Condition:
A few scratches on the sides (see pics). It's in perfect working condition.
About:
This is unit 1 of 2. I'm selling two of these, as denoted by the sticky note in the pictures.
This might be my favorite mic pre, including the big names. Check out the ten preamp blind shootout my buddy and I did a while back (see below), and hear for yourself! The DI is so great on bass, might be worth owning just for that alone, but there is tons of gain available with so many ways to craft different tones for pretty much any source, including ribbons. Perhaps most importantly for me, there's just something special about the tone. I've talked to Andrew from Purple about it at length, but my non-tech-brain takeaway is that it has something to with Purple's "custom hexafilar nickel and steel output transformer", which is the same output transformer Purple uses in the Moiyn summing mixer and Action compressor. Bottom line: if I could own 16 of only one type of pre, this would be way up on my list.
From Purple:
A unique sounding, three amplifier, discrete microphone preamp module.
Designed to work in standard “500” racks.
The smooth Gain control helps you dial in the sound you want. If the output level is too high (the Class A/B output opamp can pump out up to +27 dBu), you can ride the level down with the separate Level control.
Pressing the “Dual” switch splits the gain between two of our Class A opamps, enabling up to 75 dBu of clean gain, making the Biz a perfect match for ribbon microphones.
With different Gain, Level, and Dual settings the Biz can produce an infinite variety of tonal variations with the same amount of output level. The front panel DI helps you record instruments and line level sources with unrivaled clarity and punch.
Two LEDs clearly indicate signal level for the gain and output stages at a glance, turning green to indicate signal present, yellow for 10dB below clipping, and red for clipping. The Biz uses two KDJ3 opamps and one KDJ4 opamp.
From TapeOp:
If you're going to start with one 500-series preamp (or pair), the Biz would top my list of recommendations. It sounds as good as any high-end preamp should, but compared to other modular preamps, the Biz's chameleon- like tonal flexibility makes it much more valuable for multitrack recording. Its build-quality is impeccable as are the reputations of Purple's Andrew Roberts and John Klett as designers and techs. And if you feel like tweaking the sound of the Biz further, each of its three opamp sockets will hold any standard discrete opamp, but there's also a DIP socket underneath each to accept any standard IC opamp instead!