ART DPS

The Art DPS is very easy to use. The V3 voicing knob gives you a lot of tonal flexibility. The output knob gives you clean gain. The gain knob give your low mids a boost.

I use this for Keyboards and Vocals. The warm settings and OPL settings are a little noisier. The neutral settings are quiet. The A/D coverters are very good

Very dependable. I've had it about two years.

I have not needed the customer support so I cannot rate this category.

Overall, I will give the DPS a 9. I like the V3 voicing: you can set it for very clean sound by going through the inserts directly to the digital converters, and/or by setting the V3 to one of the neutral settings and cranking the output knob while leaving the gain knob all the way off. If you want a thicker, more colored tone, increase the gain knob and/or switch the V3 to one of the "warm" settings. The tonal variations of the DPS are almost limitless

This is the DPS II model. The presets make this unit very easy to use. I had it hooked up and running before I even unpacked the manual.

Very clear and very low noise. Some of the presets are not the best, but some are excellent.

I have never owned any ART equipment, but it seems very well made. All the controls operate smoothly

I play acoustic and folk music and needed a preamp for my guitar.
The ES system in my Taylor guitar has a low impedance, and this unit provides a very good match to my SWR amp input. The variable impedance control on the DPS II model is a nice addition, and proves great flexibility in it's uses. This preamp adds alot of warmth to the tone of my guitar.

Very easy to use, the layout of the front pannel is fine and I like the combo inputs.

I didn't find the sound quality very good, I expected better.I tested it against the prsonus TubePre with an Octava 319 and also with guitar direct to my Korg D1600 using the optical output and didn't even get the quality I get from my Behringer mixer. The digital channel two on my unit doesn't work but I'm sending it back anyway. I also tested it using the anolog outs and got the same results. The TubePre only has anolog out XLR & TRS. As far as sound quality goes I feel the presonus Tubepre has a much better sound. It was night and day.

My unit came defective on the digital channel two but this doesn't mean this modle is unreliable. You can spend hundres on something and it can be defective just like a car etc. I don't know if others have had alot of problems with this model. You'll always find a lemon here or there.

I'm sending mine back for a refund so I won't know how customer support is.

I write and record my own music and have a pretty decent setup at home. I do it as a hobby now. I've been playing music since I was ten years old and am now 47. I wish this unit had a good sound because I really wanted the features it has even though I am disapointed that the optical input can only be used for ADAT I would still be able to use the optical out, the optical in/out was one of the features I bought it for. I am no expert on preamps and rely on my ears to tell the truth and to be fare I supose it boils down to what your using it for. It may be great for computer recording for example. I am commenting on this unit because there is a big difference in sound quality compared to the Presonus TubePre. Again to be fare, mybe the Tubepre just has more power and less features. The levels I got with the Tubepre are very substancial compared to the DPS and I just liked the sound I got from the tubepre. The features on the DSP are a great value if your looking for features but in my opinion I didn't get a great sound, at least the sound I am looking for. I rate this unit a 10 for features and a 6 for sound quality. For the money you can't expect everything.

Voicing knob is great for home studio users who don`t have (or want) thier sound running through a bunch of eq.

I use it directly out of the s/pdif and into the soundcard with an Alesis compressor in the insert. It has onboard limitng, I just find using a full-featured compressor more flexible. Since I`d been using this insted of my breakout box pre`s, my demos definatly have a warmer, less harsh, and pro-quality sound. They`ve definatly lost that "recorded at home sound". The voicing knob makes it sound like you really "know" how to eq your insturments.

It`s always worked, but I`ve never left the house with it.

did not need yet

This one is a keeper. The selectable sample rate (to 96) ensures this is going to be useful for a long time (since most of us still record at 44.1) A must-have for anyone with a digital soundcard. When I first went to buy one, the store was out and the closest thing that was anything like this was about $4,000. Converters are the best I`ve had (and I`ve had some bad ones). It`s a bargain for what it does.

Note to previous poster: Internal sample rates are internally selectable at 44.1KHz, 48KHz, 88.2KHz, 96KHz.

Very easy to use.
The manual is double sized paper that was stapled down the center and folded in half. Mine was folded crooked...a whole lot crooked.
Large font, no diagrams. Not worthless but not very professional. I believe A.R.T. skimped on the manual, so they could make a better product. I mean, it's a preamp, how complex could it be?

***First, here's something I didn't find out untill after I purchased it, and was not mentioned in any of the literature I read online. It does have ADAT connectivity, *BUT* it only communicates at 48Khz. This was a little bit of a downer 'cause I wanted to send it into the inputs on a MOTU 2408. I ended up using the SPDIF instead 'cause I usually record at 44.1khz.
There are presets to add warmth based on the input source; vocal, bass, guitar, etc. They all sound like different EQ to me, but my opinion may change after I've used it for a while. I ended up just using the flat (by-pass) setting.
I'm using Mackie HR824's and TOA me265s to listen to output.
My unit is very quiet.

The unit is relatively heavy for its size and appears to be very well constructed. The knobs move smoothly and the buttons feel solid and work decisively. Only had it one day - so far, no problems.

Haven't called them.

Well it's not a $1,000.00 per channel device. Infact, it's basically $100.00 per channel. On the other had you get a lot of bang for your buck. I like the dual front panel analog inputs (XLR/1/4 inch Combo), which are duplicated on the back as separate connectors. SPDIF, ADAT, TOS plus a wordclock input. Phantom powering, phase reverse (per channel), presets, analog meters, limiting circuitry.
Buy a Manley if you need super pristine quality. Buy this unit if you need all the features I've mentioned, 'cause this little baby is a bargain. One last thing, don't worry about messing up the black color scheme of your rack - it's PURPLE!!!