Andy,

I'm not set on anything yet.

That's why I keep posting. Maybe the best suggestion hasn't yet been made. Maybe it has. I want to hear all suggestions, and my preference will change as I learn more.

cryophonic has taken the edge off of my enthusiasm for the Eureka, especially since he has the same mic I have--the Rode NTK. I had been wondering about the JoeMeek line, actually. Now it's time to look there again.

BTW, "tube" is great but I don't require tube for this.

As I said (or implied), not being able to listen to every piece of gear out there, I'd prefer to rely on the first-hand experience of others before taking a closer look at my short-list few, ...that list is still in flux.

If I were to decide to jump on someting I could get right now, CJ's suggestion sounds good--I probably wouldn't be unhappy spending $300 on the Focusrite, even if it doesn't "improve" the MOTU, because it gives me an inbound compressor with minimal expense, and his experience was positive.

If I decide to wait and save for a better solution, you've now given me yet another option to consider. It's all useful. I'm still open to more suggestions.

Ultimately, it will come down to finding the price/value point that is a good leap above the next lower thing in quality at only a modest increase in price such that any further improvement in quality requires a substantial increase in price.

(Or perhaps just going with what I can afford, warts and all.)

You've all given me much to consider, ... could never be too much, though.

I should add that I much prefer to hear, "I [heard/used] it and [liked/didn't like] the way it sounded" to "I would expect it to be [better/worse] than brand X" Ears are important for making musical judgements.

--thndrsn

ORIGINAL: thndrsn

Ultimately, it will come down to finding the price/value point that is a good leap above the next lower thing in quality at only a modest increase in price such that any further improvement in quality requires a substantial increase in price.

That is pretty much where I was at also.

I should add that I much prefer to hear, "I [heard/used] it and [liked/didn't like] the way it sounded" to "I would expect it to be [better/worse] than brand X" Ears are important for making musical judgements.

Me too. I admit that I am clearly in the honeymoon phase with this thing but the word that hit me a few minutes ago to describe the 428 is "elegant". First off, it's the way it sounds...clean, quiet, unobtrusive. It's the way the front panel controls are laid out...intuitive. I also like(and this is probably silly) the way it has the button/led combos, ie: The bistate switches light up when you push them vice separate LED's cluttering the panel. It's kinds like sitting in a BMW after driving a decent quality GM...the GM felt fine until you sat in the Beemer...you realize you are in the next level. FYI, other preamps I looked at that were on the short list: FMR's RNP, UA's DCS Remote, AEA's TRP, SC-1 DIY from fivefishstudios.com(yes, I know my way around a soldering iron...). One of my main drivers was that my current pre's didn't have enough gain for a stereo ribbon mic I'd just bought without having too much noise. The variable input impedence and 80db of gain were big factors for me in my decision. If you don't use ribbon's or don't anticipate using them, those things will be less important.

Hey Thndrsn
Again, I'm gonna recommend saving up and getting a 500 series rack, but if your dead set on going with one of the lower end focusrites I'd probably sell ya my voicemaster pro (this box: http://www.zzounds.com/item--FOCMH440 ) for a pretty good price. I've used it with a rode NT1 and it sounds fine.
PM me if you're interested.

Dean