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True tube preamp with unique tone switches offers boutique performance at an affordable price.
There
aren't many companies that can design and build one preamp that engineers and producers feel that they could make an entire
record with. A-Designs Audio has built two. The all-tube MP-1A and the solid-state Pacifica, but we're here to talk about
the MP-1A (you can check out the Pacifica later). With A Designs Audio's MP-1A, not only do you get a never-ending sweetspot
and sonic majesty, it also gets top marks in "works and plays well with others." Meaning, while some preamps are picky when
it comes to mics, the MP-1A welcomes all — and sounds great no matter what you put through it — ribbon, dynamic,
or condenser. Better still, while the MP-1A falls squarely into the realm of "color" preamp, it never overwhelms a track with
too much character. If you've been searching for an all-tube preamp with a rich bottom end, sweet and airy top end and enough
tonal versatility to record all of your tracks without over-colorization at mixdown, think A designs Audio MP-1A.
A
Designs Audio MP-1A, First Take:
- True tube in, tube out mono mic preamp
- World-class custom-wound
transformers
- Two "tone" switches, give you four unique tone signatures.
- Audiophile quality and components
and a price below comparable boutique preamps
True tube mic preamp
The MP-1A is a classic
1-channel tube mic pre based on the celebrated MP-1. It offers the same true tube in / tube out design, plus the same quality
that made the original MP-1 and MP-2 the buzz of the professional audio industry. New features include a -20 db pad switch,
two selectable tone switches for four possible tones, plus 60db of gain (perfect for next generation ribbon mics) Classic
features include a world-class Cinemag input transformer coupled with a custom wound output transformer, delivering the low
noise and top quality sound that you demand from a high-end, high-priced mic-pre. Additional features include a balanced combo
XLR/1/4 inch input, a true VU meter, phantom power and phase reverse switches, and a front panel line level input jack.
Custom
transformers, the key to punchy sound and quiet operation
A lot of preamp builders believe that transformers
are things to be avoided, but in reality, they're responsible for the sound we prefer in rock/pop music. The trick is finding
good ones. Bad transformers can ring or decimate the upper frequency range, but when a transformer is properly designed and
built, such as those by Cinemag (who's lineage includes making transformers for the top consoles in recording history) they
are a thing of beauty, delivering a full, punchy sound like no other. Plus, thanks to the superior electronic isolation of
transformers, noise and hum is reduced. That's why you can overdrive an MP-1A and get rich, milky distortion without the extra
noise. The transformers you find in A Designs Audio's preasmps are hand- and "ear-" built by Tom Reichenbach of Cinemag. Tom
is the son of the designer of the legendary Quad Eight consoles, whose sound rivaled Neve and API consoles at one-tenth the
price.
Tonal Versatility
With a lot of preamps, you'll find that they tend to have only one
setting where you hear the magic. Move past it, and the magic is gone. The problem is that you can't always run it at that
setting based on the strength (or lack of) of your input source. Then you have the A Designs Audio MP-1A all-tube, mono preamp.
Thanks to its fixed-gain amplifier design (with input attenuator), you get consistent behavior whether the preamp is turned
up or down. Add to this the fact that you have 2 "tone" switches that give you a palette of four unique, world-class sonic
flavors, and you'll understand why we say you could make an entire record with just this one preamp.
Audiophile
quality and sound made affordable.
Built to audiophile-quality standards with a price tag well below other
boutique preamps in the same class, the MP-1A is a true tube preamp with no solid state components in the signal path. The
MP-1A relies solely on tubes, film capacitors, and custom transformers. To maintain the integrity and purity of its sonic
signature, bells and whistles are kept to a minimum. This serves two purposes. First, the more switches in the circuit path,
the more sound quality can be negatively affected. Second, by keeping only necessary features, costs are kept down—and
your money goes where it really counts—sound quality.
With the A Designs MP-1A has obviously succeeded in their
mission "Pro audio made affordable." Here's what users are saying about the MP-1A:
"A welcome addition to the ranks
of top-quality mic pres "
"Stunning sound quality with serious bass response and a warm, airy top end typical of great
tube mic pres."
"Mr. Clean, with some bite...Comes through with warmth and transparency...a clean and airy high end"
To sum it all up, The MP-1A is a professional class preamp for use on a variety of sources that delivers warmth, transparency,
and a quality sound with a clean and airy high end like only a high quality all-tube pre-amp can.
A-Designs MP-1A Mono Tube Microphone Preamplifier Specifications:
- Input Impedance: 1.4k Ohm
- Gain Range: 60 dB
- Noise
(EIN): -128 dB
- Mic Phantom Power: 48 Volt, Switchable
- Mic Input Phase: 0-180 Switchable
- Instrument Jack Input: rear XLR / front 1/4"
- Input Impedance: Min > 100k Ohm
- Balanced
Output: XLR
- Output Impedance: 600 Ohm Switchable to 10k
- Maximum Level: +22 dBu
- Output: Low-Z, transformer-balanced
- Frequency Response: 28 Hz - 60k Hz
- Distortion
(THD): > .08 @ 1 Khz
- Power Requirements: 100/120/230 VAC - 42 Watts
- Dimensions (W x
H x D): 19" x 3.5" x 10" (482 x 89 x 254 mm)
- Weight: 18 lbs.(6.8 kg)
- Shipping Weight:
20 lbs (7.7 kg)
A-Designs MP-1A Mono Tube Microphone Preamplifier
Features:
- EF86 Input Tubes
- 6N1P Output Tubes
- Cinemag Input Transformers
- Custom Wound Output Transformers
- VU Meters
- Level Controls
- -20dB Pad Switch
- Polarity Switch
- Phase
Switch
- Two Selectable Tone Switches
- Custom Milled Face Plate
- Solid
Vented Metal Frame
- 2UR
- Toroid Power Transformer
- XLR Input Connectors
- XLR Output Connectors
- 1/4 Inch Direct Injects
- High Gain (60 dB)
The MP-1A brings the warmth and richness of analog to your recordings while maintaining a crystal
clear spectrum of sound. Order yours now and feel the love.
Customers who shopped for the A-Designs MP-1A Mono Tube Microphone Preamplifier
ultimately bought:
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