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Model 2485

Manual

GoldMike Mk 2

Dual-channel microphone and instrument preamplifier

48 

V

Clip

Limit

AD OVL

2

So

und

Pe r f ormance L

ab

V U

7 5 3 1 0

3 5

0

30

50 70

%

20

10

100

GoldMike

Mark  2

 Model

2485

Dual Channel

Microphone,

Line &

Instrument

Preamplifier

-26

6

-10

-12

-14

-18

-16

-20

-22

-24

-25

-9 -8

-6

-5

-2.5

0

2

3.5

5

5.5

dB

Off

-

20

PAD

PHANTOM

Nor.

PHASE

Rev.

50

HI PASS

Off

18

LIMITER

0

VU CAL

-10

Off

Off

FLAIR

Med

14

24

22

21

19

20

18

17

16

15

27 29

32

35

38

41

44

49

54

60

66

dB

12

6

TUBE AMP

18

Off

48 V

High

Gain

Output

Gain

Output

d

B

d

B

d

B

d

B

Hz

Discrete

Class A

Preamplifier

Stage

On

Off

Mic

Instr.

Line

SOURCE

INSERT

INSTR.

12

-26

6

-10

-12

-14

-18

-16

-20

-22

-24

-25

-9 -8

-6

-5

-2.5

0

2

3.5

5

5.5

dB

Off

-

20

PAD

PHANTOM

Nor.

PHASE

Rev.

50

HI PASS

Off

18

LIMITER

0

VU CAL

-10

Off

Off

FLAIR

Med

14

24

22

21

19

20

18

17

16

15

27 29

32

35

38

41

44

49

54

60

66

dB

12

6

TUBE AMP

18

Off

48 V

High

d

B

d

B

d

B

d

B

Hz

48 

V

Clip

Limit

AD OVL

1

So

und

Pe r f ormance L

ab

V U

7 5 3 1 0

3 5

0

30

50 70

%

20

10

100

On

Off

Mic

Instr.

Line

SOURCE

INSERT

INSTR.

12

Power

Summary of Contents for GOLDMIKE MK2 2485

Page 1: ...22 21 19 20 18 17 16 15 27 29 32 35 38 41 44 49 54 60 66 dB 12 6 TUBE AMP 18 Off 48V High Gain Output Gain Output dB dB dB dB Hz Discrete Class A Preamplifier Stage On Off Mic Instr Line SOURCE INSERT INSTR 12 26 6 10 12 14 18 16 20 22 24 25 9 8 6 5 2 5 0 2 3 5 5 5 5 dB Off 20 PAD PHANTOM Nor PHASE Rev 50 HI PASS Off 18 LIMITER 0 VU CAL 10 Off Off FLAIR Med 14 24 22 21 19 20 18 17 16 15 27 29 32 3...

Page 2: ...continuously strives to improve its products and reserves the right to modify the product described in this manual at any time without prior notice This document is the property of SPL and may not be copied or repro duced in any manner in part or fully without prior authorization by SPL SPL electronics GmbH Sohlweg 55 41372 Niederkruechten Germany Tel 49 0 2163 983 40 Fax 49 0 2163 983 420 Email i...

Page 3: ...ower Gain About Gain Adjustments 10 Output Phantom 11 Phase Pad Hi Pass 12 Flair Tube Amp About Tube Amping 13 Limiter 15 VU Cal Source Display VU Meter 16 48V LED Clip LED Limit LED AD OVL LED 17 Technology 18 Solid State and Tube Stages Output Stages 18 Instrument Input Relays Foil Condensers 19 Power Supply 20 Options A D Converter and Lundahl Transformers 21 Specifications Dimensions Weight 23...

Page 4: ...ind any IC s in this preamplifier stage because they cannot be optimized for this specific application to the degree we aimed for This all new discrete class A transistor stage is a genuine innovation in the entire preamplifier market at this price level The degree of tube pre amplification is no longer the fixed 6 dB value of its predecessor The GoldMikeMK2 sports the selec tion of three differen...

