The Black Lion Audio B173 delivers the transformer-rich sound of those famous British studio consoles from the 1970s. Everything starts with the muscular, iron-hard sound of a Cinemag input transformer. Then you dial in the perfect level of saturation by tweaking the Gain and Output Level knobs. The B173 contains all the essentials, including a hi-Z input, phantom power, and polarity reverse. And your dynamic and ribbon microphones will appreciate the B173's ample 80dB of gain. We've found that the B173 provides the perfect combination of thickness and clarity. If you've been searching for a cost-effective way to achieve the coveted "British iron" sound, the B173 is right up your alley.
Front
- Power Flip switch up to turn preamp on (there's a 2–3 minute warm-up time for lowest distortion); flip switch down to turn preamp off
- Mic Gain (stepped, 12-position switch) Clockwise rotation yields an increase in input signal amplitude; counterclockwise rotation yields a decrease in input signal amplitude
- 48V Engage to turn phantom power on; disengage to turn phantom power off
- Phase (O) Engage to adjust input signal polarity by 180°; disengage to leave input signal polarity unchanged
- Output Level Clockwise rotation yields less attenuation, counterclockwise rotation yields more attenuation (for beginners, it's best to leave the output level fully clockwise and increase Mic Gain as needed so as not to saturate the input transformer)
- DI Engage to select front-panel TS jack as input source, disengage to select rear-panel XLR jack as input source
Back
- Output Balanced, line-level TRS output
- Input Balanced, mic-level XLR input
- GND Internal chassis ground
- Power 24VAC input jack (only use a BLA-specified power supply)
About Black Lion
Founded in Chicago in 2006, Black Lion Audio has made their mark on the audio industry by hot rodding audio equipment and upgrading the sound quality of popular music-production gear, elevating industry-standard products to new levels of sonic quality. Though they started off modding gear from other manufacturers, they've utilized their cumulative expertise to design their own line of boutique mic preamps and word clocks. BLA gear and modded gear can be found in studios from LA to New York to Nashville and heard on projects from artists like Maroon 5, Alison Krauss, Metallica, T-Pain, George Strait, MGMT, Beyonce, George Duke, Slayer, Erykah Badu, Rod Stewart, and more.
Features:
- 1-channel microphone preamp with classic British-style character
- Cinemag input transformer yields a muscular, iron-hard quality
- 80dB of gain is sufficient for your dynamic and ribbon mics
- hi-Z input for guitars, basses, and other high-impedance sources
- Phantom power to accommodate your condenser microphones
- Output attenuator allows you to drive the preamp into saturation
- Phase switch for correcting polarity issues