Feature:
Although the mic pre is very transparent and clean sounding, I bought this piece to have variable impedance for some of our mics, which works great - offering a variety of sonic signatures from the same mic. Another impressive feature is the compressor (easily worth the price of this unit alone!), which rates up there with sme of the finest I have used - transparent with no pumping when set properly.
Quality:
Very solidly built, nothing appears cheap. Connectors are all top-shelf. This piece should be kept safely in a studio rack, but I would be tempted to run it live onstage as a bass DI! Only owned it for a few months, so can't speak of long-term reliability yet. M-Audio is a great company though, and should take care of you if any problems arise.
Value:
In the under $1000 range, you would be hard-pressed to find a better value in a mic pre/comp combination (IMO).
Desirability:
Not as sexy as an Avalon - but I think it sounds better! Sexiest part about the Tampa is what's inside - the internal design of this piece really makes it sound great! (No, I don't work for them!)
Sound:
I come from a background of using Avalon's, Neve, and other great pre's. Picked this up because I was curious about the "Temporal Harmonic" feature - it's not an "effect," but rather a way of processing the signal. Anyway, it is fantastic! The sound is very pleasing to the ears, and easy to listen to.
Support:
Haven't had to use any yet.
Overall:
Actually, I'n thinking of buying another one to run stereo sources through!
1 of 1 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!