Taking pride of place on the AEA booth at NAMM 2026 was a new dual-channel valve preamp that’s been designed alongside Fred Forssell.
Over a year in the making, the FC2 features a cascoded hybrid design which AEA say keeps the valves operating in their ‘sweet spot’ across the entire gain range. As a result, the unit offers the same depth and dimension you expect from a valve-based design, but with a clarity and transparency that rivals the best solid-state offerings. Rather than seeking to add obvious colouration, the FC2 focuses instead on delivering natural warmth while staying clean and linear. It's fully balanced from input to output — a first for the company’s preamp line-up — something which the designers say plays a major part in its ‘open’ tonality.
The FC2 is a modernised evolution of the Forssell Technologies FetCode, redesigned from the ground up by Fred himself. Gain is taken care of by a precision Grayhill stepped switch (10–55 dB in repeatable increments) with an output trim offering 0–10 dB of fine adjustment and a +10 dB boost switch available for sources that require a bit more of a kick. As you'd expect, the design employs high-quality components throughout, including Neutrik connectors, Grayhill switches and NKK toggles, while a rear-panel voltage selector caters to both 115 and 230 V mains power.
R8
Another announcement at the show was the launch of the R8, a limited-edition passive version of the company’s popular N8 microphone aimed at those in search of the latter’s far-field design but without any onboard electronics. Requested by AEA users working in orchestral recording, the R8 shares the same design philosophy as the R88 stereo ribbon mic, employing the same Cinemag transformer found in the R44C and R88. The company say it delivers an open, natural sound, and retains a uniform response at a distance in exactly the way far-field ribbons should.
Pricing & Availability
The FC2 will be available in Spring 2026, with pricing yet to be confirmed. The limited-edition R8 is available now while stocks last, priced at $1299.
