review. We all know that they tend to write favorably about everything, but the author was very thorough in describing the various testing they did, which I thought was helpful. It sounds like an extremely useful product. I have always thought that 70dB of gain was a lot for a preamp, even for ribbons and dynamics, so to hear them say you can get up to 90 sounds really like overkill. But I haven't used it, so maybe I'd learn something. This is a modified 351, so the closest comparison they came up with is an Electric & Company EC3, which they say is extremely faithful to the original AMPEX. Of course it would be nice to shootout these two, or an original 351, but all the added bells and whistles on the Warm seem like attractive options to have on hand if you need them. Seems like Warm might have a winner. Let's see how quality control and longevity are.
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Post by chessparov on Mar 21, 2023 21:15:37 GMT -6
I find the "Hipster" promo video spin hilarious. So close to spoofing all the Analog clichés!  Maybe just my warped sense of humor... Chris |
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Post by lowlou on Mar 22, 2023 4:06:22 GMT -6
Not convinced so far, but I wait for other demos. The sound breaks quickly and nastily, it is what I got out of the MixBusTV demo.
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Post by Ward on Mar 22, 2023 5:16:38 GMT -6
Advertising for Warm products follows a set path and style. These demos are adverts.  The scripts are classic! "After I dial in the W84s into the stereo version of the Wham Pex, I add some WA2a tube compression . . . hang on one second, I have to get some artisanal Warm coffee from the Weurag coffee machine . . . using the brand new tube filtered W cup simulated columbian Dark crunch roast, brought to you by Warm Coffee. There we go . . . " (humor) |
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Post by bossanova on Mar 22, 2023 8:21:36 GMT -6
I find the "Hipster" promo video spin hilarious. So close to spoofing all the Analog clichés! Maybe just my warped sense of humor... Chris Not to get too far off topic, but I also noticed this a while back in some Arturia ads, where they seemed determined to fit as many instances of "warm; analog; vintage; classic; legendary; etc" into a minute long promo video as possible. In the one I'm thinking of it was for the updated V4 version of their Prophet 5 model, and puzzlingly enough the music they were using alongside of it as a background demo sounded like generic 2020s pop music rather than anything particularly vintage, which tells you a lot about the audience they're targeting with the above marketing. |
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Post by tkaitkai on Mar 22, 2023 8:32:18 GMT -6
Kind of surprised they didn't go for a V72 or V76 for their first tube preamp. Not that an Ampex is any less cool or anything. Wasn't really wowed by anything in that demo, but it could just be the mics/instruments they chose. Some cool features on this thing for sure. And this was definitely the first thing that sprung to mind when looking at it:
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Post by honkeur on Mar 22, 2023 9:14:55 GMT -6
This product seems to have been designed in response to the recent popularity of saturation plug-ins.
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Post by drbill on Mar 22, 2023 9:37:24 GMT -6
The thing I noticed about the video is that the dude has a Silver Bullet sitting on the top of his rack. He needs a mk2 though....... |
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Post by bossanova on Mar 22, 2023 9:47:23 GMT -6
It could be a sign of the shape my hearing is in or just that my ears are fatigued from working on a track in headphones for a chunk of yesterday...but was anyone else having trouble making out the lyrics during the vocal demonstration? I know that 2k lowpass isn't helping.
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Post by mattiesmith on Mar 22, 2023 12:14:38 GMT -6
Hi there, RGA. This is Mattie Smith from Electric & Company. Since we are mentioned, I wanted to chime in on our EC3 unit. I started Electric & Company after working with Ampex unit rebuilds for quite some time. In a nutshell, the EC3 is based on the Ampex 351 preamp. If you were to take a 351, cap it at 70dB(ish), add a DI, some Pads, and Phantom Power- you’d have an EC3. I chose 70dB by ear- it’s a sweet spot for the circuit(by fixing the Master Volume divider internally. To that end, ours is actually set up to be knocked up to 90dB upon request, but we have never had it requested ). The aim of the EC3 was/is to provide the highest quality vehicle for that sound. To that end, I eschewed adding a bunch of extra “condiments”. I have no personal experience with the Warm product, and do not wish to be perceived as adding anything negative here- I just want to add some info on our unit.
Thanks
M
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Post by Darren Boling on Mar 22, 2023 12:29:46 GMT -6
The thing I noticed about the video is that the dude has a Silver Bullet sitting on the top of his rack. He needs a mk2 though....... What's wrong with a vintage MK1?... |
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Post by nick8801 on Mar 22, 2023 13:01:49 GMT -6
Just watched the vintage king vid on these…I think they sound really great. Especially with the “tone” switch engaged. Not super into the tape sat thing, but I could see it being useful in certain situations. I’ve known Bryce since his early diy days. He’s a stand up guy. Really happy for him and all the success he’s had. I also used to own an electric and co Ampex, and that thing was pretty damn amazing as well.
