debating: isa 428 or vintech 273

[guitardom]

tried to post this in the general discussion area and did not get any responses so thought i would try here. i am buying a new pre and have narrowed it down to these two units. the isa 428 i can seem to pick up at a decent price w/o the d/a card. the vintech looks like a cool unit as well but a bit more pricey,then buy the power supply, unless i can find one used at a decent price. i was also thinking about the dual 1272 vintech if i cant cough up the cash for the dual 273.
i am interested in some opinions on these 3 units. my primary need is for electric guitars and vocals. i have a few other pre's and some decent mics.an older 414 tl II, SE gemini,tlm 193 at my disposal for vox. just need to up the pre situation a bit, got 2 pretty big projects getting ready to start, so i am getting a bit nervous about what to buy and money to spend. the 4 pres to 2 is not a big issue, nice yes, but not a deciding factor. i have a focusrite voicemaster platinum i am less than thrilled with but works for some stuff quite well, but hoping the isa 428 is waayyy better.

[JonMitchell]

Thats really a loaded question. Youve got an assortment of mics I really cant say Ive seen too often, and the pre is gonna depened on what mics your using. Anyhow.. I havent heard the isa, but I like the vintechs. I grabbed a single channel great river me1nv over the vintech, but I could have worked with either. Those are popular pres, just about every online retailer carries them. Id grab both and return whichever one you find less attractive, I do this every single time I buy new gear. If you contact some place like alto music (where I have been ordering recently), they will send you anything you want and take it back. Only get it for 10 days though. Some stores are a little more pricey but you get a longer grace period. Shop around and good luck.
You might also want to check out seventh circle audio pres if your planning on adding more pres in the future and your on a tight budget. Im sure they would match a vintech or isa, if not surpass them.
Jon

[guitardom]

the 414 tl II and the nuemmann tlm 193 are very clean microphones and the SE is a tube mic i have fallen in love with i think, great for the priced and a bit of coloration. i have tried a couple of vintechs in the past as well at a studio i worked at but ended up going for a chandler instead, but not the 273 or dual 1272. i'll check out the seventh circle stuff as well.

[bb_aus]

is Doc around to today

personally i would go for the ISA, sell your voice master and save for a chandler or get a compressor. that’s just my thinking but what do i know i cant even afford an isa yet.
at the end of the day you should do fine with either its just come down to which one you prefer and cost.

best of luck with which ever you choose

[gerax]

Hi all

I would go the opposite direction: I have the ISA428, love it, but if you need a bit more "carachter" in the tracks you are recording then go the Vintech route; the ISA is a really great preamp, lots of useful features in it (like impedance switching, filters, inserts, AD option) and four channels of that quality, which is head and shoulder above the Platinum line which I have too, are a great tool to have; it just is a pre of the rather clean category, as I'm used to say anytime I talk about it, it's not a "boring" or lifeless kind of clean, but it just doesn't have the aggressive edge of Neve or API type pres, which I have A/Bed with it; if you need to track colored guitars or vocals the tone of those latter will do better; I have had great succes with the ISA on things that need to be more natural, like acoustic instuments (guitars, piano, strings, drums OH, stereo pair for orchestra) on jazz, classical and pop projects. Maybe it could be good for vocals, if you need a more general kind of sound and don't have a very well defined "production" sound you are after.

Hope this helps

L.G.

[rocktron]

personally, i'd grab the Vintech. the ISA428 is good and fast but not as characterful (is there such a word?) as the Vintech stuff.

the SE Gemini is definitely the most colorful mic you've got but in my limited experience with this fat green cylinder, i found it didn't really sit in the mix as well as i'd have liked. the one i had on test was a little thin and pointed in the mids. perhaps a bit choked.

sell the 414 TL II and get an EB or B-ULS series. or perhaps something that sounds good on vocals, if that's what you're looking for. 414's (except TL II) are awesome on many, many sources but vocals is not one of them.

[Third Eye Studios]

Hey there,
I have no input for you to help you decision, but after you decide, you should bring it by so I can hear it!!!

[Brain Digger]

Hey there,
I have no input for you to help you decision, but after you decide, you should bring it by so I can hear it!!!

Yah...good idea. I am up here in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. After you decide you can bring it up here so I can hear it as well.

[guitardom]

hey, get the plane tickets ordered and send me the iternerary i will be right there, i'd love to check out canada. hah hah hah. third eye, i'll call you when i figure this out and let you check it out, email me.
yeah, i am looking for a colored pre. i heard the isa's are neveish....(a word???) but not sure how much. seemed great for 4 good pre's at a good price. plus after the power supply quite a bit cheaper than the 273. i never heard a 273, but they make quite a claim to them and just dont know if they can be as good as they state. checked out the seventh circle stuff, seems a killer way to go, just dont have that much time to build it or wait 2 months for a built one, but definatley in the consideration for next time.
i have some more vocal mics to choose from, u87 and a 4035, but i just dont think they are right for this singer, so the previous 3 i mentioned are the ones i am considering for this vocalist, but with metal singers you never know, a 57 just might be the ticket. but guitars a huge issue with this band, marshall jcm 2000, boogie road king, genz benz el diablo, so i have some killer heads and a marshall 1960 cab and a recifier cab, so they are expecting a massive guitar tone, so that is an issue in this decision of this pre. hopefully someone who has experience with the vintech can chime in. thanks guys for your help!!