| After starting his career working for Vox in the 1960s, John Oram subsequently became involved with Trident Audio Developments where he became the company's principal circuit designer during the '70s and early '80s. In recent years, John has been busy designing a range of hi-end processors under his own name. The Oram Hi-def EQ and the Oram Octasonic eight-channel mic amp both received positive reviews in SOS. Those products are now accompanied by those of John Oram's new Trident Audio company, which was established to offer a range of audio products which reflected many of the qualities of the revered Trident consoles from the '70s.
The new range began with the Trident S80 Producer Box, which was precisely modelled on the characteristics of the original Trident Series 80 console. The S80 was followed by the S20 Dual Mic Preamp; a characterful, dedicated two-channel mic preamp which retails for £1169 including VAT. For the full details of the S20 see our review in the March 2002 issue of Sound On Sound.
The S20 offers two identical (but completely independent) audio channels housed in a 1U box. Each channel further provides an A and B input which can be selected via a front-panel rotary switch, thereby allowing two different mics to be connected simultaneously for comparison. Naturally, balanced XLR sockets are provided for both inputs on each channel, whilst the S20's outputs are on both balanced XLRs and unbalanced quarter-inch jacks.
Front-panel buttons are provided for 48V phantom power and polarity inversion on the selected input.
The S20 has plenty of gain available, governed by a rotary knob calibrated from 0 to 60dB. However, when the balanced output is used, the true output gain is 6dB higher, making 66dB available overall.
A fully-calibrated 6dB/octave high-pass filter (labelled 'Low Filter') is incorporated, ranging from 5Hz to 200Hz. Usefully, half the control's rotational sweep covers the area from 5Hz to 35Hz making it easier to pin-point the place where low frequency rumble starts causing problems. The filter also shares a direct design heritage with the original Trident console products.
Signal levels are displayed by a bar graph of bright blue LEDs which span a range from -20dB to +8dB. A bright white LED signifies zero (corresponding to +4dBu at the rear-panel output) and a red LED marks the peak at +8dB.
To enter this competition, you just need to fill in the entry form included on this page and post it to the address on the coupon. (Alternatively, you may enter via the electronic form on the SOS web site.) Please make sure you answer all the questions and complete the tie-breaker. We also require your full address and daytime telephone number. Your entry must arrive with us by the closing date of 26th July 2002. |
