FocusriteISA One Heritage mic pre with independent DI, variable impedance selector and independent headphone amp

I wasn't sure about this preamp initially. I give it a 5/5 for what it is, not to imply that it is one of the best out there.Pros (for me)- Good sound- Good headroom- Low distortion- Low noise- DI is good for bass and electric guitar- Balanced in/out- Useful VU meter- Useful send/return- Headphone monitoring- Notched Gain + Linear trimCons (for me)- Big and ugly- The space is spent on all-in-one kind of stuff. If you just want the preamp, get the 2 channel 1U rack.- I wish they made this unit in a full 1U rack unit with all the same inputs/outputs- No TRS output. XLR output onlyI use it for vocals, acoustic guitar, and electric bass. It handles everything very well. No complaints on pre-amp performance.This design may be useful to put in a sound booth if the performer wants to monitor themselves and the cue mix from the engineer. In a big studio they're likely to have all that hardware in the monitoring room, but for smaller studios and home studios, this could be a useful tool. For the monitoring room it's a big box that gets in the way. I'd much rather have a 1 or 2 channel full 1U rack version of this, but I do appreciate it as a standalone box for practicing DI instruments or testing mics.This is a step up from my other cheaper preamps. If you are on the SM7 bandwagon, then yes, it is powerful and clean enough for that mic. But don't think that "clean" means there is no amp his at all. At 50db Gain I measure an average (across the freq spectrum) noise level of -100dB RMS in my DAW. This is quite good.Make sure you use balanced inputs. You'll need a female XLR to male TRS to put the output of the preamp into the line input of your A/D converter. You can go straight XLR to your mic input, but you may get different sounds and distortion levels. Use line input if you can and make sure to adjust the gain on your input device to unity gain (different for every device and every pot).

Everything you need for crisp and clear vocals in a small box.

If you have a home studio, you should own this. If you have a professional studio, you should own this. This preamp is amazing, especially for the price. It is as clean as it gets, especially in this price range. I couldn’t hear any hum or hardware noise, this is the gear you want. The preamp was so loud and versatile that it picked up a conversation from outside, make sure your levels are right ;) Makes the vocals from my C-800G and U87 clear as day. I Love It!!!!

This is the first mic preamp I ever purchased and I'm completely blown away. For too many years I've been using audio interface pre's (with nice mics) and wondering why my tracks never sounded "full". This led me to create more tracks to try and manufacture that "fullness", which creates a muddier, less professional sound. I'm pissed that it took me so long to buy this thing, but I'm so glad I did. And yes, it does make the SM7B sound amazing and detailed. Complete game changer.

great pre amp, period!

The preamps have worked flawlessly, so I am happy. I also have the ISA one, which is a single box that is not normally rack mounted. The ISA one has a separate DI input and separate DI output so you could record a vocal and direct in guitar to 2 different tracks. The ISA one also has an optional digital output card that is easy to install and setup. Other than that , the ISA one and ISA two sound the same and you get 2 preamps in one unit. The ISA Two adds very little color to a performance. It adds a bit of warmth and punch but stays true to the mics I have used.

I have a been blown away by this mic pre. I have a few pre's in my studio and this has quickly become one of my favorites. Transparent, flexible with plenty of gain. Worth it!

This is an outstanding preamp and DI box, can provide some color to your sound and the features are awesome, this is the best pre I have owned so far, and now I know why so many engineers prefer Focusrite ISA pre's. One of the coolest uses I've found for this one is recording bass guitar through the DI.

Beautiful clean bottom end, tight, open sound. With the Lundhal transformer stepping up, mics take on a special character additionally shaped by impedence choices, this mic pre is a versatile unit loaded with additional features. Switchable mic, instrument and Line in on preamp. VU meter and LED peak meters are both included for accurate tracking and monitoring. Fully independent, full time DI with its own output jack and LED meter. Hi-lo Z choice, level control and peak LED. Switchable insert loop and cue monitor headphone amp, too. 48V switchable. Optional digital card gives you ADAT digital out, DANTE, Word Clock, SPDiF, AES. Hands down, the best in its price range and many others, as well. It just sounds really good.Liked it so much, I bought a second one!

Muy buen preamplificador

Clean sounding and does exactly what is says it does.

Prodotto di qualità superiore. Produce un suono limpidissimo ma niente affatto "digitale". E' un apparecchio analogico! Sul canale mic si può variare l'impedenza ottenedo così suoni diversi, "scaldandoli" o meno.Super-consigliato

Works fantastic and looks really professional. I'm not sure if it's the biggest improvement in my recording quality but I did notice improvement with some of my lesser favourite mics. i.e. I've found the the AT4033 a little harsh and it's much smoother through this PreAmp. I also noticed pretty big changes on my ART ribbon mic when trying out the different impedance settings. All in all it's great and I have it patched into my Presonus Firestudio Project at all times.