Advice on Signal Chain Upgrade

[j-xile]

I am getting a good amount of money back from taxes and am going to be upgrading my signal chain. I am making Rap/Hip Hop Music and I am looking for the highest quality I can afford. Here (was) my plan:

Mic - Neumann U87 - $4300 for Used U87/737 Package on eBay
Preamp - Avalon VT737 SP - $4300 for Used U87/737 Package on eBay
A/D D/A Converter - Rosetta 200/800 -or- ? - ~$1500
-----
~$6000 Total Budget

I was pretty set on the Mic and Pre I want but after discussing the U87/737 combo on Studio-Central I was told to go with something like the Shure SM7b or Electro-Voice RE20 for aggressive vocals over the U87, and instead of the 737 to get the Avalon M5 or the Grace m101, True P-solo. They also said that my monitor setup wasn't good enough for my planned upgrade, which frustrates me because it was HIGHLY recommended there in polls (best speaker pair over 1k) and I dropped $1600 on it not planning on upgrading again a year later. As far as AD/DA Converters I am intrigued by Apogee 800 as I know it's compatible with my Digi 003 Console. I trust the guys over there (and think they roam here as well), but would like to get your opinions as well, especially since this forum specializes in rap/hip-hop production. I don't want to blow my money on something I will have to upgrade later. I have about $6000 to spend on my signal chain and would prefer to spend it on that instead of new monitors. My room is mostly treated (bought GIK Room Package #3 but need another Tri-Trap or two), so I'm pretty good there. Thanks for any advice on this huge upgrade for my signal chain!

=====

Current Rig for Reference:

Signal Chain:
Mic 1 - Audio Technica AT 4040
Mic 2 - Shure SM58
Preamp - FMR RNP
Interface (AD/DA) - Digi 003 Console
Monitors - 2x KRK VXT8's
Sub - 1x KRK 10s
Headphones 1 - Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
Headphones 2 - Monster Beats by Dr. Dre Studio HD (Black)

DAW:
Processor - Intel I7 2600k Quad Core 3.4 GHZ
CPU Cooling - Zalman CNPS9900ALED 120mm 2 Ball Low-noise
Motherboard - MSI P67A-GD55
Graphics - MSI N460GTX 1GB GDDR5
RAM - 2x Corsair Vengeance 4GB DDR3 1866 (8GB Total)
System HD - Kingston SSDNow V+ Series 128GB SSD
Storage HD1 - Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB 7200 RPM HD
Storage HD2 - Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 7200 RPM HD
Case - Antec P183
PSU - Antec CP-1000 1000w Continuous
Monitor - Samsung 226BW 22"

Software:
OS - Windows 7 64 Bit (Windows Experience Rating = 7.0)
DAW Software - Pro Tools 9

MIDI Gear:
Groove Production - Native Instruments Maschine
MIDI Controller - M-Audio Axiom 49
Drum Pad - M-Audio Trigger Finger

Other Gear:
Rocktron Banshee 2 Talk Box

---------- Post added 02-01-2012 at 10:48 AM ---------- Previous post was 01-29-2012 at 02:45 PM ----------

Bump!

Leaning towards this now:

Sony c800g -> BAE 1073 (with EQ) -or- 737 -> Rosetta 800 -or- ???

Gear I am interested in (in order of interest):

Mics (used): Sony c800g, Neumann U87ai
Mics (new): Shure SM7b, Electro-Voice RE-20
Preamps (used): Avalon VT 737sp, BAE 1073+EQ, Avalon M5, Great River MP-2NV, API A2D
Preamps (new): Grace 101, True P-Solo
Converters (used): Apogee Rosetta 800/200, Lynx Aurora
Monitors (used): Genelec 1031a, Adam S3A, DynAudio BM15's

Most of this gear was recommended to me by others, but I'm still leaning towards the U87/737/800 chain.

[ultra auris]

damn thats a lot back, too bad Im on the other end of taxes...
seems to me that a c800 is kind of crazy. They are nice and all but that takes all your budget and without a really nice room with pro treatment is a waste imo.

I am getting a good amount of money back from taxes and am going to be upgrading my signal chain. I am making Rap/Hip Hop Music and I am looking for the highest quality I can afford. Here (was) my plan:



Leaning towards this now:

Sony c800g -> BAE 1073 (with EQ) -or- 737 -> Rosetta 800 -or- ???

Gear I am interested in (in order of interest):

Mics (used): Sony c800g, Neumann U87ai
Mics (new): Shure SM7b, Electro-Voice RE-20
Preamps (used): Avalon VT 737sp, BAE 1073+EQ, Avalon M5, Great River MP-2NV, API A2D
Preamps (new): Grace 101, True P-Solo
Converters (used): Apogee Rosetta 800/200, Lynx Aurora
Monitors (used): Genelec 1031a, Adam S3A, DynAudio BM15's

Most of this gear was recommended to me by others, but I'm still leaning towards the U87/737/800 chain.

[j-xile]

Bought a house last year so we get money back from that, and now my sister is looking to invest in me as well so I have some money to play around with. I do have a treated room, though it's not 100% treated, and not professionally. I need a few more Tri Traps and maybe some diffusers and it will be good. My room is pretty big (~30x'15') and haven't had any issues so far with acoustics. I want the highest quality possible for my application, and the 800 is the preferred mic of Dre/Em and plenty of others. I almost have to do it.

Leaning towards this:

c-800g -> BAE 1023 -> Rosetta 800 or better.

Thoughts?

[ultra auris]

I see. well thats a good signal chain. BAE makes nice stuff. Apogee is the standard in converters. I personally dont really like c800s so I would choose something else like a u47 or a wunder, but we are talking personal prefs. I would go check one out at a studio first and see if its for you and your applications since they aint cheap. I wouldnt pick a mic based on what dre likes, pick it on what you like and need.

[CPhoenix]

Unfortunately I don't own any high end gear, so my recommendations are limited. But I have a gear list based on my research.

Have you taken a look at Bock Audio 195 mic? It's said to be a U87 clone, that delivers EXCEPTIONAL results. Some people like it better than the U87. It's on my 5 year gear list.