jules preamp

[coryt]

Does anyone else call HYPE on this? Seems WAY overpriced. I haven't played through one, but I have a real hard time believing any pre amp is worth this much money.

Am I alone on this?

[JimmyM]

Yes, you are alone on that. Might not be the preamp for everyone, but designs like Jule's ain't hype. Jule is a regular on here and he's a great guy. Not only that, but he's actually taken steps to reduce the cost by offering the Monique in a rackmount. I don't use his stuff but I've heard it and it's quality.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by coryt

I haven't played through one, but I have a real hard time believing any pre amp is worth this much money.

The voice of experience speaks!

Can you put a price tag on sublime?



Gigtastic

[lowfreqgeek]

Hype? Not at all. I played through one quite a bit at NAMM and it was delicious (with a JHawk Customs fEarful, no less).

[B'Boom]

No, Monique is absoluty not "hype". She has in her entrails only very high quality components, which give an AWESOME pure tone.
Jule Potter works with passion and love.
He is very, very nice guy, and always in the listening with all his customers. For proof: he updates free of charge all Monique of the first generation.

[jsbarber]

Originally Posted by coryt

Seems WAY overpriced. I haven't played through one, but I have a real hard time believing any pre amp is worth this much money.

I have not played one (yet) either. But there is a strong contingent of players who really like this preamp, with over 2000 posts on the Monique thread(s). Based on that I wouldn't call it hype at all. As for preamps being worth this much money, there are many in this price range and some that cost several times this much. Millennia Media STT-1 Origin for instance, which costs about $3k. Is it worth it? IMO, yes. Your ears and wallet may incline you to feel otherwise.

Jim

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by coryt

I haven't played through one, but I have a real hard time believing any pre amp is worth this much money.

An here it is .

I haven't tried one yet either.
However... I think it looks impractical but good.
Actually I like the look a lot , so I want one.

[R Baer]

Much of the cost of this preamp is due to the fact that it is hand made with very high quality components in small quantities. Trust me, I get what that does to the bottom line on something like this. When you can make amps in quantities in the hundreds at a time, then yes the cost per unit goes down substantially. Problem for the little guy is coming up with the cash flow needed to buy 500 of everything in the amp all at once. Let's say you could build it for $200 at that quantity. Now you have to front $100,000 and make your money back slowly over time as each one sells. That kind of cash flow scenario is just not possible for us little guys, so we build in small numbers, which drives the price up. From what I've seen of the construction and what I've heard about the tone, I think $1,300 for this preamp is pretty reasonable.

[mystic38]

Your criteria for "worth the money" is simply not the same as everyone elses...

[husky123]

Originally Posted by coryt

Does anyone else call HYPE on this? Seems WAY overpriced. I haven't played through one, but I have a real hard time believing any pre amp is worth this much money.

Am I alone on this?

How much should it cost?

[nomatic]

I had a Monique down for review and it is not hype! The
way the unit handles the nuance in ones technique is worth
the price alone! Don't get me started on the clarified butter
it puts on each note. I still am not sure how Jule came up
with harmonic richness with no loss in speed or clarity.
For the record I have been a session bassist since the 8Os
and a engineer for the past 2 decades. The MONIQUE is
the best front end I have ever used and this is over Telefunken,
Neve, API, GRace, Glockenglang and every other piece I could
get my hands on. I am dying for my Dovecage to arrive!

[toothguy]

To the OP: REALLY?

[jeffbonny]

Originally Posted by coryt

Does anyone else call HYPE on this? Seems WAY overpriced. I haven't played through one, but I have a real hard time believing any pre amp is worth this much money.

It's sometime difficult to make the mental break from consumer bass amplification to high end pro audio equipment. In the pro audio world the price of a Monique doesn't raise too many eyebrows. Units like a GML Model 2020 or a Pendulum Audio Quartet II or a D.W. Fearn VT-2 are expensive.

It's kinda like the difference between an nice production sports car like say an Audi S4 or a BMW Z3 and a supercar like a McLaren MP4-12C or a Ferrari 458.....you really have to drive them to make any meaningful decision as to whether the extra money is worth spending.

[toothguy]

Why did I not see THIS response coming ?

[jeffbonny]

If your opinion was made before you asked why did you ask? If you were looking for support for being a tin eared cheapskate you came to the wrong place friend.

[toothguy]

+1

[dhsierra1]

Attitude counts for much, so perhaps that's why you're seeing a lot of experienced people jump on you

Why don't you try it for yourself and find out if it's worth it or not? Knowledge is power as is experience. Everything else is theory/conjecture which can only be proven or disproven by experiment, or in this case experience.

I had the opportunity to try the prototype of the De-Monique (preamp and Demeter amp in one box) at my house last year with several different cabs and basses (I live in the Santa Cruz area where Jule Amp is located). I'm a GK fan and prefer that sort of tone but I have to say this thing was astonishing, esp through old JBL 15s.

Worth it? Well, only you can judge that for yourself, but if you look at the fact it's handmade with high quality components at a very high level of workmanship I'd say then yes, it is if it's got the sound you're looking for. Let you ears be your guide.

If you can't afford it, then don't do the sour grapes shuffle. I can't afford it now, but as they say, even a cat may look at a king and this is a king I can not only look at but also salute

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by coryt

Wow. Touchy subject.
Note to self: people who spend too much money on overpriced 'boutique' gear tend to get their panties in a bunch real quick when you insult their sweet precious.

GRRRR big tiger!!!

I agree with you BTW...the thing to do when nobody agrees with your inflammatory original post is to lash out. I always do and it's awesome.

[dhsierra1]

Originally Posted by coryt

And to jeffbonny, yeah it seems you're right. High end boutique bass equipment is like pro audio gear and high end sports cars, at least in one way. The people who buy it are d-bags, it turns out.

stereotype much?

[jeffbonny]

Originally Posted by coryt

And to jeffbonny, yeah it seems you're right. High end boutique bass equipment is like pro audio gear and high end sports cars, at least in one way. The people who buy it are d-bags, it turns out.

The connect you're failing to make is that this isn't really high end "bass" gear, it's good quality studio gear. What you do in the studio is very much under the microscope and what won't matter in a live bar gig matters immensely when you get to listen to it over and over through a variety of killer reference systems.

Going back to the car analogy you loved so much the shortcomings of a vehicle which you don't notice tooling down I-5 in the right hand lane might well kill you trying for a 1:20 lap at Laguna Seca. In some ways I agree that using a race car to commute is over kill just like the subtleties of using high end studio gear is sometimes lost in a live situation. But people who buy this stuff are often recording fairly regularly and if they choose to use the gear at live gigs....well, why wouldn't you if it's available? Sounding good is good, no?