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ART Tube MP Microphone Preamp (Model 127)

The Tube MP is the world's most popular external tube microphone preamp. Whether you're working with a 4-track, hard-disk, or digital multi-track recorder, the Tube MP's TEC award nominated design will allow you to obtain professional recording studio results at a fraction of the cost of comparable equipment. The hybrid design of the Tube MP allows it to add warmth and fatness to a signal while maintaining exceptionally low-noise and high quality. Learn More...

    • New $39.95
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Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10

Individual User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
Very basic and perfect for simple projects and use.

Quality:
Seems very sturdy actually dropped it once and still worked as well as it did before. I'll give a little more use before I decide

Value:
Best Preamp for the price.

Desirability:
Decent little metal box, not ugly, I like how it looks with my stuff.

Sound:
This was the only thing I could complain about, great with a bass but a little airy and loud with anything else.

Ease of Use:
Nothing easier to use

Support:
Havn't dealt with any yet.

Overall:
I'm looking for another one not the best for what I personally need but still a good product.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
For the price, you get what you pay for. No complaints here.

Quality:
I've had mine for about a year now, no problems.

Value:
Definite value. I have used the Berhinger equivalent and the blows it away.

Desirability:
It's actually a cool looking little guy.

Sound:
It can be a little noisy if you are not careful, but if you set it up right, no noise at all. As far as adding "tube" warmth, no. The tube is just for looks. Sounds fine though. I have a Motu 896HD and this sounds fairly close, maybe just a little darker.

Ease of Use:
Plug it in and go, make sure not to crank either the input or output gain all the way and your fine.

Support:
Haven't needed it.

Overall:
I don't regret the purchase, and I plan on buying Art product in the future for sure. I might even get another one of these too.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
enough for me.

Quality:
very sturdy could probably use it to hold up my truck.

Value:
are you kidding...budget studios this is your preamp...trust me!

Desirability:
looks good next to the pc and other gear.

Sound:
I have always used this preamp because of space and protability. I have used it on lots of vocals and it still sounds great! I don't know why some user's hate on the sound...maybe they are doing something wrong. Check yourself but this preamp rocks.

Ease of Use:
you could use it blind.

Support:
haven't needed it yet.

Overall:
not in the near future unless they drop the avalon or one of those preamps off the ssl g series consoles to under 100.00.

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Overall:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Quality:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10
Value:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10

Feature:
Just the basics. +20 gain. Gain knob, output knob, phase switch and 48v power switch. Does not have on off switch.

Quality:
IT DIED WITH IN 5 HOURS! I recieved it, connected it up and tested my mic (shure sm7b) with it and had the right loudness. Then I tried to use it and my level was so low, but the preamp hiss hadn't changed. All settings where exactly as I left them. Even maxing out the preamp with +20 gain on did not yield enough. I see it as a tube problem. Very unhappy, I deserve it for spending such little and expecting it to work so well.

Value:
If it just kept working I would be fine with it. Except it didnt.

Desirability:
Its black, its a box and its metal.

Sound:
It sounded fine for the time being.

Ease of Use:
Its a mic preamp, easy.

Support:
ARTs website doesn't even work right. Why bother even sending it back, I spent nothing on it. It will make a neat paper weight or door stop.

Overall:
Not happy with its usefull life. 5 hours and it craps out, even cheap Behringer gear gives you more time.

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Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Feature:
all that i need but a vu meter would have been sweet

Quality:
looks and feel very fragile and it gets hot quickly

Value:
the best you can have for that amount of money

Desirability:
some say it looks dull but i like its 70's gear style

Sound:
for the price i was expecting less but after the first try i was amazed how much it was getting my sound warm and clean. by the way ive read in an article by joe gore(tom waits guitar player) that this preamp was sounding 1/40th less good than his 2000$ avalon preamp -future music magazine august 2005

Ease of Use:
well theres 5 buttons.. nothing complicated

Support:
didnt need it yet

Overall:
i give 9 for now but well see how far i go with it...looks very easy to break

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Overall:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10

Feature:
There were no features, and that was exactly as I wanted. It's simple and without unecessary frills.

Quality:
I hope that the other ones they make are of better quality than mine. It seems fairly well built, but without any maltreatment whatsoever, it died after 4 months. No bumps or light tapping or even transportation. It never moved or had anything done to it other than semi-frequent usage.

Value:
It's a great value if it continues to work. I thought it sounded nice, with maybe too much emphasis on the low-end (probably meant to make it seem "warm," like people are calling it). I think that it is well worth the money, but the risk of having it die has convinced me to try another cheap brand of preamp.

Desirability:
The "I want it" factor really just comes down to "I want a replacement." It's abscence is very saddening because it has deprived me of a functional microphone input for my system. I depended on it, and now I have to use my guitar pedal as my input again, which is a tragedy. I'm on a pathetically small budget, and it's functionality was integral to everything I do.

Sound:
It always sounded great until 2 months into use, I started hearing clicking, like there was a grounding problem although there was none. I'd wait, and it would go away. Then no sound came through at all after 4 months.

Support:
Never called support because it was too cheap to worry about.

Overall:
Overall, a seven, because I liked it while it worked, and I assume that not all die so soon. You won't experience any problems with its sound quality at all, unless the problems I had are product-wide, which I hope they are not.

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