Avalon U5

[DwaneHollands]

Just a dumb question. Is it possible to run a dynamic mic through this. Using an XLR to TRS cable? I have an omni directional reference mic. Or not possible? (too different a beast from a dedicated mic preamplifier?)

cheers!

[jkhuri44]

Dwayne, the U5 has 35 dB of gain, which is approx half of what u get in a mic preamp.

besides the Gain...im guessin you're gonna end up with a pretty dull sound doin things that way ;-)

[TimS]

U5 is more of a DI than a mic pre from memory!

[DwaneHollands]

So not ideal as a mic preamplifier. Obviously doesn't have phantom power for condensors. I hear good things about bass going into it. Not so great with guitars though I've read. Just wanted to see if it was possible to take advantage of the Avalon circuitry for at least one type of mic.

[jkhuri44]

So not ideal as a mic preamplifier. Obviously doesn't have phantom power for condensors. I hear good things about bass going into it. Not so great with guitars though I've read. Just wanted to see if it was possible to take advantage of t

he Avalon circuitry for at least one type of mic.

i use the avalon DI as a clean boost going into guitar amps ...more hi fi than any pedal....pretty sure ;-) record the DI signal flat, and record the guitar amp with a mic going through this beast, take the U5 out of the guitar amp front end, sounds boring as shit to me.

really helps u find an amps input sweet spot :-) I know some front end purists will disagree with me here (tim, im looking at you :P )

so...there is more than 1 use for the U5.

also it can act as an amp...pretty sure u can connect its 400w output to a cab? someone correct me if im wrong...

[Chris H]

So not ideal as a mic preamplifier. Obviously doesn't have phantom power for condensors. I hear good things about bass going into it. Not so great with guitars though I've read. Just wanted to see if it was possible to take advantage of t

he Avalon circuitry for at least one type of mic.

i use the avalon DI as a clean boost going into guitar amps ...more hi fi than any pedal....pretty sure ;-) record the DI signal flat, and record the guitar amp with a mic going through this beast, take the U5 out of the guitar amp front end, sounds boring as shit to me.

really helps u find an amps input sweet spot :-) I know some front end purists will disagree with me here (tim, im looking at you :P )

so...there is more than 1 use for the U5.

also it can act as an amp...pretty sure u can connect its 400w output to a cab? someone correct me if im wrong...

Those with more tech knowledge can give you a better answer than me, but the U5 does not output 400 watts like a power amp. I find your post a bit unclear also about how you are using the di eg: record the DI signal flat, and record the guitar amp with a mic going through this beast, take the U5 out of the guitar amp front end, sounds boring as shit to me."
I'm not sure what you are getting at. Might help if you give details of the signal chain, ie guitar into U5 into amp input, or mic into D5 into pre amp??

[jkhuri44]

sorry chris..morning posts suck...i dont make sense.

lemme try again :-)

i use the U5 like this, for guitars...

Guitar>U5 - then, since the u5 has multiple outputs, i use the Line out , via XLR into my Convertors.
also using the Thru output with the Preamp/tone active, i use guitar cable to go into my amp.

I am thus recording a DI signal, and in parallel using the U5 as a clean signal boost in order to find the sweet spot in the amp. This works sometimes, and othertimes, its a bit too extreme, however more often than not i find it to give alot of live to a guitar signal.

Others on the board might disagree with me.

As for the power amp thing, i wasnt too sure, but the point of the post was the u5 is a versatile bit of kit.

[Kurt]

Oter limitations aside though, 35db may well be enough for many applications. Plug it in and see what happens I reckon ;)

Dwayne, the U5 has 35 dB of gain, which is approx half of what u get in a mic preamp.

besides the Gain...im guessin you're gonna end up with a pretty dull sound doin things that way ;-)

[Chris H]

Oter limitations aside though, 35db may well be enough for many applications. Plug it in and see what happens I reckon ;)

Dwayne, the U5 has 35 dB of gain, which is approx half of what u get in a mic preamp.

besides the Gain...im guessin you're gonna end up with a pretty dull sound doin things that way ;-)

It would/could work with a high output mic. Because their output is so hot, I can plug the TNC 310 into the line input af my Amek preamps and get plenty of level so why not try this with the Avalon.

[DwaneHollands]

A little experimentation would be in order I suppose... Thanks for the great responses everyone!

