True to the Mic, True to the Sound
Born of a collaboration between Cloud Microphones and True Systems, the True Blue CL-520 provides you with an extended 76dB of straight-wire gain. Although clean, there’s nothing sterile about this sublime-sounding 500 Series mic preamp; its incredibly musical sound infuses every source with ear-grabbing depth, clarity, and dimensionality without added coloration. Moreover, its fully balanced design exhibits extremely low THD+N, wide bandwidth, and snappy transient response. The CL-520 features a practical polarity-reversal feature, a variable highpass filter, and +48-volt phantom power. You also get a dedicated Dynamic/Ribbon mode. Beyond that, the CL-520 brandishes a patent-pending Cloud Touch Interface for reliable signal switching. When you’re aiming for a clean, record-ready sound that’s true to your microphones, the Cloud Microphones True Blue CL-520 delivers.
A match made in microphone heaven
Cloud Microphones is famous for its innovative Cloudlifter series, which provides clean in-line amplification for dynamic and ribbon mics. True Systems is renowned for its top-caliber preamps, which emphasize transparency and low noise. The True Blue CL-520 is a next-generation preamp created through a collaboration between the two industry-leading companies, combining cutting-edge gain staging with ultra-clean preamplification. We auditioned the CL-520 with numerous mics and sound sources here at Sweetwater, and it excelled on all fronts, delivering exceptional depth, clarity, and dimensionality without excessive coloration. You’ll also benefit from low THD+N, wide bandwidth, and fast transient response, thanks to its fully balanced topology. With the True Blue CL-520, what your mic hears is what you’ll hear.
Thoughtful features, designed for real-world sessions
The Cloud Microphones True Blue CL-520 is teeming with thoughtful features. For starters, it provides you with an extended 76dB gain range, augmented by a +16 button that activates the final 60dB–76dB for low-output mics. The Ø button inverts signal polarity by 180 degrees to correct phase relationships in multi-mic scenarios. Additionally, the CL-520 features a variable 6dB/octave highpass filter, adjustable from 25Hz–420Hz. You also get +48-volt phantom power for your condenser mics. Moreover, a dedicated Dynamic/Ribbon mode — determined by whether or not phantom power is engaged — provides you with optimized impedance and signal path for your passive microphones. Finally, the CL-520’s patent-pending Cloud Touch Interface employs high-grade telecom relays for precise, reliable signal switching.
Cloud Microphones True Blue CL-520 Features:
- A 500 Series preamp designed in collaboration between Cloud Microphones and True Systems
- Provides an extended 76dB of straight-wire gain, augmented by a +16 button that activates the final 60dB–76dB for low-output mics
- Infuses every source with ear-grabbing depth, clarity, and dimensionality without added coloration
- Fully balanced design exhibits extremely low THD+N, wide bandwidth, and snappy transient response
- Ø button inverts signal polarity by 180º to correct phase relationships in multi-mic scenarios
- Variable 6dB/octave HPF, adjustable from 25Hz–420Hz
- +48V phantom power for condenser mics
- Dedicated Dynamic/Ribbon mode optimizes impedance and signal path for passive mics
- Cloud Touch Interface employs high-grade telecom relays for precise, reliable signal switching
