Call Us Toll Free
888-528-9703
Local/International (+1)
919-682-5552

Free 3-Year Warranty on Virtually All New Items

Call Us! Toll Free! 888-528-9703
Local / International (+1) 919-682-5552

Item selected is sold (details below). Related products available now:

View more 500-Series Preamps View more from Great River

Great River Electronics MP-500NV 500-Series Preamp - Used From Great River

Great River's signature Neve-inspired mic preamp in a double-bay 500 series format for zero compromise of their large transformer-based tone!

Buy Pre-owned from Sound Pure with Absolute Confidence

Sound Pure's dedication to pre-owned products is unprecedented in the industry. We are a small team of dedicated experts that buys, trades, and consigns. We are trusted by customers all over the world. Our curated collection, is thoroughly tested and inspected by some of the best in the business. Our inventory is constantly changing, ever-evolving, with some items sold before reaching the website. Looking for something specific? Have questions about this product's condition or history? Want more photos, or to simply chat with an expert who's had his hands on this actual piece? Contact us now.

Our Current Used/Vintage Collection »

Sound Pure's Consignment Program »

Luthier Certification for Used Instruments »

"Gone, Baby, Gone"

This one is sold. Don't miss the next one. Some things never even make it to the site so stay up to date on our used collection.

We get in many oddities, rare and vintage products, most of which go fast. If you're on the hunt for something specific, something unique, or something priced right, let us notify you on our used collection before the items even hit the site.

Want to know if one lands?

Notify Me

Want to discuss what's coming?

Call Us! Toll Free! 888-528-9703
Local / International (+1) 919-682-5552

Talk with a Specialist

What We Think

Great River has taken a familiar design and in a lot of ways improved upon it. When it comes to sound, the often unwieldy low-mids that a classic 1073 (or 1073 clone) will tend to have is much tighter and punchier with the Great River preamp. Also the Hi-freq response reveals much more detail than its inspiration. Key features like the “loading” button that engages a 600 ohm resistor before the output stage opens the door to a ton of sonic variations. Also, switchable input and output metering really set this preamp apart in the ever growing sea of Neve inspired hardware.

When I use it on rock vocals, it adds a weight and texture that is simply to die for. This is also my go to pre for overhead recordings, where the high frequencies are delivered in a warm, controlled manner and the drums sound punchy and thunderous. Being a Neve-inspired unit, it shares the same source flexibility, so while I have my favorites, it performs exceptionally all throughout the studio. I also really like the DI of the Great River. They managed to implement a FET-buffered route for the instrument signal to pass through the custom wound Sowter transformer. This makes the DI much more than an afterthought which, lets face it, on some mic pres thats exactly what it is. I often go with its DI over my pricy dedicated DI units.

I appreciate that Great River did not compromise the components in order to conform to the 500 series format as well. It is a bit of a bummer that it takes two slots, but putting smaller transformers in just to fit a 1U slot would no doubt have a negative sonic effect. However, there are some phenomenal 1U 500 series mic pres with a similar vibe. if you feel like real estate in your chassis is too valuable to take up two slots consider the Phoenix DRS-1R or the Vintech 573 just to name a couple.

Want More Great Content?

Manufacturer's Description from Great River

The MP-500NV is a professional quality microphone preamplifier designed to re-create the vintage sound characteristics of the early 1970s large consoles. Modern components give the MP-500NV more clarity, punch and performance under normal use. In addition, features like metering before and after the major gain stages let the user drive it hard to greatly expand the range of sonic options. All microphones will benefit from the power of the MP-500NV preamplifier, including dynamic, condenser and especially ribbon types. The MP-500NV uses the same audio and metering circuit board found in the NV series preamplifiers. This unit is designed to fit into a 500 series rack using 2 available slots. It receives its power supply from the host rack. The unit is equipped with a HI-Z instrument jack that has its own input amplifier and was designed for DI applications. All specifications and performance details are identical to the NV series preamplifiers with the exception of size, weight, patch jack, -10dBv Out.