Page 5: ... so that you can easily reach it but there are other considerations Try not to place it near heat sources or in direct sunlight and avoid expo sure to excessive vibrations dust heat cold or moisture It should also be kept away from transformers motors power amplifiers and digital processors In addition please Do not open the case You may risk very dangerous electric shock and damage to your equipm...

Page 6: ...l Operation XLR TRS Jack Balanced 4 dB INSERT 2 INSERT 2 SEND OUTPUTS 2 OUTPUTS 2 VOLTAGE VOLTAGE 220 240 V 50 Hz 315 mA slow 110 120 V 60 Hz 630 mA slow MIC INPUT 1 MIC INPUT 1 LINE IN 1 LINE IN 1 GND LIFT GND LIFT INSERT 1 INSERT 1 OUTPUTS 1 OUTPUTS 1 FUSE RATING AVIS RISQUE DE CHOC ÉLECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN C AU T I O N SPL electronics GmbH Niederkrüchten Germa...

Page 7: ...back so that it corresponds with your local power conditions The following graph shows the correct wiring for connecting unbalanced signals to the balanced XLR connectors The Line Input connector is designed for unbalanced signals only The TRS output connectors see Outputs on page 9 can be operated both with balanced and unbalanced wiring Simply use a mono 1 4 plug for unbalanced operation Rear Pa...

Page 8: ...e Instrument Input on the front panel The max input level of the Line Inputs is 23dB IMPORTANT The Line Input is deactivated as long as an instru ment is plugged into Instrument Input jack on the front We recommend connecting the Line Input to a patchbay if sources need to be changed regularly Inserts 1 2 The balanced TRS Insert connectors Send and Return are used to integrate further units EQs Co...

Page 9: ...an be activated to eliminate ground loop humming which may occur if the GoldMike MK2 is connected to units with a different ground potential The switch should normally be in the GND position to main tain the shielding effect of the metal housing for internal GoldMikeMK2 electronics Instr Input 1 2 The Instrument input jack is placed on the front panel for easy access It should be used to connect i...

Page 10: ... The VU Cal switch should be set to 0dB Note The VU displays the pre amplification not the output level Now turn up the Gain control until the VU shows values between 0dB and 3dB There is still enough headroom to prevent clip ping at varying input levels Note that the VUs show average levels instead of peak levels which can be up to 10dB higher Thus in recording high level signals such as snare an...

Page 11: ...h balanced ground free outputs including tube microphones can be used with the phantom power activated Phantom power should only be activated when using microphones that require it Please be sure to deactivate phantom power with all other microphones Unbalanced microphones may only be used with phantom power deactivated PLEASE ALWAYS FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS TO ACTIVATE AND DEACTIVATE PHANTOM POW...

Page 12: ...0dB High level input signals can be attenuated in order to prevent overdriving the preamplifier The GoldMikeMK2 has a minimum pre amplifica tion of 14dB But with miked signals such as drums and brass or high level line input signals this may already be too much Engaging Pad attenuates the minimum pre amplification Gain control fully counter clockwise to 6dB thus providing a useful Gain control ran...

Page 13: ...both time and a need for artificial processing Flairworksthroughanemphasisinthe1 5 20kHzrangecentered around 6kHz The GoldMikeMK2 provides for two different settings with a High setting of 2 5dB and a Med with 1 5dB emphasis An Off setting allows you to deactivate the Flair circuit entirely Tube Amp The Tube Amp switch varies the degree of tube pre amplifica tion added to the discrete class A pre ...

Page 14: ...esired try a 12dB setting with the Gain control also set to moderate pre amplification For a more dramatic tube sound the Tube Amp switch should be set to 18dB This results in a very audible saturation and harmonic distortion The intensity can then be fine tuned with the Gain control The more gain the more phatt Tube limiting controls peaks in a musically advantageous fashion and can be used to co...

