The new version of the preamp will be available in about a week. Meanwhile we're going to put together some promo photos and audio samples. I spent a good amount of time yesterday working with it in the studio, taking notes of things I would want different with the sound and then bringing it back to the shop for modifications to the circuitry. I'm essentially working to balance the frequency response so that its as close to flat as I can possibly get it. I never went through this effort with the previous version. The original version sounded great to my ears, so I never spent the time tweaking each component to extreme perfection... till now. The Rev A has some interesting sonic differences from its predecessor. Most noticeably is the "air" in the top end that didn't exist with the original. Also, Rev A has punch! I can't recall ever hearing a vacuum tube mic preamp that I thought was punchy, but low and behold... the 1401 Rev A is definitely punchy. I've been doing a lot of A/B comparisons with the original and the Rev A is significantly richer sounding and far more tonally balanced. Just in terms of the frequency response - the original 1401 preamp had noticeably reduced highs, pronounced mids and round lows that weren't as pronounced as the mids. Rev A is almost perfectly flat in its response. The lows in the range of 75Hz-200hZ seem very slightly reduced... although it doesn't sound bad or off to me. I will be working to level out that range before the release, but overall I have to say this thing is a total monster. Rev A doesn't sound overly round, wooly or dull in any way, unlike the original. It sounds big, articulate, and punchy. People are going to be drooling over this thing once they hear it. Its a lot more sophisticated than its predecessor, the result of significant R&D. The 1401 Mic Preamp Rev A will be selling for just $100 more than its predecessor. $1899.99.
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About the AuthorMike Congilosi II, Owner/Designer/Electronics Engineer at Lightning Boy Audio and Owner/Audio Engineer/Music Producer at LBA Studios. Archives
November 2024
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