800-ZZOUNDS (800-996-8637)
Mention reference number L2T4VJ7 when you call.
close [x]
  • Mon, Tue, Wed, Thur, Fri 8AM - 10PM (EST)
  • Sat 9AM - 6PM (EST)
  • Sun 1PM - 7PM (EST)
 
4 Payments No Interest Free Shipping No Sales Tax Lowest Price Guarantee
Cart

Studio Projects VTB1 Variable Tube Microphone Preamp

48V phantom power. Phase reverse. Variable input gain control.

User Ratings

Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
What do you think? Rate and Review This Product
| | |

"Worth every penny and more!" submitted January 5, 2011

By a customer from msn.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: Recording Engineer, musician, live sound tech
Music Style: just about anything....
Back to Product Information
VERIFIED BUYER
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound: I am giving the VTB1 a 10 for sound because for $149 bucks it is extremely quiet, very clean and uncolored on the solid state side w/o being harsh, has more gain than moist will need, and has a variety of musical tones from clean to warm and fuzzy. It is a very musical preamp with a wide ranges of possible sounds making it extremely useful for a variety of needs. Feature: I am surprised at some of the lower feature ratings. All the standard features are there (pad, 48volt, phase reverse, direct/instrument selector, input impedance selector, meter select), plus you can also simultaneously use all three outputs and use the insert jack a total of three different ways including as a straight path out from just the pre and pre gain. That is more flexibility than many much higher priced units and a lot more than anyone should expect from such an inexpensive yet extremely quiet and nice sounding pre amp. As for the on/off switch, just plug it into a power strip with a switch...DUH! One final note, ignore anything you have read about modding this thing with Burr Brown op amps. I bought 4 before buying and when I opened it imagine my surprise to find it already has the Burr Browns in all four slots! The stock tube is a Sovtek 12AX7LP, already a premium tube but I did install the LPS version of the same tube which is the newer and slightly more musical of the two. I mean really, what else could people possibly want for $149??? Ease of Use: It doesn't get much easier! I do recommend going to the website though. It has a more extensive manual with more wiring options. Quality: So far so good! It is built like a tank, even on the inside and I anticipate quite a few years of use. Value: It is easily worth more, perhaps even twice as much... Manufacturer Support: I am not impressed with their support. I asked about the BB mods before I bought the unit. Instead of telling me it already had them, the response was "open it up and leave it open so you can decide" instead of telling me it now comes with them. When I asked them about it, they support guy said "well, you were bound and determined to replace them". I told him not if he had said it already had them... Overall: I expect it to last......
2 of 2 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"Beats all others in its price range" submitted March 19, 2005

By a customer from mailinator.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: Active Musician
Music Style: Screamo
Back to Product Information
Sound: Its a good sound for the price. Only tube preamp probably worth anything in this price range. It is very low noise and has a great deal of headroom/gain. My only gripe is that it could handle low end a little better. The tube blend does warm the sound but only a little. Mine usually stays parked at 12 o'clock. Feature: For the price you do get a lot of good features like high pass filters, phantom power, etc. Quality: ugly but built like a tank! Value: good investment for the price. probably won't get much better till you break $500 or $1000 Manufacturer Support: haven't needed it but have exchanged emails with studio projects before and it takes 'em a few days to respond The Wow Factor: I'm thinking about picking up another so I have a stereo setup for running overheads. Overall: I like it but could be warmer. Sometimes its a little to sterile but overall you won't find a quiter, cleaner preamp with this much headroom.
8 of 8 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"A dark horse in a field of cheapie tube preamps --worth checking out" submitted March 27, 2011

