CAVEAT: I record almost exclusively vocals - primarily spoken word and narration - so my evaluation is entirely tailored towards those use cases...

I've owned this unit for over a year, and am only just recently coming into an appreciation of its capabilities. Personally, I find it to have a somewhat steep learning curve - the gain staging is a bit unconventional compared to other units, and I find I've got to run it pretty hot to get any kind of usable signal out of a dynamic mic (i.e. 60dB minimum). The sweepable HPF is powerful (better than almost any other I've ever used at taming low-mid rumble in spoken word!), but the control easily confused with the trim pot - which is a vital part of using the pre effectively! I often find a sweepable trim pot to be a fun bonus on a high-gain pre - but since you've got to pump so much gain through this sucker, the trim gain becomes vital to getting a good tone without overloading the signal.

Also - forgive me if this is petty - but I find the OFF position in the middle of the gain-range annoying. I'm sure there's a technical reason that's beyond my understanding, but it feels counter-intuitive and difficult to adjust to when I'm powering down my gear after a session.

BUT! With all of that said - holy heck the tone on this pre. It's...magnificent. Broad, bold, phat, and sonorous. I know there's a raging debate about what the low-end of a 1073-clone is "supposed" to sound like, and I'd never pretend to know the answer. But I know what the low-end of this baby sounds like, and it's delicious. The best way I can think to describe it is the difference between cooking something in butter instead of vegetable oil. It's both robust AND round - which you won't find in some of the cheaper 1073-clones - and when you hear your mix in the monitors, you just might blush. Somewhat paradoxically, I find the result of all this phatness to be a heightened level of intimacy - the speaker doesn't have to force their delivery at all to achieve a big, warm presence. I like it best paired with an Electrovoice RE20, and have gotten great results with an SM7B, too - both mics which don't achieve their full sonic potential when paired with lesser pres.

Perhaps you're asking yourself: ok, but what about the rest of the frequency range? Fear not: it's excellent. While not quite as special as the low-end, it sounds totally premium and inline with other units its class through the mids and highs, and never gets cloudy. The signal remains open and clear all the way to the top, and doesn't get jagged or thin. While it's not quite as detailed upstairs as a more "modern" unit, it certainly doesn't take any frequencies for granted. When you combine that with the sorcery going on in the lows and low-mids, you've got some serious sonic mojo going on.

This, however, also means that the HA73 JRII isn't exactly a desert-island preamp. If all of the above lines up with what you're after, it's tough to beat. But if you don't have mics that are as well-built as this pre - especially mics with high self-noise - the HA73 JRII will expose their weaknesses without mercy. And even if you DO have great mics, in my opinion the HA73 JRII will work best with the ones that range from neutral to bright in tone, to balance all that junk in the trunk. So if you're in the market for one pre that can handle a wide range of tasks and tones, this ain't it. Which means you're paying a top-of-the market price for what is essentially a tone piece, as opposed to a studio centerpiece.

But if you seek the BEEF - or, more accurately, the perfectly-marbled cut of steak - look no further.

Read More Show Less

This is one of the best 1073 type units that I've used so far. It Sounds a bit better than the Golden Age clones that I've used in the past including the premier line which is also great. The variable high-pass filter is really useful. The difference it makes to my vocals compared to using my interface preamps is pretty significant and that's not to take anything away from them but it's far from clean when driven which is what I prefer. Not better, but different. Great on Dynamic mics for vocals. It's a bit on the pricier side but I can definitely rest assured knowing that I have a well-made top-of-the-line preamp and if the record doesn't come out as intended, then it ain't because of it.

I use this guy on kick constantly. Beefy and substantial every time