Preamps / Channel Strips

Tyneside-based DACS have been building high-quality equipment for people on a one-off basis for years, but now they've launched a range of equipment that anyone can buy. Hugh Robjohns explains why he'd rather buy British.

Two channels good, four channels better — but 4-channel preamps are thin on the ground. Hugh Robjohns has succeeded in sniffing one out.

Pro quality at an affordable price? Hugh Robjohns inspects a preamp with a prestigious name.

Richard Waghorn tests the TL Audio PA3001 alongside some of the best mic preamps available and discovers a good combination of price and performance.

Thinking of buying a new microphone? Maybe you should consider investing in a dedicated mic preamp instead, to improve the clarity and definition of your recordings without breaking the bank. Dominic Hawken plugs in the mic he likes and checks out the new contender from dbx

Drawmer's 1960 series leaps into the digital age with the launch of the 1962, which combines a specially designed low-noise preamp, variable tube coloration and audio-sweetening tools with an optional 24-bit output stage. Paul White celebrates the year of the tube.

Hugh Robjohns takes a look at yet another studio unit designed to partner the new generation of digital 8-tracks, this time from a company new to the UK market.

Some mic preamps are used for the audible effect they produce on recordings, while others are chosen simply to amplify your mic signals as cleanly as possible. Paul White checks out at the third unit in Focusrite's affordable Green range, and finds a quality mic amplifier that falls into the latter category...