By a customer from gmail.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
Musical Background: lifelong amateur musician
Music Style: jazz
Back to Product Information
VERIFIED BUYER
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound: Over the past year, I have bought pretty much one of every make of cheap preamp out there, including this one. How does it rate? Second highest, after the Art MPA II. (Yes, that unit is 2x the price, but that unit also has two channels.) If you are looking for a single channel unit, go for this one, but only if you are willing to change the tube. It comes with a pretty good tube, a Russian Sovtek, but unfortunately that tube is not well matched to the unit, in my option. You may have read other reviews that talk about the sound needing to be warmer --that is the tube. After trying a number of varieties, I swapped mine out for a Groove Tubes Gold. I know, I know, Groove Tubes are not always the greatest tubes, but the Gold series is solid, and the dark sound nicely toned down the somewhat harsh clangy circuitry. It's a totally new unit! Feature: The solid state - tube mix control is unique and useful. Just be aware that you have to choose a tube that mixes well with the solid state harmonics (you have to do this by ear --no other way). Ease of Use: Pretty easy... unless you want to change the tube, which is a pain for sure. Of all the various preamps I own, this one requires the most disassembly to change the tube. It's not that hard, though, just a lot of screws and such. You have to basically take it all apart. Quality: This product is well made and the components inside are good quality. Value: This product is more expensive than the other cheapie units out there, but it is worth it, especially if you are willing to change the tube for a warmer sounding one --see my comments on the sound. Manufacturer Support: Have not had to deal with support. The Wow Factor: No sex appeal at all. Some kitsch appeal... Could have done without the corny blue LEDs that glow inside, but then again, they are so corny that I let them be. The whole design is so uncool that it is (almost) cool. Overall: My main preamp is currently the Art MPA II. But, this unit is my number 2, and I use it a lot. I wold probably replace it if lost, though by then I might want to upgrade some more...
1 of 1 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"Great features and value" submitted February 6, 2012

By greg c in sellersburg, IN
Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: keyboard player for 40+ years
Music Style: Rock, Pop, Contemporary Christian, Jazz
Back to Product Information
VERIFIED BUYER
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Overall: I purchased the VTB1 for use as a tube preamp for my modest home studio. I chose this product over the many sub-$100 preamps because of its feature set and the build quality. Features- I like the fact that you can switch the LED meter to indicate either the input or output reading. Both of these are essential to setting levels properly. I also liked the additional input/output jack capability of this unit. It offers more patching flexibility. Also, most users of the sub-$100 preamps complained of the need to replace the tube with a 'better' tube. Users of this product did not have the complaint. Build quality- No plastic here, but a nice metal case. Nice product for the price. I like it a lot.
Did you find this review helpful?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

Studio Projects VTB1 Pre Customer Review submitted December 13, 2008

By a customer from gmail.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: Musician, Music teacher, songwriter, music engineer
Music Style: Rock
Back to Product Information
Sound: The sound is really good. No hiss noise no parasites If other people give a low rate to the sound that maybe means they ask for extra features No It doesn't have. It's just a simple preamp with a good and warm sound Feature: It could have more features such like compressors, limiters... but for that price I don't complain... Ease of Use: Nothing hard Quality: I think it's ok. No problems yet after a year. My old preamp died very soon, but this one is perfect. It all depends your personal expectations. Value: It's ok for that price. Manufacturer Support: No idea The Wow Factor: I love the old style look of it. Overall: Good for professional works. Strongly recommended for serious recordings. It works perfect for instruments and especially with violins. I haven't listened better sound than this for violins and classical guitars. Regarding the vocals... use it with a dynamic microphone and you will not regret it.
1 of 1 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"Great Pre For Anyone On A Tight Budget!!" submitted December 22, 2008

By a customer from yahoo.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
Musical Background: Songwriter, Recording Engineer
Music Style: Country, Soft Rock and Folk
Back to Product Information
VERIFIED BUYER
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound: The VTB-1 is an excellent sounding pre for the money. I also have a Great River ME-1NV and although the GR is tops the VTB-1 for is a great bang for the buck. Feature: Very good features. Tube blend adds some nice warmth but this pre sounds better in solid state mode. The tube blend is nice but be careful not to add to much or the sound becomes grainy. Less is more in this case. Quality: Excellent quality for the money. I highly recommend this pre if you're on a budget. Value: Exceptional value. Manufacturer Support: I remain neutral as I've never needed to use support. Overall: I'll have it for as long as it lasts and would not hesitate to buy another one if this one broke or was stolen.
Did you find this review helpful?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"Nothing short of sweet" submitted May 22, 2005

By a customer from hotmail.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Quality
Value
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: Recording Engineer
Music Style: All styles of music, voice overs
Back to Product Information
Sound: From ultra-clean on full solid state setting, to flavorful distortion on all tube, and anything in between! Super low noise floor across the board! Feature: Can't beat the features in the price range... heck even out of the price range most don't come with all the features. Would like to see Studio Projects make a rack mountable stereo version someday! Quality: Heavily built, will have no problem lasting many years in my studio! Value: Like I said, you cannot beat this preamp for the price, it sounds amazing! Manufacturer Support: Haven't had to use it... The Wow Factor: I like equipment that looks all business, no dainty designs needed. The blue LEDs glowing inside do give a neat effect. Overall: I probably won't be searching for another preamp for a while, I'll just continue filling my rack with these babies!
5 of 6 people (83.33%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"My Best Sub-$100 Purchase Ever..." submitted July 21, 2005