Page 15: ...peak limiter will be audible as distortion an effect quite similar to overdriving the preamplifier In order to avoid irritations please monitor the Clip LED If the Clip LED is not illuminating the distortion is coming from the peak limiter In that case reduce the Threshold value There are two threshold values to choose from 12dB and 18dB Limiting is less when selecting the 18dB threshold and inten...

Page 16: ...can choose the Line input as source as long as the Instrument Input is not being used If you engage this switch first after powering up the unit there can be a noticeable pop due to the discharge of residual current This is normal and no cause for concern Central Display The display consists of all status LEDs and the VU meter so that all important information can be viewed without distraction Dis...

Page 17: ...old can be set to 12 or 18dBu and for optimal operation should only illuminate in very short intervals If the LED is illumi nating too often even at the 18dB position you must reduce the Gain value and possibly afterwards further adjust the output level to achieve unobtrusive results unless of course you really want this effect also see the chapter Limiter on page 15 Display AD OVL LED This LED is...

Page 18: ...cts these are replaced by servo circuits operating outside of the audio signal paths An op amp subsequently converts the instrument amplifier s output signal into an unbalanced one which is then fed to the tube Here an additional 6dB tube amplification is added switchable to 12 and 18dB with the Tube Amp function The tube type a Sovtek 12 AX7 LPS was also selected after extensive measurements and ...

Page 19: ...ensure the shortest possible signal paths nearly all switchingfunctionsarehandledbyoptimallypositioned encap sulated relays with gold plated contacts the switches them selves only trigger the relays Since resistors also greatly affect audio quality the entire audio signal path utilizes painstakingly selected resistors with 0 1 tolerance Foil condensers The op amp circuits use premium FKP foil cond...

Page 20: ...ges each of which is separately screened and regulated 250 V anode current for the tube 48V for phantom power and 2 x 15V for the audio signal path Critical currents are stabilized via a 100 nF MKP foil condenser to ensure sufficient current for even the shortest impulses The transformer is encompassed by double shielding to keep magnetic stray fields to an absolute minimum An AC power cord is inc...

Page 21: ...rates can be selected see below Highly accurate quartz oscillators ensure a clean low jitter master clock Sample Rate The 24 96 AD converter module allows you to select among the four most common sample rates of 44 1 48 88 2 and 96 kHz Using the 44 1 48 button select one of the two basic sample rates out 44 1 kHz in 48 kHz The x2 button doubles these sample rates to select 88 2 or 96 kHz respectiv...

Page 22: ...hen an external clock signal is present If the sync signal is no longer present e g in the case of a dropout the converter automatically reverts to the sample rate selected via the converter s control switches Lundahl Transformers Transformers have characteristics usually associated with other analog components like tubes or coils they sound warmer and punchier especially in the bass and mid area ...

Page 23: ...Bu 40dB 86 6dBu 50dB 78 7dBu 60dB 69 3dBu Dynamic range 30dB Gain 110dB E I N 128dBu Max Input level Mikrophone XLR 7dBu Mikrophone XLR PAD 28dBu Line In TRS connector 23dBu Instr In TRS connector 7dBu Instr In TRS connector PAD 14dBu Max output level Balanced XLR TRS 26 8dBu Unbalanced XLR TRS 21 5dBu CMRR 1KHz Gain 30dB 75dB 10KHz Gain 30dB 75dB Power consumption 25W Dimensions B x H x T 482 x 8...

Page 24: ...24 GoldMike MK2 SPL products are guaranteed for a period of one year against faults in materials or workmanship Refer to your local supplier for full sales and guarantee terms Guarantee ...

Page 25: ...GoldMike MK2 25 Notes ...

Page 26: ...Manual GoldMike MK2 Model 2485 Rediscover Analog at soundperformancelab com ...

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