Very interesting demo! I've entered RU-vid to hear the Tonecraft, and got here as well, and by the end of this video i liked it the least... The differences between solo and mix was surprisingly meaningful. I found the Monique and Tonecraft somewhat similar (focused less on the Demeter), the two of them were quite natural and calm to my ears. and J-B15 and the Noble a bit similar in being more injected and energized. The Noble is something from a different dimension compare to all the others. as if it is not only a preamp but a well full compressor as well. so impressive in the solo demo, not sure about how I fill when played in a mix. It's important to point up that you have no control on the gain stage of the Noble, and you dialed quite a low gain on the Tone craft, plus the fact that the balance between all of them was far from being leveled, so it might be something to take into consideration. And last but not least - the winner for me is the J-B15. Easy. There is something about this thing that just works perfectly. whether it is because we are all so used to that sound, or whether it is just a superior bass machine and we just have to learn to live with it. Thanks..
Ok, im confused as well. I thought the noble was the end all according to the reviews... Maybe because its so portable. I liked everything else better. I own a Monique rack pre and thats exactly how it sounds! Great demo.
Woooww... That got me sooo confused.. Didn't expect that I'd like Noble dry and Demeter in the mix.. Came here to have my jaw dropped by the Monique and the 363..
Maybe not a fair comparison of the Demeter here. Flat settings for this preamp are weird. They are Treble at 4. Middle at 10. Bass at 6. (These are not o'clock numbers. Ex. 10 is on full.) Presence off or 0. Bright off. 120 on. I think it definitely sounds better than what is represented in this video.
You are right! It wasn’t fair. I’ve learn to work with the Demeter aferward. The Demeter is my favorite from all of em. (Except for the preamps i’m building now..haha!)
@@jochoui Oh okay. Yeah, I wasn't saying it to you to difficult either. I just learned about the "flat" settings for the Demeter myself because I didn't know. Most every amp or pre-amp tends to be flat at 12 o'clock. The Demeter is an odd ball. By the way, have you done any video instructions on how to build a bass pre-amp like the ones you build? They do sound quite excellent and at the price of the build I'm very interested in trying to build one myself. I'll need to practice a lot of soldering first though. I'm a bit rusty.
I get why engineers like the Noble, it's the most detailed of all these but seems a little dry. The Monique was way more defined in the mix than I expected listening to it solo. I love your B15N. The other two drop the ball in the mix
It's wierd - the Demeter was my least favourite in isolation but I think it sounded the best in the mix balance; the Ampeg ran a close second. I think the Noble is my overall favourite though.
Nice work.. The Monique is fantastic but I seem to prefer the J-B15 here by a small margin.. The Tonecraft sounded good on its own but seemed a little scooped in the mix. The Noble did a good job and the Demeter didn't impress me much.
Heard over a pair of Sennheiser headphones, I found the differences between these very subtle. My question: how does each pre-amp feel when being played through?
Well, since i’m a french Canadian and english is my second language….talking about deep emotions about preamps is a bit rough/word wise….lol All I can say is: I’ve played them all onstage in a pub I know well (good sounding stage) and the only preamp that gave me emotions was the Demeter, after all. I’ve Learned how to work and tweak it for a perfect balance. Power, warm and precise. (All other worked fine but to my taste and IMHO)
