Demeter VTMP-2B - Dual Tube Pre-Amp with Dual Instrument Input

This beautifully maintained Demeter VTMP-2B is a fine example of tube technology design from the 1980-90s. Built in a  2 'U' 19" rack, the VTMP 2B is essentially a great piece of kit for recording with microphones and instruments. There are 2 x DI on the front panel, very handy! Mic and line i/o on the back panel. 20/40/60dB boost on front.
The sound is rich and round handling FET and valve mics equally well.

This particular unit was completely checked out and serviced in late 2019 and has been used on a couple of vocal sessions since. HAPPY to offer a 3 month warranty however, in keeping with most pro tube gear manufacturers these days, we cannot warranty the valves, except if DOA.

The VTMP-2B model had an original sales price in the US of $2000 in the late 90s, trying to value it is tricky but on the basis that if offers superb features and a high quality sonic performance and is in tip top condition for its age I'm looking for around £800 which I think is an absolute bargain.

Here is part of a review from Tape Op

When James Demeter [#49, #108] sent over the VTMP-2B for me to check out, I took my time. By spending time with a new piece of gear, and integrating it into my workflow, I get a real sense of its value. I don't take any of my outboard gear for granted, nor do I blindly trust it, and lately I've been replacing a lot of equipment that has annoyed me due to sound quality, reliability, or functionality issues.

I used it on a number of sources — vocals, upright piano, drum overheads, and acoustic guitars — I gained a massive respect for the quality of this preamp. Features include the usual: phantom power, high-pass filter, polarity reverse, −20 dB pad, and a 1/4'' DI with an input-selection switch. The overall gain is controlled by a three-step gain switch and a big, round, attenuation knob; and an overload LED provides warning of high levels (which I've yet to see light up). The back panel has the typical XLR I/O (plus a switch for pin-2 or pin-3 hot), as well as 1/4'' unbalanced direct tube outputs.

James filled me in on the history of the VTMB: "The original VTMP-2B was eventually replaced by the VTMP-2C in 2001. It was very pretty, with metal knobs, LED meters, chrome buttons, and a thick, metal front panel. It sold okay, but was never the hit the original was. A few years ago — after some requests from users and finding a stash of original parts — we started remaking a few of the original preamps. I have always loved this preamp. It was the first really complex original design I came up with, and it incorporated much of my love for true, tube hi-fi design, which I adapted for the pro recording market. Its use over the years on thousands of recordings by music legends, many Gold and Platinum recordings included, is a testimony to its timelessness."

In use, the VTMP-2B really did deliver in my studio, and is as close as anything gets to my prized Hamptone and Pendulum preamps, while delivering its own flavor. The classic tube circuit design works like it should, presenting clear tones, lots of depth, and a level of detail you honestly don't find in every preamp out there. When I think of this kind of detail, it's similar to the way tape decks work. A deck with an average playback head and electronics has a limit to what it can pull from a prerecorded piece of tape. Small details get obscured on a system like that, and it's not just frequency range or transient dynamics that are affected (though these sometimes get masked as well), but the overall quality of the tape reproduction is compromised. When the same tape is played on a higher-quality deck, with a better head and electronics, there will be more information pulled off the tape. Mic preamps act like this as well, and a quality preamp will pull details out of a mic that an inferior preamp might be masking. It's a simple fact of life, and I've spent over 20 years immersed in this quest. The VTMP-2B is a tool that will help you get more out of your current mics, and at a fair price. Don't ignore it just because it's been around so long, or because the faceplate isn't glamorous, or because Demeter lags on their pro audio marketing. You'll be making a mistake.