We briefly tried mic'ing a kick drum with an AKG D 112, and although the drum was not really sounding good tuning- wise, we were able to notice that the Grand Pre handled the super-lows a bit more gracefully than the AM16. In this application, we felt that in comparison, the UA preamp seemed just a tad muddy while the Neve sounded a bit smoother on the upper mids. The Grand Pre behaved similarly, but with an ever-so-slightly grainier midrange. We tried some vocals through an Audio-Technica AT4047 large-diaphragm condenser and enjoyed great results, preferring the AM16, which had a nice silkiness to it. In both of these instances, the Mercury units sounded quite similar to the UA and Neve ones, but perhaps not quite as "warm." I should stress that this is not to say the Mercury preamps sounded "cold"-the sonic differences were extremely subtle.
We noticed a similar result with the ribbon mic about a foot off a Vox AC30 with Justin strumming a Rickenbacker. With a PPA R-One ribbon mic about three feet in front of a drum kit, the Grand Pre sounded dark, with a nicely defined midrange, while the AM16 seemed a bit crisper in the upper end. The three of us tried out the Grand Pre and AM16 with a variety of mics and sound sources and subjectively compared them to two other high-end solid state mic preamps, a Universal Audio 2108 and a Neve 33114 channel. Recently, I was joined at Verdant Studio by engineers Chris Fortin and Justin Jacobs. The AM16's graphics are a bit more subdued than its sibling's-tasteful, grey powder-coated finish with classic 50s-style red and black utilitarian markings. I should mention the housing on both the AM16 and the Grand Pre is extremely rugged, heavy-gauge hammer steel. Each channel has a DI input with selector switch, five-step coarse input control in 6 dB increments, a generous 24 dB input pad, polarity-reversal switch, phantom-power switch, and an output trim. It's based on the classic American Langevin AM16 module and has a slightly different set of controls than the Grand Pre. The AM16, on the other hand, takes inspiration from the Yank side of the Atlantic. The front panel is black with a not-over-the-top racing car graphic theme - kind of a nice combination of fun and serious. Although I love Neve and appreciate the build quality and excellence, I personally prefer the creamy, smooth sound of Calrec." The Grand Pre features 1/4'' DI inputs with selector switches, 12 dB-stepped coarse input controls, +/- 8 dB fine input controls, phantom-power and polarity switches, and output trims. Personally I like it better than the 1073/1272 sound and always thought the 'Clone War' was funny because to me the Neve wasn't even the best British sound to copy. "The PQ15s has always been one of my favorite pre/EQ modules. In an email exchange, Marquette told me his motivation.
The Grand Pre (why hasn't anyone used that name for a mic preamp before?) is a 2U-height, dual mic preamp based on the classic but sometimes-overlooked British Calrec PQ15s input module. Now Mercury has a pair of solid state mic preamps that are no less impressive, yet a bit more affordable. These units are top- notch-and top-dollar. In Tape Op #49, I reviewed the initial Mercury offerings: Pultec, Fairchild, and Telefunken- inspired tube devices that wowed me. Under the Mercury Recording Equipment Company moniker, David Marquette has made a splash with a flurry of new, high- quality, vintage-style outboard gear.