WARM AUDIO WA73-EQ
Préamplificateur mono canal type "britannique", classe A, avec EQ, inspiré par le célèbre 1073
Présentation
S’il existe un préampli EQ encensé par les ingénieurs du son et qui définit le son pop/rock des 50 dernières années, c’est le 1073. Il a été massivement utilisé sur scène et en studio pendant des dizaines d’année et est aujourd’hui considéré comme mythique. La série Warm Audio WA73 propose la réincarnation de ce préampli British classique déclinée dans quatre versions avec un ou deux canaux, avec ou sans EQ, qui rend hommage au circuit original.
Points forts
- Assemblé et câblé à la main avec des composants discrets
- Transformateur Carnhill fait en Angleterre
- Potentiomètre/Commutateur concentrique Blore Edwards fait en Angleterre
- 80 dB de gain, réglable par commutateur rotatif
- Interrupteur Tone, modifie l’impédance d’entrée du transformateur (300 ou 1200 Ohms)
- Interrupteur de polarité
- Interrupteur pour l’alimentation phantom 48V
- EQ 3 bandes à inductance
- Basse boost/cut : 35, 60, 110, 220 Hz
- Medium boost/cut : 360, 700, 1600, 3200, 4800, 7200 Hz
- Aigue boost/cut : 10, 12, 16 kHz (fréquences additionnelles comparées au 1073 Vintage)
- Filtre passe haut à inductance commutable 4 positions (50, 80, 160, 300 Hz)
- Entrée micro XLR (à l’arrière et en facade)
- Entrée ligne en jack 6,35 mm symétrique
- Insert Send et Receive en jack 6,35 mm asymétrique
- Entrée instrument (DI) en facade
- Contrôle du niveau de sortie
- Indicateur à LED du niveau
- Réponse en fréquence 20 Hz - 20 kHz (+/- 0,5 dB)
- Rackable 19”
- Interrupteur Ground Lift
- Alimentation interne 115V/230V
If there’s one style of preamp that professional engineers would unanimously agree has defined the tone of pop/rock records for decades, it would most definitely be the venerable '73-style of mic pre. '73-style preamps have been massively used in recording and live applications for many years and are still considered to be the “Holy Grail” of preamp choices today. The Warm Audio “WA73 Family” consists of single and dual channel '73-style preamps (with & w/out EQ), that each pay careful homage to British audio history.
When we at Warm Audio decided to release the WA73-EQ it was imperative that it met vintage expectation in both design and performance. The tone and sweet character that vintage '73-style mic preamps impart is so unique and familiar, that we had only the pure desire to release sonically accurate reproductions. After years of R&D, intense research and countless hours of auditioning, the WA73-EQ was born!
The WA73-EQ is a “Desert Island” boutique preamp, but it can also be classified as a studio and live work-horse. Classic '73-style preamps are known for being versatile tools that work with all kinds of microphones from Condenser, to Dynamic, to Ribbon. The WA73-EQ equally shines on all types of microphones and sources including; vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, bass, drums, percussion, orchestras, keyboards, and even as a tone shaping tool to run partial or complete mixes through. With 80dB of gain and a fully discrete Carnhill Transformer balanced signal path, there’s no recording, mixing or engineering task that the WA73-EQ can’t handle.
UK Custom Carnhill Transformers
Enthusiasts unequivocally get excited about the components used in classic '73-style British preamps. The signal transformers are a common topic of conversation. Vintage units used various versions of transformers throughout the years, but the most coveted were the earliest versions. These are regarded as the most desirable choice due to their fluid and forgiving nature. They saturate sweetly when pushed, and have been known to make engineers cry when they hear how beautiful their mixes sound through them!
Warm Audio worked closely with Carnhill Transformers of Cambridgeshire, UK, to design faithful reproductions of these most coveted, early version transformers. We at Warm Audio have not yet heard a modern day '73-style preamp sound as sweet and musical as does our WA73-EQ with these beautiful custom Transformers.
Capacitors & Signal Path
An important part of the classic British circuits not often discussed are the different styles of capacitors and output transistor used. We found it important to maintain integrity to the original design by using tantalum and polystyrene capacitors in the signal path and an output transistor choice that is much smoother in the high gain settings than what is typically found in modern '73-style reproductions.
UK Blore Edwards Switch-Pots
A great sounding '73-style circuit should be just as reliable as it is great sounding. The complex dual concentric switch potentiometers in the EQ sections of the WA73-EQ are made in the UK by Blore Edwards who manufacture military spec switches and potentiometers. The use of Blore-Edwards components is no small inclusion for a '73-style preamp-eq in this price range.
Hand Wired & Hand Assembled
Classic '73-style preamps were often hand-wired and so is the WA73-EQ! Guru’s claim that a portion of the sought after classic British tone can be attributed to the hand-wired nature of the build. The WA73-EQ is hand-wired and hand assembled, including the pcb components that are all populated by hand.
Technical Specifications
Résumé | Préamplificateur mono canal type "britannique", classe A, avec EQ, inspiré par le célèbre 1073 |
---|---|
Garantie (Mois) | 24 |
Connectique analogique | Jack 6.35, XLR 3 points |