Golden Age Pre-73 Microphone Preamplifier

Modeled after the Neve 1073, Golden Age offers incredible sound in an affordable package!

Overall User Ratings (based on 14 ratings)
  • Overall:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    5 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(14) (see rating details)
Submitted October 22, 2010 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Buy it before they go out of business.....you never know for these prices...."

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
for mny years maybe
Sound
I bought this from someone else and must say It surprised me in the way it sounds... very clean to a little color, smooth sound when added up in tracks....it is warm and makes you sound smoother on your recordings, can also be used with sound system, live apps...a little big 11 inches long and 1/2 rack wide...I love it...
Features
I dont think it included much of anything, no manual not wires, just a 24vac power supply...
Ease of Use
its a bit different to dial up a sound, but its a different beast to what most preamps offer....the input voulume goes counter clockwise as the ouput gain goes clockwise...not sure if the Neve is like this, but its a way to saturate the input tranny without making the output volume too loud...
Quality
it seems well made, just its made in another country that rhymes with fine-a or lima..cant say the country....
Value
yes, compared to other preamps under $500 its one of the best....very clean to a gritty sound...
Manufacturer Support
No dealings with this company before
The Wow Factor
its a little red wagon

Musical Background:

Hobbyist
8 of 8 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted April 18, 2011 by a customer from hotmail.com

"Great sounding pro preamp"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
It'll be in my studio till I die!!!
Sound
Its a neve flavored preamp with nice in your face warmth. 3 transformers!!! REMEMBER TO LISTEN WITH YOUR EARS....NOT YOUR EYES!!!
Features
simple preamp, professional quality
Ease of Use
two knobs, if you cant get a good sound out of it you dont know what your doing!
Quality
built for years of professional use.
Value
its worth twice the price
Manufacturer Support
Bo Medin responds quickly to your questions
The Wow Factor
its RED and it sounds like a neve for a lot less!!! TRANSFORMERS

Musical Background:

Pro engineer, producer and musician

Musical Style:

all styles
5 of 5 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted September 10, 2010 by a customer from gmail.com

"A quality Transformer Balanced clone for 300 dollars, BUY IT."

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
If this unit were stolen i would replace it after i cried.
Sound
While this is not the same as a Neve(r able to afford it) it does impart that same magic. Golden Age chose the right parts and essentially used the same schematics as the above mentioned manufacturer, while still maintaining an affordable price. While some may have had a few quality control issues, this is not the norm, and my unit had zero problems. This Preamp sounds like it should, use it on snare or guitar, it imparts that familiar sound that will make you smile, DO NOT HESITATE!!!
Features
It has the needed buttons and knobs to get any job done. While it may not be "feature rich", polarity, 48v, Low-Z, and DI are really all that is needed.
Ease of Use
Understand that the first gain knob is reversed from the second. Would have received a 10, but some are confused by this at first.
Quality
While the quality is nowhere near that of the Neve, the price could never be 299.99 if it were. At this price, the build is actually amazing. (considering the quality of internal parts, which contributes wholly to the sound quality and is really the reason you should be purchasing this in the first place.)
Value
This is where this preamp is so incredible, 299!! i bought a 239 blemished unit. It had a one inch scratch on the top lid of the unit, THAT IS ALL. Other than the scratch, this unit checks out. (i am a electronics/audio/recording engineer.) Low noise floor with balanced signals. Quiet.
Manufacturer Support
no idea, but from reading other posts it seems that if you are sent a defective unit, Golden Age will replace it.
The Wow Factor
A quality Neve clone that has a similar mojo for 300 dollars, BUY IT.

Musical Background:

Professional

Musical Style:

All
9 of 10 people (90%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted December 9, 2010 by a customer from yahoo.com

"great preamp at a great price"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
it will last
Sound
this is a great preamp. It's a real preamp vs ones with starve plate tubes or channel strips in the same price range. It's very nice as long as you don't push it to hard. It gets a lil harsh an fuzzy around the top of the gain setting I'd say around 70db of gain. I think it's driving the transformers to hard at that point, but even then it's still very useable. I like how simple it is. Making a great preamp takes some exspensive parts to me this means the money all went to one goal making a good preamp at a great price point about 1/10th of a 1073 I'm ordering a second one.
Features
it has all it needs
Ease of Use
2 knobs 2 switches it doesn't even need instructions
Quality
I've seen the inside of it it's made right for the price
Value
this is the best value in a real mic preamp in years
Manufacturer Support
never had a problem
The Wow Factor
if you know what it is its very sexy to the engineer

