Note that Tim said 'I want clean 1/4" in/out mic pre'.
I didn't know anybody still used non-XLR mikes.
> LM386 is way to noisy to use as a Mic preamp
Is it?
No noise is specified. But the 50K input and particularly the internal currents are a lot like the preamps we used when 1/4" was still a common mike input, on tape-decks and non-Pro mixers.
I bet a good '386 has input noise voltage across the audio band near 1uV-2uV, a hair lower than most all-purpose opamps.
> need between 1000x and 10,000x Gain
A low-Z ribbon on a harpsichord into a might need 80dB gain. Using dynamics on live performers (often not loud) I was always fine with 2mV-5mV input sensitivity for peak level. Most "line" inputs are fine with 500mV-1,000mV. Gain of 200 (46dB) is often ample.
An awful lot of good music was recorded with preamps not as snazzy as the '386.
It IS about 1,000 times the "grunt" you need to swing 10K line inputs. But with '386 prices what they are, it isn't like it costs too much.
> I figured icould find out
Right. Just do it.