[Kurt]

Lots of high school bands plug their singer into a bass amp to practice and a green bullet into a guitar amp is classic for harmonica.

Sometimes using things for a purpose other than intended can be serendipitous!

Oter limitations aside though, 35db may well be enough for many applications. Plug it in and see what happens I reckon ;)

Dwayne, the U5 has 35 dB of gain, which is approx half of what u get in a mic preamp.

besides the Gain...im guessin you're gonna end up with a pretty dull sound doin things that way ;-)

It would/could work with a high output mic. Because their output is so hot, I can plug the TNC 310 into the line input af my Amek preamps and get plenty of level so why not try this with the Avalon.

[rob]

the U5 has a "speaker INPUT", thus you can take a split of a guitar amp's output and feed it into the U5 as a way of getting an isolated balanced line or mic level output from the amp output.

35db of gain can be enough with a mic that is picking up a loud source. You won't break anything by trying it. You will need to use a XLRF to tip and sleeve plug with the wiring unbalancing the mic. I don't think it will work with a TRS plug and balanced wiring. From memory the ring on the 1/4" socket is floating, so won't unbalance the mic...hence no output in this situation.

As a DI it has a high input impedance and will affect the tone of some mics, possibly beneficially.

You could also use a tube condensor mic that has it's own power supply.

There aren't many things you can do with audio equipment that will break anything, so considered experimentation rules!

[TimS]

really helps u find an amps input sweet spot :-) I know some front end purists will disagree with me here (tim, im looking at you :P )

Hmm, I wouldnt say I'm THAT much of a purist JK..
But I still do LOVE plugging in to the front end of an amp..
The only pedlas on my pedalboard now are a Wah, Crowther Hotcake and CE-2 (and an Axxess buffer/splitter)..
Simple = TONE!!
Shame I blew up my power amp (Boogie 50:50) at a gig on the weekend!

[rick]

whats going on here .?
i was stuck for a mic preamp once and i did an entire albums vocal using a u 5 as a mic preamp


problems ..? nah

i just thought hell its gain , lets see what happens
and on it goes

[DwaneHollands]

Did you use a tube mic with it's own power supply or a dynamic jobbie?

[rick]

i was using a tube 48 , and i only did it because i had hired everything i owned preamp wise to cold chisel , and then on the day of vocals realized i had nothing preamp wise ,
shit , i have to start in 10 mins ... hmm what about this di ?
well all i need is about 10- db of gain , lets see what gives ..
that is how you should approach everything in the studio in my opinion .
try it and see

[DwaneHollands]

Definetly! I always try and squeeze the most out of any purchase! Bought the u5 off Kris (hope it's not too soon to say-money is transferred though :)

so look forward to having a great DI preamplifier for bass, guitar, vocals etc and perhaps even try running tracks through it as an eq filter. I like the ability of running my amp head into it or perhaps even my jmp-1 mArshall preamplifier. Or doing what Jamil suggested.

And it's my first Avalon design purchase! Hopefully not my last.

(probably just be staring at it for the first day ;)

[heathen]

Definetly! I always try and squeeze the most out of any purchase! Bought the u5 off Kris (hope it's not too soon to say-money is transferred though :)

so look forward to having a great DI preamplifier for bass, guitar, vocals etc and perhaps even try running tracks through it as an eq filter. I like the ability of running my amp head into it or perhaps even my jmp-1 mArshall preamplifier. Or doing what Jamil suggested.

And it's my first Avalon design purchase! Hopefully not my last.

(probably just be staring at it for the first day ;)

Oh yeah I like avalon gear too, I saw an AD2022 pre go for about $2000US a few weeks back, geez I wish I had the moolah for that. Anyway Avalon gear is great, though always pretty expensive it's worth it.

[reddirt]

I have a U5 and Rob you've nailed it and Rick you've given me food for thought. Sounds great on my live bass rig with a DC300 Amcron but am about to try it in the studio with a mic -ah the rich pageant.....
Cheers, Ross Muir
reddirt recordings, Alice Springs

[Barney Loveland]

I have used mine in a pinch as a headphone amp as it has a headphone out on the back, didn't sound too bad at all.

[lumbago]

Nobody's mentioned the M5, which may offer the extra gain required in a (cosmetically) similar package to the U5.

http://www.avalondesign.com/preampif.html