Sometimes I know what I’m talking about. Sometimes — and it’s hard to admit — I don’t. This is a case where, simply put, I had to be reeducated. What am I talking about? Well, let me start at the beginning . . .

If you’re like me, you might feel that the industry is already over-saturated with high tech, high performance equipment, most of which carries a high dollar price tag. So what on earth do we want another high quality mic preamp for, right? Well, that thought crossed my mind immediately when I got assigned to do this feature. But after actually trying out the new mic preamps from Boulder, Colorado-based Grace Design, then talking to the people there, my attitude changed in a hurry. See the company only builds three products instead of the dozen or so that many other companies feel compelled to design and produce. Then they back up each of these products with a five year warranty on parts and labor, so you can bet that they feel comfortable standing behind their gear. So my job here is to fill you in on what I learned about the company and its products.

First up is the TEC Award-nominated Grace Design Model 201 two-channel microphone preamplifier ($1895 list). In their own words, the 201 is “built with a passion for quality, inspired by the love of music . . . a timeless combination of art and technology.” I can’t argue with that, particularly after recording with one. It uses the exact same circuitry as the Model 801 eight channel microphone preamplifier (which I’ll be discussing in a few minutes) in a smaller, less expensive package. The Model 201 sports immaculate circuitry combined with the most carefully selected electronic components. Then the folks at Grace Design put this into a nice-looking, highly durable chassis that will, in all likelihood, last a lifetime. When I spoke to them, the Grace Design people made it perfectly clear that they are dedicated (maybe even a bit obsessed) with the integrity of the complete circuit design, not just with singular details such as “Class A” or “Discrete.”

Grace Design has actually been building custom audio products for the recording industry for over ten years. The company is staffed by a team of dedicated engineers with a ton of real world recording experience. The technology for their products has evolved through a process of extensive listening, field testing and refinement. With countless hours at the bench and constant collaboration with recording engineers, they have created some of the finest microphone preamplifiers available: The Model 201, Model 801 and the new LunaTEC V2.

We are now clearly in the digital age and even many of our less expensive mics have extended frequency response beyond 20kHz, plus they are able to handle super fast transients, as well as high SPLs. Our digital recorders are, for all intents and purposes, capable of recording anything we send them. So that brings us to the mic preamps. While many mixers have mic pres that are light years beyond what was available only a few years ago, they still are basically mixers. To get a clean stereo signal to a two-track recorder, you need a dedicated mic preamp with a signal path that is absolutely transparent. The Model 201 is just such a unit.

Features of the 201 include: A fully balanced and transformerless design; fast, musical transimpedance amplifier architecture; no electrolytic capacitors in the signal path; 24 position gold contact rotary switch gain controls; 10dB trim control; +48V phantom power, 20dB attenuator and phase reverse on each channel; convenient two-color LED lights (green for signal and red for overload); high current output capable of driving long cable runs and loads down to 50 ohms; an ultra low noise internal toroidal power supply. Frequency response? From 20Hz straight out to 300kHz!

As mentioned, I used this machine for some live recordings of a small combo using a pair of greatmics and the end result was an incredibly accurate, finely detailed representation of the original performance. I can’t say more than that, other than saying I was impressed. If you won’t take my word for it, Pro Audio Review did a bench test on the 201. Their conclusions? The Model 201 is “built with care and attention to detail. This is as apparent visually as it is with test equipment and in listening. The test data shows a unit that competes with the finest, most transparent solid state mic preamps.”

If you need more than two channels — let’s say you want to record direct to your 8-track MDM — the Grace Design Model 801 ($4495 list) is an eight-channel microphone preamplifier built with you in mind. All the nice things I have already written about the 201 apply to the 801, except you have more channels, of course. From the immaculate circuit topology and carefully selected electronic components to the CNC-machined T6 Aluminum chassis, you won’t find any compromises here. Combining eight microphone preamplifiers in one chassis gives you a new world of possibilities. With the recording industry increasingly dominated by the use of MDMs, the 801 is the perfect front end for your DA-88, ADAT, etc. In the world class production facility or the project studio, the 801 reliably delivers reference quality tracks. Also, its durability and compact design meet the strenuous (sometimes ridiculous) demands of the remote recording environment. For anyone who’s looking to print the best possible sounds to tape, the Model 801 makes recording direct the norm, no longer a luxury reserved for just one or two tracks. Once again, let me quote from Pro Audio Review: “(There are) no shortcuts, compromises or cheap parts here . . . Unlike digital gear that changes quickly and is almost disposable, a good piece of analog equipment like this can be used for years . . . The Grace Design Model 801 is a class act, and I am simply going to have to buy at least one for my own audio tool kit.”

As great as these preamps are, the one that has me the most excited and counting my so-called “disposable income” is the LunaTEC V2. The reason is simple: As a sound designer and a person that makes at least part of my living doing remote recording, the V2 ($1495 list) is designed to deliver incredibly accurate, musical microphone preamplification (on the same level as the 201 and 801) in a truly bombproof, portable package. That’s right — a battery-powered mic pre that can compete head-to-head with the “big boys.” Exactly what I need, and at a price that’s surprisingly affordable considering its performance and portability. If you’ve ever cursed the built-in mic preamps in your portable DAT (and I know I have), the V2 is going to have you wishing they had built this little beauty a lot earlier. Talk about compact design; this unit measures just over 8" wide by 5" deep and less that 2" high! Yet it still has features like MS decoding; dual position high pass filter with 6 or 12dB per octave slope; phantom power; fully balanced transformerless inputs (XLR) and a machined aluminum chassis with recessed front panel to protect controls. Whew! And all covered by the company’s five year parts and labor warranty. Well, you’ve heard enough from me (you didn’t need to agree that fast!). It’s time to talk with your Sweetwater Sales Engineer for more information and your surprisingly low price on the Grace Design preamp that’s exactly right for you.