A High-ticket Hybrid of Vintage and Modern Circuits
The TK Audio DP3 packs two feature-laden channels of flagship-quality mic preamplification into a convenient 1U rackmount chassis. At the heart of each of the DP3’s channels, you’ll find a high-headroom, Lundahl-loaded input stage with up to 80dB of squeaky-clean, straight-wire gain. That said, the DP3 includes a switchable, Carnhill-loaded Class A stage tailor-made for applications that demand the vintage-tinged punch of a classic British console. You also get selectable germanium and saturation circuits, equipping you with even more options for adding personality to your tracks. Moreover, the DP3 includes a dedicated Output level knob placed after the Class A stage for dialing up your harmonic character without overloading your A/D converter. Each of the DP3’s channels abound with professional features, such as a sweepable highpass filter, 48-volt phantom power, a -30dB pad, selectable input impedance, polarity invert, and a top-shelf hi-Z instrument DI input. Complete with an 8-LED headroom meter and easy-to-see illuminated switches, the TK Audio DP3 is a true workhorse; it would make a high-potency addition to any studio’s preamp arsenal.
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Multiple sonic personalities
If you only have room for one 2-channel microphone preamp in your studio’s toolbox, the DP3 is a fine choice, as its hybrid design provides you with a functional stockpile of vintage and modern sonic textures. The DP3’s core sound is based around a high-headroom input stage, which employs a high-quality Swedish Lundahl transformer to give you up to 80dB of clean, transparent gain. Enabling the DP3’s vintage-style Class A stage inserts a heavy, custom-made Carnhill transformer into your signal path for a fat, punchy sound reminiscent of the classic British consoles so many of us cut our teeth on here at Sweetwater. You also get a selectable saturation circuit for adding odd harmonics to your signal, along with a selectable germanium circuit that adds both odd and even harmonics to your signal while also softening its highest frequencies. Furthermore, since the DP3’s Class A stage is inserted in front of the preamp’s Output level control, you can drive the transformer as hard as you want without overloading your A/D converter.
Abounding with professional features
The TK Audio DP3 includes all the features you’d expect from a pro-level mic pre. For starters, each channel consists of a sweepable highpass filter with a range of 30Hz to 400Hz for fine-tuning your signal’s low end. Next, 48-volt phantom power enables seamless compatibility with your condenser microphones, and a -30dB pad makes capturing extra-loud sound sources a piece of cake. The DP3 includes selectable input impedance, allowing you to toggle between 1,600 and 400 ohms to best accommodate your microphone, and a polarity invert for flipping the polarity of your audio signal. Each channel also includes a hi-Z instrument input with a dedicated activation switch, so you can keep your instrument connected all the time. You also get a hi-Z direct mode function that bypasses the input transformer and bumps up the gain +14dB — the perfect solution for recording a DI’d electric bass together with the DP3’s Class A stage.
TK Audio DP3 Features:
- The latest iteration of TK Audio’s flagship 2-channel microphone preamp
- Combines both vintage and modern circuits for maximum sonic flexibility
- Built around a high-headroom, Lundahl-loaded input stage with up to 80dB of transparent gain
- Switchable Carnhill-loaded Class A stage delivers a fat, punchy sound reminiscent of a classic British console
- Selectable saturation circuit adds odd harmonics to your signal
- Selectable germanium circuit adds both odd and even harmonics to your signal while softening its high end
- Dedicated Output level knob drives the transformer without overloading your A/D converter
- Sweepable highpass filter with a range of 30–400Hz
- 48V phantom power, -30dB pad, selectable input impedance, and polarity invert
- Selectable input impedance toggles between 1,600 and 400 ohms to best accommodate your microphone
- Top-shelf hi-Z instrument DI input with dedicated activation switch and hi-Z direct mode function
- 8-LED headroom meter and easy-to-see illuminated switches