About Manufacturer

Great River Electronics Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets superior quality professional audio products that are built to perform and capture your sound with integrity, character, and accuracy. The company has an experience base in excess of twenty years in analog and digital domains of audio processing. In addition, the company also designs industrial control systems used in commercial applications. Great River Electronics Inc. is located just southeast of the capital city St. Paul, Minnesota. Dan Kennedy, co-founder of Great River Electronics Inc., began designing microphone preamplifiers to solve noise problems associated with recording orchestral music using ribbon microphones. Intelligence, perseverance, and passion yielded product designs that are supremely quiet, clearly transparent, and extremely musical across all musical genres and tracking formats. The combination of crystal clear high-end coupled with tight, solid low-end result in precise, full sounds that realize their natural sonic positions within any mix. In addition, Dan has designed an equalizer, EQ-2NV and EQ-1NV, to complement the NV Series preamplifiers or to function as a standalone equalizer. The design philosophy at Great River Electronics Inc. has always been to utilize the minimum circuitry necessary to provide maximum sonic performance. Legendary Jensen and Sowter transformers optimized for Great River Electronics Inc. are used in all microphone preamplifiers. In addition, all units are equipped with gold plated switch contacts, operate on externally switched 110 or 220 volts, and have a standard two-year warranty with registration. These preamplifiers are widely used internationally in professional recording studios, digital project studios, and road recording rigs. The units are designed as perfect front-end additions to digital audio workstations (DAWs). Two design types of preamplifiers are currently available - Original MP Series, the clean series, and the newly developed NV Series, the vintage sound series. The Original MP Series, the MP-2 and the MP-4, are two channel and four channel units that offer the most pristine, definitive sound clarity and accuracy available today. These units have optional output transformers to isolate and balance the signal. The NV Series, featuring the MP-2NV and the ME-1NV, modernize vintage sound. Both units are tunable preamplifiers that offer the same definitive sound and solid craftsmanship as all Great River Electronics preamplifiers with the ability to 'tune that sound' a la 1970's 1073's. The equalizers, EQ-2NV (two channel) and EQ-1NV (one channel), are loosely based on the topology of vintage 1081/1083 models. The newly-designed class A, discrete single-ended amplifiers in the EQ-NV Series bring greater clarity and dynamic range to the musicality and control of the 108x models. The EQ-2NV and EQ-1NV use the same internal components and have identical and stunning sonic performance capabilities. Great River Electronics Inc. understands the needs, demands, and mission of today's busy recording professionals - produce great music with great sounds and great performances accurately articulated and meticulously defined every time.

Specifications

I/O connections: XLR balanced; high-Z input on front panel (disconnects mic input)
Adjustable gain stages: input in 5db steps to 60db; output from -25 to +10db; maximum overall gain 70db; 2 to 3 stages of single ended solid state amplifier gain blocks, depending on gain structure; high-current 70ma Class A bias on output stage
Input and output meters on each channel (dual-stage metering is a Great River exclusive)
Front panel switches: polarity; phantom power; input impedance (1200 / 300 ohm); output loading (600 ohm resistor across output transformer)
High quality, custom wound Sowter transformers
Gold plated switching contacts
3 year warranty with registration
Mounts in 2 spaces in a '500' rack
'Big Iron Vintage Sound' from custom-wound transformers
High-Z input is ideal for bass, guitar, and sound modules (FET-buffered and routed into the input transformer, a Great River exclusive)
Gain stage monitoring via dual meters (also a Great River exclusive)
Ultra quiet noise floor for outstanding performance at any gain setting
Powered by '500' Rack's internal power supply

Great River Electronics Mic Preamps: MP-1NV, MP-2NV, MP-500NV - Quick n' Dirty

Great River has taken a familiar design and in a lot of ways improved upon it. When it comes to sound, the often unwieldy low-mids that a classic 1073 (or 1073 clone) will tend to have is much tighter and punchier with the Great River preamp. These preamps are available for SoundPure's Try-Before-You-Buy Program, so if you want to hear how they sound in your studio with your gear, shoot us an email at ProAudio@SoundPure.com, or give us a call anytime at 919.682.5552. Thanks for watching!