What are some studio quality mic pre (tube) Mbox?

[gonglee]

Will the mic pre in mBox give me pretty good studio quality, or do I need an external one?
How is the STUDIO PROJECTS VTB1 TUBE MIC PREAMP? Will that improve on the stock?
If not good enough, any recommendations under$1000? How about $2000?
How high do I have to go to get a studio quality?
My mics are studio project C3.

I will be recording classical acoustic instruments.

Thanks for sharing expertise,

James

[tele_player]

The Mbox preamps sound fine. I have a VTB-1, and it's useful, but I wouldn't say it's better (or worse, for that matter) than the Mbox.

[dyingsea]

the mbox pre's are clean and transparent... but I like the sound of the vtb-1 it gives a little more warmth and for its price you can't pass it up.

[macr0w]

How about one of these?
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/2610/

[albee1952]

Ditto on the UA610 pre. Just run it balanced into the TRS input on the Mbox. Also consider a Vintech Neve clone. There is a big difference between a $150 pre and a $1K pre. Of course if you are new to all this stuff, you should probably keep it simple, use what you have and really master it before adding expensive mics and pre's. High quality gear is no substitute for good technique, and not a solution for bad technique.

[macr0w]

How about one of these?
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/2610/

Damn my link is not working.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/2610/

That's better.

[Aussie169]

http://www.sebatron.com

[Ruben_B]

G'day Mark,
i spoke to Wayne (the Aust. distributer) about the Sebatron pre's on Friday.
Are you using one, and if so what do you think of them? At the moment im looking at Sebatron, Vintech or Avalon (if budget allows) for a new mic. pre best suited for classical guitar & strings but also with the flexibility to handle voiceovers.