Fredenstein Magic Microphone Preamplifier
The MAGIC PRE microphone preamplifier's most obvious feature is the green glowing “magic
eye” vintage vacuum tube for output level indication. The “Magic Eye” tube is perhaps the most
attention grabbing visual feature of this preamp and something everybody notices in any rack.
Besides being just fun and another way to impress clients, this visual treat complements the rich
vintage character of the preamp. The “eye” closes near optimal ouput levels.
The preamp follows what may be thought of as a very traditional topology that uses both an input
transformer and an output transformer. Both are high quality American made transformers. The
steel-core output transformer in particular is a very important sound shaping component which
helps produce a smooth vintage sound without being dark or just “mid-rangy” or mushy.
A single discrete amplifier is used for the active gain element and there are no chip based amplifiers
in the signal path. To achieve an unusual high level of performance the circuit is based on our OPA2
discrete audio operational amplifier. As in all Fredenstein products, the OPA2 is not a copy of an
older design, but is a completely new design manufactured in SMT technology with matched and
integrated dual input transistors to guarantee vastly improved specifications compared to older
designs. The OPA2, in the tradition of similar modules, is socketed and can be exchanged without
tools. The industry standard pin-out makes it compatible with many other amplifier modules.
A 2 MOhms high impedance direct input is located on the front-panel, it accepts unbalanced
signals, the rear microphone input is automatically disconnected when a plug is inserted in the DI
connector.
The features include a maximum gain of 70 dB, a 20 dB Pad, and Phantom-Power support, plus a
new feature simply labeled “Color”. The “Color” switch is intended to produce some tube-like
harmonic content that, while not calling attention to itself, can bring some sounds to life and bring
them forward in the mix and seem to make them sound more detailed and dimensional. While the
color circuit does increase distortion, the audible effect is subtle enough that few people would ever
describe the effect as “distorted”.
As all Fredenstein products, the Artistic Pre is designed by a German-American team and
manufactured in Taiwan.
Installation:
Please power down your rack or box first before inserting the Artistic Pre. The power requirements
are fairly demanding at a maximum of +100mA,-160mA and Artistic Pre may need to be mounted
in racks capable of supplying sufficient power, such as the Fredenstein Bento series.
Fredenstein Magic Pre Rev. A Manual V1.0 August 23, 2016 Page 1
Содержание MAGIC PRE
Страница 1: ...MAGIC PRE Rev A Operating Manual...
