Warm audio tone beast tb-12: use as guitar d.i.

It is easy to overstate the influence of the preamp on sound.  Nobody makes crap these days, or they have to try to.  But a good preamp, w/ transformers, does provide subtle benefits.  But it takes a system(room and ears) that can reveal them.  Most people just getting into recording either can't hear the difference, or suffer from the placebo effects (night and day - a steel curtain removed, yada yada yada).
 
The TB is different from just about every other preamp since you have a choice of op-amps and transformers to run the signal through, as well as input and output vol.  On some signals this is very apparent, on others, invisible even in a pro studio.  You can drive the DI and the saturation and distortion is better - more analog than most software.  Basically, you can put some hair on the guitar (or bass) before it hits an amp sim.  I prefer miking a guitar amp, but on bass DI the TB works wonderfully.  If you want a thicker sound, just keep adding saturation and on into distortion if you need.  And, of course, in comparison to a transformerless unit, the TB just sounds thicker, even w/o the transformer inline (which sounds cleaner and big). 
 
In short, the TB should add a lot to your DI recording, injecting various starter flavors to your sim, which means it needs to work less to deliver the sound you want.
 
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Mantofini,
 
welcome to a brave new world of recording.  And sorry to hear about your father.  Rough stuff.
 
The main thing I wanted to say was don't expect a world of difference when you first listen to high end equipment.  If it sounds night and day and you don't have a lot of experience it is probably as much placebo as reality.  So I'd hate to have someone lay out the money and think product X doesn't sound any better than a $10 moomoo and me and my advice is a schmuck.   Like anything, it takes time to appreciate the subtleties, as well as decent enough equipment.  Your AKG's should be good enough, I would think.  It is just easier to hear stuff the better a system is, which should be no surprise.  You really pay for that last 10%.
 
But even if you can't really hear it now, if you are serious and stick to it, you will hear a difference in high end stuff.  And of course, if you don't spend the money, you'll never hear a difference ;-)  The other thing, most of the higher end stuff is, if not a lifetime investment, a long-term one.  A good preamp (or fill in the blank) will still be working long after your bargain interface (fill in the blank) gives up the ghost - in fact through several of them.  I still use the speaker system I bought almost 40 years ago (w/ proper upkeep).  A $1000 system sounds like a $2-3000 today - still.  $25 a year for professional sound ain't bad.  So, if you have the money and are serious, I'd spend it.  It will save money in the long run and give you a chance to grow into it.
 
Finally, the TB can have a large impact on the sound using the gain/saturation knobs.  You'll be able to hear that, even over a string and two cans.  Of course the GAP preamp has in/out that let's you crunch, too, and is a cheaper buy.  The times I've heard it, it sounded fine.  Still, there seems to be more QC issues w/ the GAP, and the TB uses better components (not to mention more of them), even tho I've never AB'ed them.  Unless you're doing rock and other heavy distortion music, you can probably get all the "air" you need using the TB and reverb, rather than an amp sim.  And personally, I've found using higher-end stuff at home let's me get the separation of instruments and lines usually found in high-end studios.  Again, that isn't instantaneous - the equipment let's you get the separation, doesn't automatically produce it.  And once you hear it you adjust your performance to take advantage of it.  It becomes a feedback loop.
 
In short, yes I imagine a good pair of headphones would be good enough to work on tracking w/ high end equipment like the TB.  And yes, if you are serious and have the money it should make a difference in your recording.  I wouldn't starve for it or get divorced over it.  But having a nice front end if you are doing acoustic recording makes the process easier and more exciting, and should produce a significantly better end product.  Or that is what I tell myself ;-)
 
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