Mic pre's: MBox 2 VS cheap Behringer pre's VS M-Audio Firewire 410 (Mp3 samples)

[DanielPinho]

Hello guys

So, before I bought my MBox 2 I researched a lot about its mic pre's compared to the M-Audio Firewire devices, but I couldn't find anything concrete. I ended up getting a MBox 2 because it came with Pro Tools.

Last week my cousin dropped by and brought his M-Audio Firewire 410, so I decided to test both our mic pre's - I hope its useful for people who are/were insecure about going m-audio or mbox.

I also tested the mic pre's on my Behringer UB 1204 FX-PRO mixer - they're cheap, I paid around $350 for a nice 8 channel mixer with 4 mic pre's. I was expecting the MBox 2 to sound a little bit better, but I think the cheap Behringer pre's are better.

I'm not an expert engineer and I don't have good monitors yet, so I'd appreciate some input on which one you guys think sounds better and which one sounds worse.

Here I sing the same verse 3 times with different pre's, in this order:
MBOX 2 PRE - BEHRINGER INV. PRE - M-AUDIO PRE

mp3 file:
Mirror 1 (scroll down & wait a few seconds): http://www.easy-share.com/1905253506/Pres.mp3
Mirror 2 (direct download): http://www.danielpinho.com.br/mp3/Pres.mp3

I'm not a professional singer so please don't judge the singing

Mic I used: AKG C3000B (condenser)

My humble opinion: Behringer sounds better, then MBox 2, then M-Audio.

Regards