Monique Bass Preamp, Noble Preamp, Demeter VTBP-201S, J-B15, London S-PRE. Tube bass preamp 2/3 

My favourites by far, were the London S-PRE, and the Demeter. PERFECT bass tones!

That S pre sounds freaking amazing. Demeter as well.

The future of bass equipment is powered cabinets. Powerful and reliable, light weight and cool running class D plate amps that are permanently mounted in to the back of the cabinet and plug into a wall socket. It's the way to go. To control the sound signal going to these powered cabinets requires or would benefit innumerably by using a well designed preamp. All the warm colored tube sound or whatever sound preferences can be shaped in these devices. There are pedals and boxes that do similar things, but there is something about a dedicated preamp that sits on the cabinet in place of that heavy and expensive power amp that remains appealing...but maybe that's just me and my taste. I always thought that classic tube compressor circuitry should be at the heart of the preamp. Another feature that should be present, but never is: an active crossover for bi-amp potential, especially when using a 5 staring bass (low B). A dedicated subwoofer that can reach down to 30 Hz (low B) is a must. Most bass equipment can barely reach 40 Hz (low E). All you would need for the top end is a small bass combo or even a guitar amp since no bass below a 100 Hz would be sent to via the crossover. But again that's just me and my taste for extended low end.

Really nice side by side and bass line. Thanks for sharing this! Hats off to Yves for the nice line!

great job! the ones you built really hold their own against the known brands!

Man, that's a great video! Perfectly done so that the listener can really hear them both in and out of a mix. I was super impressed with the S-Pre for a deep, vintage sound. Not as much clarity, but that's not what vintage is. It sounded full all over the neck and blended beautifully into the mix - perfect for this kind of song. The Monique seemed to be on the other end of the spectrum with great clarity but less full on the G string and parts of the D. Of course, there are tone knobs to tweak, so maybe it could wind up the best of both worlds. :) The others seemed to fall in between and really they all sounded great. Thanks for doing a wonderful job recording these!

Great comparison - thanks for taking the time to make such a video!

Just wanted to say I've been watching your videos for a while now and I love your work mate. Awesome videos, awesome tones!

The Demeter and your own pre are awesome

All of them are great, but there's something about that Jules preamp... It just sounds beautiful...

I’ve watched all your videos and they are all great, especially liking this one, I nearly bought a Jule Monique a while back but didn’t really think I needed it as I use an Ampeg V4B , so not sure, I’ve subscribed to your channel too, thank you for sharing your equipment

I mean, once you put it in the context of the full mix, the Noble wins...no eq needed, already sounds perfect. Congrats on that '64 P-bass, wow what a stunning instrument

very cool. great comparison, and nice playing to boot! nice work!

Both of your DIY pre's sound better than the Monique and Noble to me. My favorite is the Demeter, but your DIY units are equally awesome for different tones.

Great preamp comparison. The Monique, Noble, and Jb-15 sound great: each preamp adding the right amount of mid-frequencies to cut through the mix perfectly. The Demeter and London Power S-pre sounded good, but in my opinion were a little thin in the mids when compared to the Monique, Noble, and the JB-15. Hopefully, you get the opportunity to demo a Shaw Tube Injection. I would like to hear how it compares to other preamps you have demoed. Thank you for producing these videos. Cheers!

I sold all my other preamps: Demeter, Aguilar, Noble, and my Kern after getting the J-B15. I later put NOS RCA tubes in it and it's on another level.

Unsurprisingly, I liked the most expensive one the best. They all sound great though.

Men what a perfect demo. I prefer stoner and pick playing but your bass line is so cool and your tone amazing. bravo.

Nice demo Jo, ton J-B15 se défend particulièrement bien. Good job!

Your london power kit sounds easily as good as anything. Well done.

London S-PRE definitely fit the song the best. Deep, rich, smooth, and punchy. Very impressed, especially given the price. Jule Monique has the most character but too much midrange "honk" for this track. Would probably kill on more of a funk track or even rock. J-B15 sounds like, well, a nice B15. Not as deep as the S-PRE but sits nicely with its characteristic midrange sound. The Demeter sounds more neutral, hi-fi, and seems to have more dynamics (less compression) than the others. None of them are bad, and the "best" preamp likely depends on the application (genre, track, instrument, player, etc.).

Good video, I like the Monique the most.

Great test !

Dang dude. That London S-PRE sits in that mix sooooo clean. And with leftover parts!? GOODNESS. I'm seeing other requests for builds in the comments. How much could you build me one? Shipped to Nashville, TN

Demeter for me. The bass may be tuned sightly sharp. I have a vintage demeter before he called them VTB

To me your B15 pre sounds the best , lovely bass is that a 64 65 My own 63 loves tube pres

There is a level difference between the different D.I.s, that does make it hard/unfair to compare. I do appreciate the comparison. But even a difference of 0.5 db completely changes your perception.

J-B15 was my fave..

Noble 4:15 London S-Pre 4:55 Monique 5:35

Your handmade pres sound better than the Monique dude

So bummed you're not making your pre's anymore! I think you won the shootout.

IMO, Noble.. then you add whatever you want...

Jb15 sounds the warmest.

Wow -these are all awesome! And amazing results with the ones you built! Question: What was the signal chain? Anything else used besides the preamps?

love this comparison, well done! have you tried the Jule Simone?

Always enjoy your videos. How was it recorded? Any post processing?

🤯

Thank you so much for doing the comparison!! The Demeter has been on my radar for awhile now too. I just recently visited Basscentral down in Orlando FL and they had a bunch of Demeter heads...this gives me a rough estimate of how the rack compares to the bass 800d heads they had in stock. Was the bright switch on with the Demeter??

Do you make anything with a fender showman preamp?

Have you tried a Broughton P15? Fryette Valvulator gp/di can get a lot those tones as well

Great video. Do you still make/sell the J-B15? I may be interested in getting one if so!

I just love the tweed amp with 5 controls. Is there a schematic of it or where can i buy one ?

When will you make more J-B15s? I would like to buy one.

Have you tried the Usefull Arts preamp/linedriver?

what kind of strings you used? great...!

Where do I buy the J-B15? Can I get one fully assembled?

Hey Jo, do you still build the J-B15? Is there any where / any way I could order one from you?

1:49 😂

Aurais tu d’autres J-B15 de prévu ? Je suis intéressé.

Hi! Do you have a website from which we can order the J-B15 preamp? Thank you!

What gear is Yves wearing on the original recording?

what kind of roundwounds are on the P bass?