Mic Preamps, Mic Preamp Kits, 500 Series, Lunchbox Preamps

 SC-1 Preamp Review 

My SC-1 preamp has been mentioned in MIX Magazine!

AUGUST 2008 issue

Field Test: Avant Electronics Avantone CK-40 Stereo Mic
http://mixonline.com/gear/reviews/audio_avant_electronics_avantone/

MAY 2008 issue

Field Test: Peluso 22 47SE Tube Microphone
http://mixonline.com/gear/reviews/audio_peluso_se_tube/

• I finished construction of both my SC-1 mk500 kits. I decided to build one with the transformer and one without. They both sound GREAT and I think I'm going to spend the afternoon experimenting.
  The unit with the transformer has a nice thick, but not exaggerated, sound quality.
  Previously my favorite mic pres were the Axx 5xx, Gxxxxx Rxxxxx, and my Axxxxxxx Mx. I think your mic pres give them some serious competition! Thank you for a great product!  This is a really great sounding preamp and an EXCELLENT value for the price. - Steve, USA  (ed: He also sent a photo along with his email! Thanks!) 
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• SC-1mk500 Feedback: Your preamp is amazing...I received the preamp yesterday but didn’t have the chance to try it out until tonight. Amazing!!! I don’t understand how you get such a fat sound with no input transfo. I will definitively consider a second one in the following weeks but WITH the input transfo. I watching the one on eBay. Thank you!!! Best regards and more power to you. - Martin L, Quebec, Canada

• I tried the SC-1 pres up against the Axx and the Uxxxxxxxx Axxxx with great results. They really open up the ribbon mics I have made. We were kinda shocked (big improvement) but your pres sounded much better than the Axxs and different but comparable to the Uxx. So much so that my buddy kept them! The Axx were noisy and duller in comparison. The Uxx had a different full sound-not good or bad. We used your pres instead for the drum overheads. I have another producer who is going to use the pres and the ribbons on a horn session next week. We tuned the trim all the way up and just used the gain. If this is any indication of what the new version will be I can't wait to get some time to make and use the newer SC-1mk2. We were under a time constraint so we did not have time to delve into the super-specifics but under pressure, the SC-1s performed flawlessly. - Ed P., USA (Ribbon Mic Manufacturer)

• The Pre's are DOPE!  I though I would be able to hear a big difference between my Gxxxx Rxxxx 500xx and the Five Fish [SC-1mk500].  I was wrong.  It is damn close! I mean really close.  The bass stays tight and big and the highs clear and open. I am extremely happy with them.  I am sure they will remain in my lunchbox for the long haul. -C.Golde, USA http://golden-mc.com

• The SC-1 is capturing much more of the frequency spectrum.  The lows are fuller and beefier, the highs are airier, and they are allowing the mics to "speak" with their full capabilities.  Once I have clips in my DAW, I can do much more by eliminating areas I don't want, instead of trying to add what I do want.  While there is a lot more flexibility, I am finding I will really be doing less as far as eqing, and the sound that is being captured is more professional.  I also like the fact that the more I increase the gain, the more it sounds like I am getting some natural compression.  The transformer version seems to pair well with the 2247LE, and the transformerless with the 22 251. - Todd J., USA

• Public Post on Prodigy-Pro Forum:  Just thought I'd bump this thread up for some more people to see. I have no affiliation with Five Fish Studios. just bought one of these 500 series pres from the Five Fish Ebay listing. I live right down the street from them and the price is extremely appealing, so I figured I would bite the bullet and order one. The one I ordered was pre assembled and has the optional Nickel Input Transformer. I haven't had a chance to spend a lot of time with the pre yet, but first impressions are WOW! The unit came very professionally packed and the build quality and components are top notch. Hopefully I'll have a chance to dig a little deeper into the unit this weekend. The only thing I've had a chance to run through it so far was vocals, and it sounded really, really good. The only pres I have here to compare it to are my 512B's and P1's. To my ears this pre is in the same league as the P1. The Five Fish pre definitely has it's own thing going though, so that's cool. Like I said, hopefully I'll have a little more to post about this at the end of the weekend. I just can't get over the price/quality aspect. I'm impressed, nice product - Public Post on Gearslutz.com

