Classic Mic Pre Performance at a Project Studio Price
The classic “73” wrote the book on characterful mic preamplification, so in designing the Pre-73 mic pre, Golden Age Project aimed high. It’s astonishing how well they succeeded. Now in its fourth generation, the Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKIV further raises the bar for affordable British-flavored electronics, delivering the sonic essence of iconic British consoles in a compact form factor. The Pre-73 MKIV is a versatile single-channel mic/line/instrument preamp with 80dB of gain that lets you easily mic quiet sources with passive ribbons. Cranking the main gain stage imbues your tracks with tasty vintage-style coloration. Also onboard: phantom power, a broad gain-range DI, flexible I/O, switchable impedance, a highpass filter, and the acclaimed AIR EQ circuit, all in a robust half-rack chassis. If you’re in the market for a preamp that delivers a sweet, warm, punchy, and highly musical sound without exploding your equipment budget, we suggest giving the Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKIV a serious audition.
Small but feature-laden
With 80dB of gain on tap, the Pre-73 MKIV lets you capture subdued sources with your favorite low-output passive ribbon mic, and cranking the gain enhances your tracks with luminous, vintage-flavored coloration. An output level control is provided to compensate for hot input gain levels. A chunky Gain knob controls both line and mic gain. The unit also includes a selectable 6dB/octave highpass filter that allows you to roll off undesirable low-frequency content at 80 or 200Hz. The front panel also hosts switches that activate AIR EQ, a polarity invert switch, and an output pad. A cluster of four buttons holds court on the left, activating 48V phantom power, Line-level compensation, switchable impedance for MIC mode, and a DI switch for guitars, basses, or keyboards connected to the adjacent instrument jack. The output pad is a particularly unique feature that lets you trim your output level by 14dB to optimize the gain structure of your signal chain to suit downstream components. Lastly, a rear-panel insert jack is available for connecting outboard processing gear. Incongruous with its mild price tag, the Golden Age Project Pre-73 MKIV is a serious studio tool with smart features that let you sculpt your signals to perfection.
Vintage gear sounds best
The Golden Age Project was founded in 2005 on the belief that vintage gear sounds best, and the desire to pass on this sonic legacy to a new generation of musicians, engineers, and producers. All-discrete, Class A signal paths with no integrated circuits; the use of transformers, stepped controls, and military-grade build quality: these are the cornerstones of the legendary British equipment deployed in world-class recording and broadcast studios in the 1970s — the golden age of analog. Fat, warm, punchy, and authoritative; this is the sound heard on countless hits for half a century. Locating, purchasing, restoring, and maintaining vintage gear is time-consuming and costly. Fortunately, this small, family-owned Swedish company makes gear the same way it was made back in the day — at an amazingly accessible price!
The Golden Age Project: affordable, high-quality vintage-style electronics
A distributor of high-end studio equipment for many years, Golden Age Project founder Bo Medin wanted to be able to offer products with much of the same exclusive sound in a price range that made them available to a larger audience. Inspired by original designs, Golden Age uses modern technology to re-create that lush, opulent sound, making it surprisingly affordable. The company uses some modern ingenuity to add new functionality to superb classic designs and produce them in a cost-effective way which allows them to be both optimized and affordable. We’s advice: From outboard equipment to condenser, dynamic, and ribbon mics, you can outfit your entire studio with vintage-inspired Golden Age Project gear without exceeding your budget.
Golden Age Pre-73 MKIV Mic/Line/Instrument Preamplifier Features at a Glance:
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Vintage-style point-to-point wiring with no surface-mount components or integrated circuits
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Broad classic British console tonal palette, from clean and transparent to warm and punchy
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Simplified Gain control with Mic/Line switch makes all gain levels available for line input
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80dB of gain easily handles passive ribbon mics on quiet sound sources
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Mic input switchable between 1,200 and 300 ohms
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Switchable phantom power and polarity (absolute phase)
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High-impedance instrument input for connecting sound modules, electric guitar or bass
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Sound-shaping highpass filter and 2-position AIR EQ high-frequency boost
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14dB Output pad
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Simple-but-effective 4-step LED output level meter
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Overload the main gain stage and adjust output level control for more character
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Combo XLR/TRS input jack; separate output XLR and TRS jacks
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Insert jack for connecting equalizers and other units
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Includes external power supply