By a customer from sbcglobal.net
Overall
Sound
Features
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: Active musician and home studio engineer
Music Style: Christian, Jazz, and Country
Back to Product Information
VERIFIED BUYER
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound: Very clean and quiet pre-amp. The variable mix of tube and solid state tone gives this box a lot flexibility. Feature: At this price...nothing else comes close. Quality: Very well built. All controls are rock solid. Not the prettiest knobs and switches I have ever seen but they all look like they can take years of use without a problem. Value: I'd give it more than a "10" if I could. Great tone...nice features...quiet operation. Its the best under $100 piece of gear I own. Manufacturer Support: No support issues so far. The Wow Factor: Its a fine tool for recording. Its a must have for home studios. I use it for mics, acoustic guitar, and its really nice as a direct box for my bass. I'll even give it an extra point for the cool blue glow from inside the box. I'm considering buying another so I can have a stereo pair of them. Overall: Having trouble with low record levels on your acoustic guitar? Is your vocal mic a little too crisp and edgy sounding? Want a fat bass tone without the bass amp? This unit solves a lot of problems at a great price. Buy and enjoy!
4 of 5 people (80%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"potentialy highly flexible and worth $100" submitted May 27, 2005

By a customer from yahoo.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: actiev musician / wanne be engineer
Music Style: rock folk electronic todo bien
Back to Product Information
SPOTLIGHT REVIEW
Sound: i used it with guitar direct recording and it had a highly unexpected chubby mellow overdrive that makes you want to listen to guitar allday. the player simply fell into a groove and ended up writing a whole new song simply by inspiration of the guitar tone. cool in its own rite. i have not used the unit for mic/vox recording yet, bet i am sure that i will find a use for it if not on thre main vox, for sure on backing vox. Feature: no on / off button, the tube blend knob brings gtr like overdrive to the signal. the buttons and knobs are not as "cheap" to the touch as the picture makes them look. the tube is baclit by a blu light which shines through the tiny grill on the front panel, and an insert. good enuf for me. Quality: no historical data on this to judge from. but the knobs are detented increments, for a 100 bucks i think the build quality id great. Value: well worth a $100 Manufacturer Support: i have no idea The Wow Factor: unless you make a hit record, it is definatly not gonna get you laid Overall: if some thing happens to this unit, i will replace it. now that i am doing 16 track recoerdings and i dont want to use plain interface preamps, i have been trying out my luck with low end tube pres (mainly for all the drum mics) and this and the hhb radius 5050 are my newest additions. the hhb sounds nothing like this unit. note that TL Audio still selles the same unit but only in white for $450. its a condenser mic pre and i have no opinion on that one yet, but using gtr it sound nothing like the vtb1
4 of 5 people (80%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"Grand product, Studio Projects impresses" submitted March 12, 2006

By a customer from gmail.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: Producer
Music Style: Hiphop, rnb, retro
Back to Product Information
Sound: The sound quality is just beautiful. If you don't want to buy an expensive mixer just to record your voice, buy this. Feature: The tube is great, aprox. everything you need to make your voice sound sweet and warm. Ease of Use: Even a baby would figure this thing out. Quality: Great quality, the best for the price. Value: Great price. If you dont need more than I mic recording slot, buy this one instead than a mixer. Manufacturer Support: Havent used this. The Wow Factor: I got a mixer now because I need the slots. Overall: Great thing to start with if you only need to record vocals for your tracks.
4 of 5 people (80%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"Perfect for my needs." submitted August 9, 2007