• Public post on GearSlutz.com Product Review: I just want to say I finally got my SC1 properly assembled. Man this thing is hot!! I have a friend who has the A-Dxxxx Pxxxxx and that also is quite a nice pre. I did a comparison and there wasn't too much difference except that the SC1 had a much fuller sound. There was no sibilance yet it was very clean. It has a wonderfully silky sound, the lows are not boomy the mids are warm and the highs as afore mentioned are very precise without fatiguing the listener. It also is very airy on vocals as well. Big ups to the guys at Five Fish. My friend after hearing the mic pres said that he will purchase four of the pres in a single rack. So you are doing something right. - afrindian

• A while ago I borrowed from a friend your SC-1 preamp. I must say I am blown away by the quality of your work. The high-end is better than some very exclusive pre-amps I use in my studio. Especially on female vocals recorded with a microphone with very high-end response your pre-amp really shines musically. I had never expected such a result from a amp without transformers and only solid state. Great work. - Laurent Boutonnat, France  (ed: Laurent was generous enough to send me a sample of the recording. Check it out in our Audio Samples section!)

• I have finished your kit and it sounds fine and I'll be using it in sessions soon. Anyway the pre-amps both worked perfectly from the first time and seem to sound very good.  I've already had questions about buying more of these kits 'wholesale' in numbers. Good Luck with your kit. It's a solid product and I had fun building it. - Barry Rudolph, Recording Engineer/Producer - http://www.barryrudolph.com

• My next review of Peluso's U47 will name the SC-1 as the mic pre-amp I used to compared a vintage [Neumann] U47 to Peluso's. Thought you'd like to know and look for the MIX Magazine review probably sometime in April or May. I like it a lot.  The SC-1 has more clarity in those cases. - Barry Rudolph, Recording Engineer/Producer - http://www.barryrudolph.com

• Here's a testimonial for the SC-1 preamps. I took the unit out to our local Junior Colleges' recording lab (where I am the resident piano technician) at the request of the instructor after I was telling him about the kit. We hooked it up through their Sxxx board, put some AT 4060 mics (I think) on a Yamaha G-1 piano and A/B/Ced them into Pro Tools HD with Tannoy monitors while another instructor played piano. We compared them to Dxxxxxxx and Fxxxxxxx Rxx pres and a Sxxx onboard pre . The Sxxx pre wasn't even close, thin and cardboardy in comparison. The Dxxxxxx and Fxxxxxxxx are both tube pres and had a slightly different sound-more hollow mids. Being an acoustic bass player, I characterized it as somewhat woody in comparison to the SC-1 which to me sounded warmer, fuller and in general more musical than either. The guy who runs the lab was pretty blown away that 4 channels of that quality only cost $700 (plus build time) and was definitly interested in a prebuilt unit.  I couldn't be happier with the results and it was fun to put together. I got some good bonding time with my dad.  I'm looking forward to more projects in the future - whatever you're working on just sign me up cause I know it'll be great - R. Carter, USA
  

• Success! I just did a quick and dirty test here in my office and all four channels seem to be functioning well--the levels all match and so on. The project was a lot of fun and I must say that your directions and packaging are as close to perfect as anyone can imagine.  I know from your web site that you wear a lot of hats (don't we all) but you should consider technical writing as at least a part time job.  It's hard to write things like tech manuals and instruction books and you definitely have the knack for it.  I sense that Five Fish as a commercial venture is pretty new but with great products and service like this you have every chance of making this a real success. This is my first electronics assembly project but I am certain it will not be my last.  I know you are working on a bunch of things and I will want to give another one a try sometime.  I would be interested for sure in either building a couple more of these and modifying them with some transformers, or even tackling that API-type design you are working on.  Please keep me posted about your emerging products. Again thanks for all of your patience and support.  - R.Miller, Music Professor, USA

