i did get a new 500 format pre in to play with
goody goody
peeeeerdy one twoooo

can you be just a taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad more specific? Brand/model/what's different about this one as compared to all the other?

i want to

here is a couple of photos.

hmmm....can you gives us any information other that a pic...like what it does, how it does it differently than other well knowns, or shall we just keep playing 20 questions?

Mint Julip? Cool name....makes me think of horse racing and fried chicken.

Per the product announcement at GS, it's the evolution of the DIY "Green mic pre" which is a transistor and IC design for clean and clear uncolored gain. Think transformerless pre's from SSL, Amek, et al. Most pres in the 500 form factor seem to be for "color" so they might be on to something. All the same, I'm not sure they're going to get a stampede unless they do what they do in some startlingly euphonic way.

So whaddya think, Pan?

Bear

i like the thought behind it a lot and i think their is a hole in the market just for this type of pre.
the one i have here is one of the prototypes but aside from double side board the production modules will remain the same.
i will let every one know my thoughts when i get my review done, sorry thats the tease in me.
i will be doing a review with Matt Allison, and Peter Cornell ( the gentlemen behind the BIZZAR AUDIO COMPANY ) as well.

Hi Guys,

Pan pointed me over here and I just wanted to introduce myself and say hi.. so Hi!

Thanks to Pan for the support over our new offering. I know he is a stickler for quality, service and great products and I just hope we make the cut/grade and live up to those expectations.

If anyone has any questions about the pre I'll be happy to answer them as best I can.

Thanks again for your support.

Cheers

Matt

Hiya, Matt! For those who browse other forums, you might know the Matt by his usual username, Matta.

I understand that many design revisions after the public Green Preamp project--what were you and Peter going after on the pre?

Bear

Hi Bear,

I am indeed Matta on other Forums, not sure why I went with Matt Allison here, must have been something air the day I signed up here ;-) I've always tried to go with my own name as an avatar as it makes it far easier for people to stalk me in real life, Hah hah.

RE the Green Pre, which one! The FIRST commercial release of the Green Pre was release several years ago and called the Mark 1, it featured a simple audio path and no frills, pretty much +48V and Gain. Over the years Peter refined the design and released the commercially available version REV 14 (Revision 14 - how orginal!) which featured the same audio path but added basic metering circuit, a gentle low cut filter and Phase/Polarity inversion, of which he has sold over a hundred units in 5 years.

In July of last year I called up Peter and suggested we tackle a redesign and create a 500 series unit. I sensed a need for a high gain, 'colourless', transformerless mic pre akin to the Amek, SSL, DAV and GML offerings and the Mint Julep fills that void.

We essentially kept the same circuit but had to rework the power section for lower noise, and make 100% sure we were compliant with the 500 series specs outline by API in the VPR Alliance, and as you may well suspect there were hurdles to overcome in the layout. The 500 series board size is almost HALF the size of the REV 14.

We also opted to go for a illuminated switches and an onboard high quality, mil spec gain switch (the Green Pre Gain switch was off board in both commercial revisions).

We reworked the PSU to fall in line with the API specs power consumption (each channel is drawing around 60mA, WAY below what they outline!) We chose not to try to lower the noise further as the results were more respectable in initial tests which provided the following data.
Noise was down at -105dB on our old Lindos system, which was battling to get down that low and we found it it is exceptionally quiet in operation. Distortion was below the 0.01% range, again giving the Lindos a hard time. Maximum output level is 26v peak to peak which equates to +28dB. The freq response is 4hZ - 240kHz (-3dB points) with 30dB of gain.
We are REALLY trying hard to get these down to around $400 retail direct from us, which I think will set a new standard for affordable 500 series modules.
Cheers

Matt

Sounds very promising. If you can hit that price point I'll bet you'll get a lot of takers.

Bear

at last i have the review and a cool interview with Matt and Peter finished!
just need to give ozraves a chance to get it posted.