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Post by tkaitkai on Mar 22, 2023 13:12:08 GMT -6
OK, yeah, the Vintage King video sounds MUCH better. Definitely presents it in a much more flattering light. I don't think the tape saturation would really be my thing (sounds a little too crunchy for my taste), but it does sound really nice with cleaner settings. The 'tone' switch also sounds great in the vocal clips.
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Post by EmRR on Mar 22, 2023 13:36:35 GMT -6
And this was definitely the first thing that sprung to mind when looking at it: Well yeah, that's an Ampex 350/351 look. ------ oh lawd, that Warm promo video. The nonsense spewed in the first 30 seconds had me hit stop. Once more, a company trying to rewrite history for advertising purposes. It's just not enough for something to be good or sound cool, we need 'imaginary provenance'. Let's leave Les Paul out of it. He was feeding his Ampex with an RCA BC-2B tube console at that point. No onboard preamp action needed. Nor most people using an Ampex back then! All the old-timers grumbled about the quality of the Ampex pre stage, it's almost universal. Doesn't mean it's bad, just take that huge grain of salt; they liked plenty of other stuff better. 2kHz LPF, what is it, 1924?!?! I thought this was about the 1950's? My 1932 condenser mic goes to 6K, and the 1927 Western Electric 41-A preamp I had went to 10K, no prob. Ignorance and misdirection in product advertising is my #1 turnoff, I'm sure y'all remember this. They've lost me for sure, I'll never know if this is any good as I can't get past it. Attachments:
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Post by brenta on Mar 22, 2023 13:43:10 GMT -6
This looks like it could be a really cool product at a great price. BUT, that's what I think every time Warm announces a new product, and more often than not, I'm a little disappointed when I actually get it in my hands. We'll see how this turns out.
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Post by earlevel on Mar 22, 2023 15:03:20 GMT -6
"...delivering an impressive 300 volts of raw power..." (at 1:14 in the video, and on the website warmaudio.com/wa-mpx/). I guess 300v refers to tube circuitry plate voltage (or at least power supply voltage). The preamp isn't "delivering" anywhere, and it's certainly not power. I think a marketing disconnect with engineering. |
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Post by Ward on Mar 22, 2023 18:08:07 GMT -6
Hi there, RGA. This is Mattie Smith from Electric & Company. Since we are mentioned, I wanted to chime in on our EC3 unit. I started Electric & Company after working with Ampex unit rebuilds for quite some time. In a nutshell, the EC3 is based on the Ampex 351 preamp. If you were to take a 351, cap it at 70dB(ish), add a DI, some Pads, and Phantom Power- you’d have an EC3. I chose 70dB by ear- it’s a sweet spot for the circuit(by fixing the Master Volume divider internally. To that end, ours is actually set up to be knocked up to 90dB upon request, but we have never had it requested ). The aim of the EC3 was/is to provide the highest quality vehicle for that sound. To that end, I eschewed adding a bunch of extra “condiments”. I have no personal experience with the Warm product, and do not wish to be perceived as adding anything negative here- I just want to add some info on our unit. Thanks M You sure know how to make a good first Impression! Glad you've joined us. Look forward to future discussions. |
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Post by revevague on Mar 25, 2023 11:21:27 GMT -6
This looks like a really cool preamp. Lots of options for shaping tone (admittedly I might be overwhelmed with too many decisions to make).
Nice to see some tube options for those of us in the lower budget category!
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Post by robschnapf on Mar 25, 2023 15:53:40 GMT -6
351 preamp was a good distortion box.
It was an after thought as a preamp though.
There are much better mic pres out there then a 351 if you want classic
Hifi tube preamp gain.
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Post by chessparov on Mar 25, 2023 18:31:24 GMT -6
Yeah Rob, but what about my Warm Coffee?
I mean are these other Pre's as well grounded?
BTW I just heard about the accident during that Warm video...
The main guy badly burned his tongue, during filming.
He drank his coffee before it was cool enough.
Chris
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2023 9:52:20 GMT -6
I’d rather use what comes in my interface than a warm product.
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Post by chessparov on Mar 26, 2023 12:02:05 GMT -6
Seems like Reliable advice. IMHO if it's mainly a Pastime, downtime for repairs might be less critical. Seems like their microphones have relatively less build/reliability issues. The Customer Service I understand, is quite good. Chris |
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