• I have to say that these are by far the best pre-amps I've used. Clean, articulate and with more gain then I know what to do with. They really just cut though a mix, allowing all the dynamics present in complicated piano passages to be voiced. You've made a life time customer out of me!  - Patrick M., USA

• It is quiet, you know. I cranked it up, sounds perfect, quiet as well, much quieter than my mixer of course. My microphones showed some different characteristics (much better than on any other preamp I've tried). It also sounds much better than the Focusrite Saffire that I have! I cant wait to start recording now. I'm going to try and get other people to invest into your preamps also. I think they should because they're missing out! - H.Islami, UK
  

• I'm extremely satisfied with the performance of my SC-1 pre-amp (Dxx won't be happy, because this apparatus does sound better at less cost), so I have decided to make it look better and order the 1U-case and power supplies. - T.Jacobs, Netherlands
  

• Finally got around to doing all the transformer and PSU wiring, and doing the smoke test on the preamp. I am absolutely boggled...everything worked the FIRST TIME! ... there's no extraneous hum or buzz, so I'm calling it a success. One heck of a job on the design, man, I'm digging it!  Thanks so much for making these available to us! - Scott @ http://www.stillwellaudio.com/
  

• I'm very impressed by your attention to detail. I really do wish you the very best of luck in this venture. Every aspect of the project clearly demonstrates your clarity of vision, attention to detail and desire to produce nothing but a grade-A preamp. - G.White

• Thank you for the wonderful kit. I have just finished building 1 preamp board and 1 PSU board. Your directions and organization of parts was fantastic. Thanks again for putting together such an easy and fun to build kit. - John S., USA
  

• I just wanted to let you know how impressed I am with your kit, packaging, instructions, and the whole experience. You can't be making much money from the effort and still you managed my transaction as if I were spending $2,000. Congratulations on a great service and on your future efforts. - Lew K., USA

• All I can say is WOW this thing is awesome! ...all is working perfectly! I'm never going to get to building the second one at this rate because I can't stop playing with this first one!  - Scott, USA
  

• Once I'd got over my amazement that I was actually capable of building a preamp, I was very impressed by the sound quality. - BeadGC

• I hooked up the pre's and both worked faultlessly. I plugged them straight into one of my Tannoy's and for anyone undecided on getting this kit, it is seriously good. there's no colour to this preamp, its just a perfect representation of the sound, and it is QUIET! - Tom, USA
  

• In any event, I just built two, plus the power supply. Everything was flawless; didn't even have to look at the build sheet or parts layout, as the PCB is quite good, and all parts are in individual bags and labeled. Took me about 2 hours to build the first one, and an hour fifteen to build the second one. The power supply was about a half hour ... it is by far the easiest part of the kit to build. Anyone with basic soldering skills can put these together. People seem to have an unnatural fear of making power supplies, but they're really quite simple, and anyone with an iota of common sense can do it. In any event, as to sound, I haven't given the pres a real workout yet, but I've done some minor stuff. I have a hard time coming up with a description of what they "sound" like (e.g. "API-ish," "Neve-ish," whatever) because they don't really "sound" like anything. Very clear, and a _lot_ of gain.... for ribbons it is handy. If anyone has any specific questions I'd be happy to answer; I have no complaints whatsoever, and think these pres are well worth the money. I'm in no way affiliated with Five Fish; I paid for these kits... - C.Randall - Audio Damage, Inc. - http://www.audiodamage.com

• I just finished the first of the preamps (and the power supply) and it works on the first try. This is the easiest and most organized kit I have ever built, the instructions are clear and easy to follow and all the time it must take to put all the parts in the labeled bags is well worth it. A project like this should require a lot of skills that I am not very good at, but you have organized the kit so well that I had no trouble and everything worked the first time. - J.Walsh - Farview Recording Studios

