That avalon pre sucks balls!
NO! It is the most overrated pre amp of all time. People get them because someone else has one. I mean I guess they are better than the pre's say in a mackie mixer. But they are no where near worth the price.
The ONLY two pre amps that really blew me away are
Vintech, Chandler
UA and API stuff also rocks. But I would NEVER EVER buy an avalon, even the build quality is a bit sketchy.
For rappers get a shure sm7 (not the sm57) or the sennheiser md421
Shure sm7b.
Yea, seems like we all like a really nice dynamic. Forgot to add the RE20 to the list. Shon is correct, that is a great mic.
@Sucio the KSm37 is a great mic, but it has such a sibilance problem it can be tricky! Have you used it on non rap vocals?