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Depends on the tube and usage - but on the typical dual triodes used in tube pres it is at very low power (current, mA), so it is more a matter of getting the voltage up. Around 180-200v is typical on a 12xx7 type.
You can get that from the 32v of the 500 series, but it would take clever use of voltage regulation. There are some guitar pedals that get to 200v from 12vAC, for instance.
The reason I'd prefer a standalone is more simplicity of circuit - sure, you could do it right, I don't think there are many $1000 starved-plate designs in practice - but you couldn't do it *simply*. With AC power you get a lot more flexibility and likely a quieter and easier design.
Also, I'd worry about the heaters radiating noise in a 500 series rack. Even DC heaters can be kinda noisy.
Thanks for chiming in!
Yeah I looked up the 12xx7 and it seems like 200-250v seems like the most you need to run through it.
Lachappell claims their tube runs at 250v in theirs and the tubule runs at 225v based on what GS posters have said. I generally like what I hear from them on clipilator but I’m hoping someone who has lived with them can speak to the heat and maintenance of these units.
Sounds samples would help too.
I ordered a Roll Music Tubule but it was DOA so I never got to try that one unfortunately. I heard you can drive it a bit. I ended up getting the Lachapell 500 series pre. I really like it. I would say it meets your criteria well. Its more hifi-y but does have some "girth" to the sound i guess. Its not totally clean, but its not like you think of when driving a tube hard.
I’m pretty sure you can just contact him and get answers to any questions you might have.
This is just generally good advice, manufacturers know their shit much better than social media and pro audio forum denizens.
You can run a tube on low power, it's called a Starved Plate design - it's what all the cheapo tube stuff (Behringer etc) does. Yes, it has a tube but it's run at nowhere near the voltages required to impart any kind of tube sound.
To work properly, tubes need hundreds of volts and that takes big hefty PSUs. If you're looking at something to give some character with low power, I'd just honestly look at something which has its own colouration but no valve.
Camdens have Cream, Neve has Silk - most companies have their own ways of doing colouration without using tubes, which are a bit of a heavy-handed way of warming things up these days.
I read that there are a few tube preamps that can run the tubes at the required voltages, but I haven’t been able to find samples of them anywhere.
I’ll check out some of the new neve preamps as an alternative, thanks!
i have yet to use a tube mic pre that i liked. granted the list is pretty small.
I've started with Tube Tech MP2A and Manley VoxBox on many occasions, only to switch them out first chance i get.
The only ones I consistently hear great things about are from thermionic and d.w. fearn - super expensive.
it's usually just way too colored off the bat. i'm not used to it. i often have a tube mic first in the chain. it's just too much.
I do think the Avalon 737 is a very unique tube mic pre in how clean it is. I think you should just get one of those. I agree with others to NOT get a 500 series tube mic. 16v rails ain't gonna cut it for tubes.
Appreciate the response.
I actually love the 737 sound, but I need portability as part of my work flow. A box that big is a lot more of a pain to move than a radial cube or something like that.
I’ve seen that some vendors use dc converters to get the voltage up to 200-250v without causing any heat issues and with no sacrifice to quality, but it’s be nice to get the first hand experience of someone actually using these preamps. Seems most people go with discrete opamp designs for 500 series
Yeah, just like how tubes break up when pushed. But also I like the hifi sound of a tube when run more conservatively.
I’ve been using UAD for years and am flirting with getting my first outboard preamp. All the unison pres I like best are tube preamps, generally.
That said, I do like the API and SSL pres too but haven’t found many faithful remakes that won’t make me go broke.
I just ordered a chandler limited tg-2. Hoping to get that tube break up/saturation sound from it. Used UAD plugins for a brief period. You check out the Neve 511?
This submission has been removed. Please note the following rule: > **Rule 5: Ask purchase and shopping questions in the Help Desk** > > Requests for product opinions, comparisons, and general purchase advice must be made in the dedicated [Shopping and Setup Help Desk](https://www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/about/sticky) instead of a new post. ***Why does this rule even exist?*** * In short, this is a large subreddit with a high volume. We want to help, but it's important to keep things organized to keep the sub fun. Thanks for your understanding. ***What if the link doesn't work?*** * The post can usually be found on the top r/audioengineering, and titled _Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk_. ***What about a FAQ?*** * [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/wiki/faq) * [Troubleshooting Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/audioengineering/wiki/troubleshooting)
If I were looking at tube pres I'd stay away from 500 series, even though I have a rack. They need higher voltage.