• Well my SC-1 project is done and in use. I will record some simple stuff with it and put up a review soon, I just wanted to rave a little. The nutshell is that this is an incredibly clean and quiet pre-amp, even at massive gain levels. The signal you put in is the signal you get out without coloration -- which is what the doctor ordered for me! And it was a ton of fun to build too. If you are not afraid of a little soldering (its not a difficult thing to learn -- if you can glue a model airplane together you can learn to solder) I highly recommend an SC-1 or two or eight. - scottso

• This is a first-class design and kit. - Robert D, USA
  

• I've been meaning to let you know how much I appreciate your whole DIY thing.  It's a great service to all the DIY audio freaks out there and the PSU's rock.  Very nice attention to detail also, which means a lot to me.  I'm a furniture maker by trade, so elegance in design is something I notice. - T.Philp

• Marvellous Service And Packing... I ordered my SC-1 preamp and other bits a little while ago. Tonight I had a chance to open the box and look at what I'd been sent. AND WOW!  Everything was so properly packed and labeled. I've bought other kits and things from other people and yes, I'd get the parts, and things have usually worked and not been broken, but this has exceeded what I expected.
  - All the bags are labeled (and those that aren't have the manufacturers label on them which is just as good)
  - The boxes were sealed
  - The boxes were intact and not in anyway damaged
  - The boxes are labeled! (and there are even nice labels inside the lid thanking you for your purchase)
  - Shipping was *FAST* and I'm not even in the USA!
  - Spare space in the box was filled with *clean* air filled packing (and not shredded paper and other junk and sticky stuff that causes mess like I've had from other kits and component sellers)
  Not even put it together yet and I'm impressed. - Stratman, USA
  

• Your preamps came in the mail 2 days ago, and we finished assembling it yesterday. It really sounds great! - J.Santos, Philippines
  

• I have played around with the Axxxxx 'Dxxx' which is also an all IC design and sounds very good. Not as good as [the SC-1] though, due to the [Dxxx's] lack of mid-presence and transients. It just sounds a little to flat. - L.B., France
  

• Compared to the Dxx Bx1... your product produces a more clean, detailed sound. - L.B., France
  

• If you haven't been keeping up on the SC-1, you should go to FiveFishStudios site and listen to some of the recordings made with it posted in the forums. Its very impressive and if they don't sell you on it, nothing will. Awesome preamp. - Scott
  

• Thought I'd just share a couple pics of a recently completed SC-1. Kit was an absolute joy to build, and [FiveFish Studios] is just the greatest to deal with. - http://www.transientaudio.com/
  

• I've (finally) finished putting those kits together. All working straight up. Easy to put together, nice clean sound. Very good work.... Now to save for the next 4 channel - James G.

• Everything sounds great and is working as it should be. I won't get a chance to really test it out for a few weeks but my initial impression was that it sounded fantastic! Thank you so much for your paitence with all my little problems. - Thomas V. D. Z.

• I just recorded a scratch guitar part using a Cascade fathead, and the SC-1. Here's the specs. Les Paul Standard Peavey VTM 60 custom combo amp. Fathead on axis. 4 inches from center of speaker cone. t was 1 take, and I just wanted to hear how it sounds. Anyway, I love the sound of it. Thanks! - Carl H.

• I received the PSU-1848 and 1U-Rack Power Transformer Kit this morning. Fast shipping, great packaging, and good products ! Thank you very much. - Edouard D.

• Just got SC-1 built and started testing. By the way, this preamp sounds VERY nice, and no sign of noise or hum. I'm currently working in Finnish broadcasting company. - A.H.

• I don't know where to post feedback for you, but I put in the order Wednesday evening, and the stuff came today, neatly packed. This is amazing.  I have been ordering a lot of stuff for my studio over the past 2 months, and its really nice to know there are great companies like yours that ship stuff out asap (and so well packaged).  Awesome! - C. Smith

•  It works, and sounds GREAT! Thanks so much for all your help! I'll be ordering #2 next month! - CH

• I got the power supply put together tonight..working great! - Matthew

• Everything is working correctly now... I misread the parts when I was assembling the power supply.  I definitely learned a lot on this project and really had a lot of fun doing it. I just plugged in a SM57 and all is well with the preamp.  I also plugged in a SM7 and it was wonderful!  So I guess this is another happy ending for your kit.  I'll try and post a picture of the finished kit. - Larry S.