By a customer from gmail.com
Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: Video production
Music Style: Can't even whistle...
Back to Product Information
VERIFIED BUYER
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound: Main need is for voice over narration on video projects. Computer sound card has too much "white noise" at decent mic input levels so I needed a preamp to boost the mic so I could pull the mic input gain down on the sound card. This product works great for me in that role. Surprising how good it makes some cheap mics sound! Feature: Most useful feature for me is the level of gain control with both input and output controls. Second most useful is the tube blend control. A little tube goes a long way on my mics. Ease of Use: Very easy to use. Had it working and was testing various settings in minutes. Quality: Solid sturdy feel. My use will keep it by the computer almost all the time. But this thing feels like it is built well. Power cord could be heavier, though Value: Exellent value IMO Manufacturer Support: Just got it. The Wow Factor: Eye appeal of the item in photos helped sell it to me. Overall: It does just what I hoped it would. I'll keep it and use it, should anything happen to it I'd look to replace it with the same thing.
2 of 3 people (66.67%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"a review" submitted June 25, 2006

Overall
Sound
Features
Ease of Use
Quality
Value
Manufacturer Support
The Wow Factor
Back to Product Information
VERIFIED BUYER
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Sound: It's probably not the best sounding piece of equipment in the world, but it sounds very nice Feature: It's a preamp and that's all it is. There's not much to it. It's got phantom power, inputs and outputs and the tubes are pretty cool (notice the LED in the back of the chasis however...) Ease of Use: Very easy to use... I can't imagine why it would be hard Quality: Built very well and solid. Value: Comparatively its good. Manufacturer Support: Never had to deal with them. The Wow Factor: I guess so Overall: It's a good piece of hardware
2 of 4 people (50%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

"a great preamp and this is no B.S." submitted January 2, 2005

By a customer from AOL.COM
Overall
Sound
Quality
Value
The Wow Factor
Musical Background: active musician, recording.
Music Style: 50 and 60,s doo wop, classic rock
Back to Product Information
VERIFIED BUYER
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature: i use it in live performence, the sound is great, nice and full, plenty of tube, used with THD shure wireless, sm 86 shure. Quality: it is very well made, very road worthy. Value: yes it is worth the price and then some. Manufacturer Support: have not needed any support yet. Overall: yes i will keep it, i love the sound it gives, maybe buy another one for my drum kit.a great pre amp.
2 of 2 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Thanks for your opinion!
close [x]

Thank you. Your vote has been counted. Could you briefly tell us why the review was or was not helpful?

BizRate Customer Certified (GOLD) Site
Questions? Our gear experts can help!
800-zZounds (800-996-8637)
Mention Reference Number L2T4VJ7 When You Call. Toll Free En Español: 800-460-7976 m-f 1AM to 1AM EST Follow zZounds on:
 Customize Search Results for Your Location



Sitemap View Our Sitemap Contact Us By Email Place a Purchase Order Return Request
Let Us Help You FAQs Product Condition Shipping Information Payment Options Order Verification Returns Affiliate Program Join Our Affiliate Program
Shop with those who respect your privacy — we do. Copyright © 1996-2012, zZounds Music, LLC. Terms of use apply. A-ID: 993196
[x] close
Send cool stuff to my old-fashioned mailbox, too
To get your cool stuff, we'll need your address:
close [x]What is this?
A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.
 
close [x]What is this?
A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.
close [x]
Available on
orders $249+
learn more

Need it now but short of cash? All we need is the first payment up front and the rest in easy monthly payments!

Fast approval.
We approve everyone, with very few exceptions, as long as we can verify your identity.
No interest. Ever.
It's just as if you paid the whole amount up front!
No paperwork. Nothing to track.
No application to mail or fax, no bills to pay. We automatically charge the payments to your credit card.

We'll wait on your money so you don't have to wait for your gear!

When you checkout, just click the Play as you Pay checkbox to indicate which installment plan you wish to use.

close [x]
on most orders $49+

Just $2.99 on
smaller orders

Really heavy stuff might cost you a
little more

learn more

Why fight traffic and pushy salesmen when we'll bring your gear straight to your home, free of charge?

zZounds free shipping is really free!
No hidden charges or hassles on returns.
Fast, reliable delivery
We have warehouses on both coasts, so most shipments arrive in 3 days or less.
We don't collect sales tax. Bonus!
Only NJ residents pay tax during checkout.
close [x]
learn more

A guarantee so solid, you never have to worry about price when shopping at zZounds

We'll beat any price
Simply click the Seen it for less? link next to the gear you want or call us at 800-zZounds (800-996-8637)
Got a coupon from another site?
Use it with us - we'll beat those prices, too!
Find a better price after buying from us?
No problem. We'll refund you the difference for 30 days, so you'll never regret buying from zZounds.

You'll still get the trustworthy service you've come to expect from zZounds, without paying more for your gear!