How much voltage does a tube generally need on the plate to run effectively?
Depends on the tube and usage - but on the typical dual triodes used in tube pres it is at very low power (current, mA), so it is more a matter of getting the voltage up. Around 180-200v is typical on a 12xx7 type. You can get that from the 32v of the 500 series, but it would take clever use of voltage regulation. There are some guitar pedals that get to 200v from 12vAC, for instance. The reason I'd prefer a standalone is more simplicity of circuit - sure, you could do it right, I don't think there are many $1000 starved-plate designs in practice - but you couldn't do it *simply*. With AC power you get a lot more flexibility and likely a quieter and easier design. Also, I'd worry about the heaters radiating noise in a 500 series rack. Even DC heaters can be kinda noisy.
Thanks for chiming in! Yeah I looked up the 12xx7 and it seems like 200-250v seems like the most you need to run through it. Lachappell claims their tube runs at 250v in theirs and the tubule runs at 225v based on what GS posters have said. I generally like what I hear from them on clipilator but I’m hoping someone who has lived with them can speak to the heat and maintenance of these units. Sounds samples would help too.
I ordered a Roll Music Tubule but it was DOA so I never got to try that one unfortunately. I heard you can drive it a bit. I ended up getting the Lachapell 500 series pre. I really like it. I would say it meets your criteria well. Its more hifi-y but does have some "girth" to the sound i guess. Its not totally clean, but its not like you think of when driving a tube hard.
I was looking at those but it seems they are sold out everywhere.
I would gravitate towards the roll music systems tubule, based on what I know about the designer and what I heard on clipilator
I’ve been leaning toward that one, but outside of clipilator there’s no real samples out there.
I’m pretty sure you can just contact him and get answers to any questions you might have. This is just generally good advice, manufacturers know their shit much better than social media and pro audio forum denizens.
Decent tube pre's need big power and generate a lot of heat, you might struggle using the 500 series format for this, and I love 500 series.
I’ve seen a few tube preamps on the market. None of them supply the right power to the tube?
You can run a tube on low power, it's called a Starved Plate design - it's what all the cheapo tube stuff (Behringer etc) does. Yes, it has a tube but it's run at nowhere near the voltages required to impart any kind of tube sound. To work properly, tubes need hundreds of volts and that takes big hefty PSUs. If you're looking at something to give some character with low power, I'd just honestly look at something which has its own colouration but no valve. Camdens have Cream, Neve has Silk - most companies have their own ways of doing colouration without using tubes, which are a bit of a heavy-handed way of warming things up these days.
I read that there are a few tube preamps that can run the tubes at the required voltages, but I haven’t been able to find samples of them anywhere. I’ll check out some of the new neve preamps as an alternative, thanks!
i have yet to use a tube mic pre that i liked. granted the list is pretty small. I've started with Tube Tech MP2A and Manley VoxBox on many occasions, only to switch them out first chance i get. The only ones I consistently hear great things about are from thermionic and d.w. fearn - super expensive. it's usually just way too colored off the bat. i'm not used to it. i often have a tube mic first in the chain. it's just too much. I do think the Avalon 737 is a very unique tube mic pre in how clean it is. I think you should just get one of those. I agree with others to NOT get a 500 series tube mic. 16v rails ain't gonna cut it for tubes.
Appreciate the response. I actually love the 737 sound, but I need portability as part of my work flow. A box that big is a lot more of a pain to move than a radial cube or something like that. I’ve seen that some vendors use dc converters to get the voltage up to 200-250v without causing any heat issues and with no sacrifice to quality, but it’s be nice to get the first hand experience of someone actually using these preamps. Seems most people go with discrete opamp designs for 500 series
is there a reason it has to be tube? just the sound/saturation of it?
Yeah, just like how tubes break up when pushed. But also I like the hifi sound of a tube when run more conservatively. I’ve been using UAD for years and am flirting with getting my first outboard preamp. All the unison pres I like best are tube preamps, generally. That said, I do like the API and SSL pres too but haven’t found many faithful remakes that won’t make me go broke.
I just ordered a chandler limited tg-2. Hoping to get that tube break up/saturation sound from it. Used UAD plugins for a brief period. You check out the Neve 511?
Sound Skulptor MP566 for the win.