From : youtube.com/watch?v=QlEqTnSa0uc
vintageking.com/blogs/videos/are-all-preamps-the-same
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Preamps have been a hot topic in the recording world over the past few months. Are they all the same? How much do they matter? Plenty of folks have weighed in, but when it comes down to it, we know that preamps play a pivotal role in the recording process, and the one you choose can have a real impact on the final result.

Recently, we headed into the Scramble Shack to cut one song with three different kinds of preamps at the exact same time. For this test, we used the preamps from two Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 Gen 2 interfaces, along with two modern classics in the Neve 1073LB and API 512v.

For each source, we used Radial Engineering JS3 mic splitters to send the same microphone signal to all three preamps simultaneously. We also bypassed the Scarletts’ conversion and sent the output of each preamp directly into the studio’s Avid HD I/O. This way we could keep the conversion consistent across all three signal paths.

Pictures of an Exhibition (Solti-Chicago take 3)
Binauralised through Virtuoso 2.3 in a big (500 m^3) and dry (0% - 0,1s) room
two versions of stereo [pure and with additional lateral reflections (25-80ms) through Atmos surround and top channels added]
two versions of ambiophonics with crossfeed attenuated in mid and high [pure and with additional lateral reflections (25-80ms) through Atmos surround and top channels added]
Use a headphone!

This are three versions of two snippets (Mahler 6th -Vänskä and Fast Car) in the same virtual living room (APL Virtuoso emulation) with 0%, 50% and 100% “Ambience“.
The used HRTF is from Kemar mannequin.
This results in the early reflections being very weak, ≈+5dB and ≈+10dB in strength.
Which version do you prefer?

Comps used with fastest attack and release, 4:1 ratio
Genesis 1176 Blue strip HQ v2
Balcony Left 1176
Korneff KA1776
Mixwave Teezio Azul 1176

Drum mix.
The settings were fairly close. I found the release to be the most different so I had to tweak where we get essentially the same vibe and such on the release action. I only got sort of close. You'll hear why. They both handle peaks/peak rounding fairly similarly once dialed in.

Pick your favorite!

Here is the brand new $150! clipper plugin versus my own ITB chain. Aimed for about 3 dB of clipping here, so it's hefty and noticeable.
All mixes hit the clippers and then end up at Uni-L. The third mix goes right to Uni-L. We'll call this "Dry."
LUFS tightly matched.

What's your favorite? Does it stand out? Is $150 worth it? Is it reasonable?

A kick track compressed with a real analog Universal Audio 1176 Compressor, compared to a number of digital emulations : the Waves CLA-76, the Antelope Audio FET-A76, the Analog Obsession FETish, the Fabfilter Pro-C2 in Classic Mode, the JS 1175 and the Reaper Native ReaComp. All plugins have been gainmatched, the attack and release are the same, and the input/treshold has been set to get the same gain reduction.

A snare track compressed with a real analog Universal Audio 1176 Compressor, compared to a number of digital emulations : the Waves CLA-76, the Antelope Audio FET-A76, the Analog Obsession FETish, the Fabfilter Pro-C2 in Classic Mode, the JS 1175 and the Reaper Native ReaComp. All plugins have been gainmatched, the attack and release are the same, and the input/treshold has been set to get the same gain reduction.

A kick track compressed with a real analog Universal Audio 1176 Compressor, compared to a number of digital emulations : the Waves CLA-76, the Antelope Audio FET-A76, the Analog Obsession FETish, the Fabfilter Pro-C2 in Classic Mode, the JS 1175 and the Reaper Native ReaComp. All plugins have been gainmatched, the attack and release are the same, and the input/treshold has been set to get the same gain reduction.

Two vocal tracks, one with both the Waves NLS Channel and Waves NLS Bus plugin on, one with it bypassed.

From Andrew Chapman Creative video.

youtube.com/watch?v=SMp4oUjIQnY

"Six of the most popular Neve 1073 style microphone preamps go head to head in a true blind shootout to answer one simple question: Which do you prefer?
Featuring the Behringer 73, Warm Audio WA73, JHS Colour Box V2, Heritage Audio HA73, BAE 1073, and Golden Age Project PRE-73 Premier (...)"