Studiomaster 16-8-16 mixer question

Hi,
have any of you used the old Studiomaster mixers? I want to know if the pre's are any good.
One is for sale in my area and I am thinking it might be an interesting add on as a mic pre in between my Rode NT1A mic and my Roland VS2480 digital mixer.
I am not a preamp snob. However if this will not increase my gain or give me a nice sound color, I will not spend the $350.

Cheers,
Ian

i had an 8-channel one. i did not think it was anything special.

Hi,

If it is really old (like 80's) then steer clear, they are terrible, noisy desks with rough eq. They were pretty awful back then and will be much worse by now. Newer models I dont know. Much better to find a nice Soundcraft, Allen & Heath or Soundtracs 8-bus - there are a lot of used ones about and prices are just about as low as they will ever be for analogue desks right now.