Rupert Neve Designs 5211 2-Channel Mic Pre 2-Channel Microphone Preamp with Highpass Filter and Silk Circuit

The 5211 from Rupert Neve Designs is a Two Channel Mic Preamp feature set that's been crafted and implemented to incorporate an intuitive flexibility that provides the right controls to manipulate a microphone input signal, thereby allowing the modern recording engineer to focus on the performance being captured. Simple and elegant, the 5211 is the natural evolution of what is one of the most famous gear in audio recording history: Rupert Neve’s microphone preamps. With two channels of the classic tone you know and love, 72dB of gain, sweepable high-pass filters for precise control, and the power of Mr. Rupert Neve’s dual-tap transformers with variable Silk saturation, the 5211 delivers a versatile, flattering, and uncompromising front end for any signal path.

In an effort to complement the 5211’s overall transparency and subtlety of tone, they've also included their SILK Red transformer harmonic stage with variable Texture control. This powerful feature set enables the engineer to easily dial in a wide range of 2nd and 3rd order harmonics that are otherwise difficult to achieve. Silk is a tonal option applied within the unit’s output stage that manipulates the signal’s harmonic content to create the sonic character associated with Rupert Neve’s vintage modules. By reducing negative feedback and saturating the output transformer while adjusting the frequency spectrum, Silk provides a sweet, musical enhancement of the input signal – and when the level is driven to the edge of its headroom, the Silk’s effect is multiplied.

Features

• MIC GAIN: A 12-way precision rotary switch controls gain from 0 to 66 dB in 6 dB steps.
• TRIM: Continuously variable +/-6 dB level control.
• SILK / TEXTURE:
  • Pushing the Silk button engages the red Silk circuit, which reduces the negative feedback on the output transformer, adding harmonic content as the texture is increased. Red Silk accentuates the saturation in the mid and high frequencies, similar to that of the red silk mode on the Shelford Channel. By manipulating the Texture control, the amount of Silk can be changed from essentially absent, to roughly 10 times the amount of coloration / distortion found in Silk from the original Portico Series. With Silk / Texture engaged, the distortion characteristic and harmonic content of the unit are very reminiscent of many of Rupert’s vintage class-A designs.
• Level Meter: An eight-segment LED bar-graph meter displays output level (pre-Silk). from -30 dBu to +22 dBu.
• Polarity: Reverses the polarity of the input signal.
• High Pass Filter: Continuously variable from 20Hz to 250 Hz, and engaged with the HPF button.
• Phantom Power: Provides 48V phantom power to microphones.
• -6dB Output: A secondary split off the output transformer with a lower headroom, designed to allow engineers to fully drive the output of the 5211 without clipping converters and other devices.

Specifications

• Input Impedance: 8900 Ohms
• Maximum Input Level (at 1kHz): +26 dBu
• Noise:
  • Un-weighted, 22Hz-22kHz, 150 Ohm input termination
  • Line Out (Unity Gain): -104 dBV, -101.9 dBu
  • -6dB Line Out (Unity Gain): -109 dBV, -107 dBu
  • Line Out (+30dB Gain): -98 dBV, -96 dBu
  • Line Out (+66dB Gain): -66 dBV, -64 dBu
  • Equivalent Input Noise (EIN): -128 dBV, -126 dBu
• Frequency Response: -0.2 dB at 10Hz, -2.9 dB at 120kHz
• Maximum Output Level:
  • 1kHz: +26.5 dBu
  • 20Hz to 30kHz: +26 dBu
  • Total Harmonic Distortion and Noise:
  • 1kHz, +20dBu O/P level, no load: 0.0015%, typical
  • 20Hz, +20dBu O/P level, no load: less than 0.02%, typical
• Total Harmonic Distortion and Noise with SILK Engaged:
  • TEXTURE fully CCW, 100Hz, +20dBu O/P level, no load: 0.03%, mostly 3rd harmonic
  • TEXTURE fully CW, 100Hz, +20dBu O/P level, no load: 1.5%, mostly 2nd harmonic
• Power Consumption: 35 W (Max)