Great River Electronics’ (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) ME-1NV ($1,499) single-channel preamplifier is designed to bring the classic ’70s vintage sound to project and personal studios. The ME-1NV offers identical performance and specifications to itsdual-channel predecessor, the MP-2NV “Mercenary Edition,” to re-create the vintage sound of the Neve 1073 preamp.
The ME-1NV is a product of a collaboration between Great River Electronics, Mercenary Audio and Sowter Transformers. The custom-designed Sowter transformers and moderncomponents result in a lower noise floor, extended frequencyresponse and superior bass clarity.
The front panel includes a 12-position, gold-plated gain control adjustable in 5dB steps from 5 dB to 60 dB, and an output-amplifier continuous gain control that can be adjusted from -25 dB to +10 dB, providing an overall maximum gain of 70 dB. The front-panel 1/4-inch, hi-Z instrument input feeds aninput transformer and a unique FET buffer amplifier. The output amplifier is a single-ended proprietary transformer-coupled design. Switches are provided for phantom power and signal polarity, as well as input impedance selection between 1,200 ohms and 300 ohms, and output transformer loading in/out. Dual six-LED ladders allow the metering of both the second amplifier and output stages and the optimization of levelsthrough the device. The fully balanced inputs and outputs are accessed via rear-panel XLR connectors, and a TRS patch jack allows users to insert a compressor or equalizer ahead of the output amplifier. A 1/4-inch, -10dbV output jack can be used to feed a no-latency monitor mix.
Fore more, visit www.greatriverelectronics.com.