Musical Background:

recording engineer and i build gear

Musical Style:

all styles
1 of 1 people (100%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted May 3, 2011 by a customer from yahoo.com

"Great value"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Considering the price I rate it a 10. They are very clean, but can give a nice distortion to the signal depending how much you run the signal through the circuits.
Sound
Not as smooth as a Neve, but if time is spent getting the setting right I have gotten a great sound out everything I've recorded so far.They are very clean, but can give a nice distortion to the signal depending how much you run the signal through the circuits. Bass guitar thru the DI is real good! For the money I think I hit the mother lode...
Features
Each unit has all you need for a good mic pre.
Ease of Use
The controls can be a little confusing, but once you get used to them, you can make almost anything sound great. The manual is pretty generic, but the GA web site has some pointers. The best thing to do is hook up some mics and guitars and experiment.
Quality
Built solidly. I got 2 and rack mounted them. Took them out to record drums, and they work fine.
Value
Definitely worth the money.
Manufacturer Support
I don't know. Hopefully won't have to call.
The Wow Factor
Cool fire engine red. They look great, and are one of the best additions I've made to my set up.

Musical Background:

Active Musician, Recording engineer

Musical Style:

Rock, R&B, Country
Did you find this review helpful?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted February 9, 2011 by a customer from aol.com

"Golden Age Pre for My Golden Voice!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I considered and demo'd the Summit 2BA-221, the Daking Mic Pre One, and the UA 710 Twin-Finity. I can assure you they have nothing on the Golden Age Pre 73, which is why I say for the price, you simply will not go wrong.
Sound
What a bang for the buck! This truly one of the best deals out there. Get your before the folks at Golden Age realize what they have and then double the price! I use thie pre primarily in my voice over business and it sounds like I have gone from an $80 entry level pre amp to using an Avalon 737 tube pre. I would highly recommend this unit. it especially shines on vocals. You will not be disappointed.
Features
It comes with a host of features. A power button, which at this price point not many pre amps have that, believe it or not. It also features a DI button, a 48V button, a Lo-Z button which changes the impedeance from 300 ohms to 1200 ohms, and a phase button. The only reason I did not give it a 10 is because it would have been really nice to have a high pass filter, but that is being nitpicky as that can be done in post.
Ease of Use
Just turn it on! Knobs are nice and big and have a great feel to them.
Quality
Very nice looking retro red. Nicely put together. I do not use it on the road so I really cannot offer an opinion in that aspect.
Value
I would give it an 11 if I could. Did I mention this is the best bang for the buck on the internet?
Manufacturer Support
Have not needed it, but I heard nothing but wonderful things about the folks at Golden Age.
The Wow Factor
Hey, retro red and with this sound, who wouldn't want it.
4 of 5 people (80%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!

Submitted March 28, 2010 by a customer from hotmail.com

"Great Design, Beautiful Sound!"

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I won't be getting rid of this preamp, EVER!
Sound
Wow! What an awesome Preamp. A lot like a 1073 but a lot more affordable. It has a bit more punch than a Neve 1073. It doesn't totally sound like a Neve 1073 but it sounds pretty amazing. The only problem I have is that I bought 2 of these units and 1 became intermittent. I had to "juice the gain" to get it to come back on and pass good signal level. Now I'm waiting for it because it is backordered. Otherwise, this preamp is pretty amazing. The absolute best $300 preamp you can buy. This sounds better than some of the $1000+ preamps I own.
Features
Plenty of control on this unit. You can also buy the rack kit to mount 2 preamps together in a 1 space rack.
Ease of Use
It's so versatile. You can control the level of saturation versus the gain.
Quality
Have to rate it low since I had to send my second one back. It is very sturdy and is built well.
Value
Best preamp on the market for the price.
Manufacturer Support
Sent it in for replacement.
The Wow Factor
Beautiful style and it's solid as a rock.

Musical Background:

Recording Engineer

Musical Style:

ALL
22 of 27 people (81%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
Please wait.