Sebatron are an Australian company, who have R&D and manufacturing facilities based in Melbourne. To proclaim their complete faith in all their products, Sebatron are quite unusual in that they offer a 30-day 'return if not completely satisfied for a full refund' guarantee, plus a 12-month warranty on faulty valves and a three-year warranty on everything else. Would that all manufacturers were that supportive. Sebatron seem already to be very well-known in America, where they have acquired a reputation for competitively priced yet high-quality valve products. In the UK they're still little-known, but I suspect that is about to change...

Sebatron's VMP series of preamplifiers all share the same fundamental design concepts and are intended to bring some deliberate character to the recording table, in the shape of classic valve warmth or harmonic richness. However, unlike some valve products, the coloration isn't excessive or overdone in the VMP, and it can be controlled by choosing how hard or gently the preamp is driven. Treat it nicely, and it can be almost transparent — just like proper vintage valve preamps! Part of the secret is that the VMP-series preamps are all discrete hybrid designs, combining valve and solid-state technology, and in such a way that audio quality is paramount.

All models in the range feature transformer-coupled mic inputs plus direct instrument (DI) inputs; switched, passive two-band equalisation; and an active pad circuit that varies the negative feedback around the input valve to control gain and affect coloration. In essence, the valve preamp stage provides 60dB of gain on its own, but by introducing more negative feedback around the circuit, the gain and coloration are reduced, hence the provision of a pad switch rather than a gain switch.

The input stages are built around 12AT7 (ECC81) dual-triode valves, using a traditional high-tension (+300V DC) anode voltage (no starved-anode frippery here!), and the signal path is single-sided Class A throughout. The output stages are discrete solid-state circuits, still operating in Class A up to the balanced output, and powered from relatively high-voltage rails for optimal headroom and transient response.

The construction of the VM series is impressive, with hand-built,...