Rupert Neve Designs 5211 2-channel Microphone Preamp

The Natural Evolution of Rupert Neve’s Preamp Designs. Elegantly simple and astoundingly efficient, the Rupert Neve Designs 5211 is the inevitable development of what is probably the most famous audio hardware ever made: the Rupert Neve mic preamp. With two channels of that iconic tone, 72dB of gain, sweepable highpass filters for fine control, and the sonic power of Mr. Neve’s dual-tap output transformers with changeable Silk saturation, the 5211 serves as an uncompromising, euphonic, and adaptable front end for any signal route. Bottom line, the Rupert Neve Designs 5211 is all you could desire in a microphone preamp. A versatile “best of both worlds” design. Unlike the Shelford Channel’s vintage-style architecture, which includes a mic input transformer, the 5211 has a totally transformerless input stage that improves signal clarity directly from the microphone. When combined with the more extreme saturation from its variable Silk circuit and the special output transformer’s lower-headroom tap, the 5211 can create tones that range from warm and fat to astonishingly pure and crisp. Simply said, the Rupert Neve Designs 5211 combines the finest of old and modern. The transformerless input stage improves signal clarity. The 5211’s balanced mic input uses a Transformer-like Amplifier (TLA) method to record microphone signals as clean as feasible. With the 48-volt phantom power turned off, this input functions as an ultra-high-quality line input with an impedance of 9k ohms. Each channel has 72dB of low-noise, low-distortion gain, regulated by a 6 dB-stepped switch and a constantly changing ±6dB trim. The input may be further controlled with switchable polarity reverse, 48-volt phantom power, and a sweeping 20Hz-250Hz highpass filter, while the outputs can be controlled with Silk. Custom output transformers with variable silk saturation. Silk is a Rupert Neve Designs circuit that manipulates a signal’s harmonic content to provide a musical quality reminiscent of Rupert Neve’s classic console modules. Silk is a switchable, changeable tone option for the 5211’s output stage that eliminates negative feedback and saturates the output transformer, providing harmonic content while altering the frequency spectrum to give the input signal a beautiful, melodious feel. The Texture knob governs the intensity of the effect; when the level is pushed to the limit of its headroom, the effect is amplified. Rupert Neve Designs Rupert Neve is an audio icon whose circuitry inventions helped define the golden age of analog. Those of us who have had the opportunity to work on a vintage 8078 or its predecessors can attest to the fact that Neve’s 80 Series consoles were the pinnacle of handwired analog mixing desks. Mr. Neve has been at the vanguard of audio-circuit invention for almost 50 years, and his current firm, Rupert Neve Designs, continues to advance the state of the art with cutting-edge devices that sound amazing and intelligently solve the difficulties of the digital era. Rupert Neve Designs 5211 2-channel Mic Preamplifier Features:  Passive ribbon microphones with 72dB gain may capture quiet sound sources.  The transformerless input stage improves signal clarity.  Custom output transformers with adjustable silk saturation.  Highpass filter with continuous variable frequency range of 20Hz to 250Hz.  Provides 48-volt phantom power for microphones.  The level meter shows -30dBu to 22 dBu concerning the output.  Reverses the polarity of the input signal.  The rear-panel 6dB Line Out, a secondary split off the output transformer with lesser headroom, allows you to fully drive the 5211’s output without clipping converters or other devices.