• I borrowed a rack that contained 4 SC-1 pres from a friend. VERY much loved it...drums sound amazing. - Phil, Japan
  

• I just fired it up and did some basic testing with a wave generator and an oscilloscope.
  I must say: I have never seen such a good response from (almost) anything I have previously built.
  Thank you for a great Kit. - Osterman, Sweden

• Thanks very much for getting the capacitor out so quickly... I plopped it in, fired it up and was immediately blown away...what a fantastic sounding box.  have it in a temporary test housing that's 8" deep, with absolutely no RFI/AC noise...I'm totally pleased. Thanks a lot for your help and quick responses. Now the only thing I'm missing is three more SC-1 cards. :) - Tyler S., USA

• Awww yeah, this has been a super cool experience, building and learning, and then listening. I gotta give it to FiveFish Studios - the kit is ridiculously well packaged, and the support is spot-on. Mine worked beautifully from the moment I powered it up, too. Success! So I put it in a radio shack project box mainly to see how close I can have the preamp card to the transformer and PS card - the project box is 8" deep, the same depth as the metal rack case that will ultimately be home to four SC-1 pres. This is obviously enough space, as I can't seem to make the thing hum, buzz or otherwise reveal AC/RFI noise. - Trock, USA

• I've just finished the first sc-1. What can I say: WOW The amount of CLEAN gain is unbelieveable and that's with everything in the open on my makeshift worksurface! No hum, buzz, or whatever, just clean! Now it's time to build the other one. Can't stop smiling - Geert G., Netherlands

• Thanks so much for an AWESOME product!  My kit came in today and went together in just around 3 hours.  Works GREAT!  - Brandon B., USA

• I recently purchased your SC-1 Solo preamp kit. It's safe to say that it arrived, is working properly, and sounds absolutely great! - Kevin R., Netherlands

• And after another round of trials, my SC-1's were used by the touring engineer for John Doe (from the seminal LA punk band "X")...this was an acoustic show at the Great American Music Hall, and the pres were used on the vocals. Big, warm and detailed - that's how i would describe the sound and feel. No noise issues whatsoever - very, very nice. - Tyler S., Audio Engineer, USA

• I recently ordered your 2448mkII kit, which arrived last week.  I put it together tonight and just wanted to comment on a very easy layout. I didn't even have to read the assembly manual until I got to the trim
  pots and needed to figure out which way to solder them to the pcb. Great job!  - Jim, USA

• Hi, recently heard your preamp in action: very nice! sounds comparable to my tab/telefunken pre's, best wishes - Felix, Netherlands

• Public Post on TapeOp Forum:  Those FiveFish units (SC-1) rock... An engineer I deal with a lot has a "preamp on a stick" (4 of those preamps on a small piece of plywood) that he's been using as "go to" units for months. I went there for a "shootout" last fall - They sound great on everything. And they seem so simple... Although I'm not exactly an electrical engineer... Keeping in mind that he has Amek, Langevin, Neve, hot-rodded this & thats lying around also. And he's using these kits more than any of them now. -John S, Massive Mastering, USA

• Public Post on Prodigy-Pro Forum: The Five Fish Sc-1mk2 with the trafo option is a definite sleeper and is the reason I decided to return the [Dxxxxxxx] Mic Pre One I had special ordered.  BOTH incorporate mic input trafos, and 1646's.  I dunno, the SC-1 was just less harsh (even after I took out the trafo) than the Dxxxxxx (which I can best describe as sounding annoying to my ears).  I was testing with a guitar through a wah pedal, still; I wasn't as impressed with the Dxxxxxx as I was with the Five Fish kit.  Price wise, it's a no-brainer.  What I found most shocking was the SC-1  (even without the transformer) was more pleasant to my ears than the Dxxxxxx.  I've heard that Dxxxxxxx is one of those pieces that you either like or hate..I think it's obvious what I think of the Dxxxxxxx..