Mbox 3 vs. Mbox 3 Pro Preamps

[ianbee]

Is there a difference between the regular Mbox 3 and the Mbox Pro 3 in terms of preamp quality?

[Eric Seaberg]

I bought a Pro because they 'claim' the pres are better. However I sent mine to Black Lion Audio and had them do a full upgrade to everything. The Pro NOW sounds as good as my SSL console!!!

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by ianbee

Is there a difference between the regular Mbox 3 and the Mbox Pro 3 in terms of preamp quality?

Yes--but never done a controller shoot out, but maybe more importantly for many folks the Pro preamps can be fully bypassed when using line input.

Darryl

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by Eric Seaberg

I bought a Pro because they 'claim' the pres are better. However I sent mine to Black Lion Audio and had them do a full upgrade to everything. The Pro NOW sounds as good as my SSL console!!!

Are they very transparent sounding or do they have color?

[Eric Seaberg]

They sound like a straight wire with gain and amazing A/D. That's my preference for working, anyway. I'd rather choose the mic for the sound and not the preamp.

[nst7]

As far as I know, the preamps are pretty similar in the 2 units, though the specs are a little different.

However, the Mbox Pro has a more substantial power supply, being AC powered, which typically lends itself to a bit more headroom and lower THD.

As was mentioned, being able to go line in and bypass the pre's (on the Pro) is a nice feature if you are using external preamps.

[HippyFunk]

Did you listen to the pre's on the MBox before you sent them to BlackLion for an "upgrade"?
AND, since when have an SSL console's mic-pre's been the standard for pristine quality? (No offense to those of you who love SSL's. They do have their merits). Well, ok, the 9000 series. I just always thought earlier SSL's pre's didn't sound all that great. Kind of harsh, sterile, even "thin" sounding to me....

[Eric Seaberg]

I've been in the recording biz since 1971, working in some of the best studios on the west coast during the late 70s early 80s. I did listen before and after, and our current SSL is a C200... but thanks for asking.

[philip888]

Originally Posted by Eric Seaberg

I bought a Pro because they 'claim' the pres are better. However I sent mine to Black Lion Audio and had them do a full upgrade to everything. The Pro NOW sounds as good as my SSL console!!!

Eric is this the MOD you had done?

http://blacklionaudio.com/product/mbox-3-pro/

Premium Modification
The Mbox 3 Pro Premium Modification includes everything in the Standard Mod, but goes a step beyond. In addition to the new op-amps, we also install new audio-grade electrolytic capacitors that dramatically improve bass response and tame the brittle-sounding high end noticeable with the Mbox 3 Pro. Most “affordable” audio gear use low-grade capacitors that will work okay, but just don’t sound very musical in the audio signal paths. We choose premium audio-grade caps that are MADE ESPECIALLY for processing audio signals and make a huge difference in the resulting sound. This kind of rich tone is very difficult, if not impossible, to find in low-powered recording interfaces like the Mbox 3 Pro, but can now be yours at a great price.

[Eric Seaberg]

Yup, the premium mod, along with their Micro Clock. Good stuff!!