Black Lion Audio B173 Quad 4-Channel Preamp

The B173 Quad puts Cinemag transformers on both the input and output stage of all four channels, delivering up to 70 dB of gain with a low noise floor for the muscular lows, assertive mids, and glossy top end associated with a vintage 73-style preamp. The low-noise headroom leaves plenty of room for low-output ribbon mics on quiet sources.

Each channel adds a front-mounted Hi-Z DI input for guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers, with stepped input gain and variable output attenuation so an engineer can drive the transformers into saturation without clipping the interface behind it. Phantom power is available on every channel, and channels 1 and 2 carry a polarity switch. It runs on a 5-pin AC adapter, included, in a 2U rack chassis.