Honestly, I can't say I notice a lot of difference in "warmth" between this and my solid state preamp... other than the warm glow of the VU meter and tube.

However, I have had this for about a year and I do really love this pre for what it does do. I use it all the time for recording - almost on everything. It works just like I want/need it to. I normally use it with a large diaphragm condenser mic (with the built in phantom) and do not find noise to be an issue at all. Also use it to mic amps with a sure dynamic.

The only noise I encountered was when I first got it, there was a sort of intermittent static that would show up occasionally, but which seems to have disappeared now and hasn't come back since.

The main thing I don't see mentioned much is the OPL button. This makes the pre into a compressor/limiter basically. In this mode, you can crank the gain and then the output sets the amount of compression by limiting the output. I use this in recording all the time just for that feature - it gives it that sort of 60's pumping compressed sound. Usually if you start from dead silent it will let the first transient through and then has a very slow release for everything that follows.

I use it to record mainly acoustic guitar and other acoustic instruments (dulcimer, percussion, toy piano, banjo, melodica, flutes). I use it for basic utilitarian recording and also sometimes crank the compression on it to use more as an "effect."

This is not a super pristine transparent mic pre. It is a quirky cheap tube preamp with compression.

I gave all five's because this product does exactly what I wanted it for. +20db gain is noisy even with good cables and with levels set correctly. Inputs are fine no problem there. All in all can't really complain. Good price, solid product, gets the job done.

First off, let me start by saying that I am a multi-instrumentalist, but in bands I usually play drums. That being said, I typically need to use rackmounted dbx and presonus preamps together. Well a few months back, a friend left his Tube MP at my house, I started messing around with it for vocals and guitars and I got attached to the convenience. When I saw one for this price I had to order. Neither of the two I have used so far have had noisy 1/4" ins or outs, unless I had a bad cable or poorly grounded instrument; same with the XLRs. This very minute, I'm using the 1/4"s with the +20db going from a Gretsch Projet going in to an Orange Crush 15, and I'm getting some sweet tube warmth and distortion out of a cheap practice amp. I bought for recording, but this is definitely a nice side effect; and my wife appreciates me not firing up the big amps.

regarding some problems I see mentioned in a few of these reviews...

(I own 4 of these babies) Folks who use this preamp with ANY mics are advised to use the XLR ins & outs, otherwise, using the 1/4" line inputs/outputs with say, an SM57, you may get too much noise.

As a rule for *quietest* performance, ALWAYS USE XLR INS AND OUTS WITH MICS--THE 1/4" INS/OUTS ARE FOR GUITAR & BASS ONLY.

Other than that, just use your ears and listen for distortion if levels go too high & adjust accordingly. If you hear excessive hum, check to see that mic cables are not too close to any power cables or power strips.

If you take care to use XLRs for all mics, and to watch levels & experiment until you find the loudest, BUT cleanest and quietest "sweet spot" you can, you'll get good results with this pre, for vocals or anything else you use it for.

Mine sound great on condenser mics like the AKG C1000B, or Audio Technica AT2020, and also juices-up the sound of a standby dynamic performance mic like the Shure Beta 57A or 58A.

I suspect some of the complaints about noise are from guitar players who just use the 1/4" ins/outs withour realizing the difference the XLRs make.

1 more thing---The VUs on the ART Tube MP Studio work best when using the line inputs (1/4"), and aren't nearly as useful with the XLRs.

Once you realize these things, this inexpensive pre will get you some very nice results.

As for the defects, that is possible (especially for an inexpensive item).

But all 4 of my Art Tube MP Studios are workin' fine for me.

That's all I myself can say about that.

I bought this as an expectation to warm up my Shure SM57 microphone for basic vocals and recording acoustic guitar.

It does fairly well to warm up vocals however when trying to record acoustic instruments there is way too much noise present in the recording. I would not recommend this for someone with a discerning ear. The clarity of my acoustic guitar is drowned out by the buzz of the noise. This preamp does add enough volume to bring out details from microphones but so far it is the weakest and noisiest equipment in my signal chain.