When converting gear to fit the 500 Series format, companies sometimes have to make sacrifices due to the inherent space and power limitations. But according to Heritage Audio, Madrid, Spain, the company didn’t compromise when designing the new 73JR II. This 73-style preamp is an updated and upgraded version of the company’s previously released 73JR.
The folks at Heritage describe the unit as featuring “through-hole traditional components combined with hand labor to create a great-sounding Seventies-vintage vibe. It is the real deal, with Styroflex and tantalum capacitors used throughout, and no corners cut.”
The 73JR II provides 80 dB of gain and a noise spec that’s less than -125 dBu EIN. It’s power supply features 24V slow-turn-on-regulation, which allows the unit’s power to be independent of the other slots in a 500 Series frame.
In addition to returning features like a stepped Input Gain knob, Output level knob, Lo-Z switch, 48V phantom power and polarity reverse, the 73JR II offers some new capabilities. One is a revamped highpass filter circuit that is now sweepable from 20 to 200 HZ, providing the user with more control over which bass frequencies to roll off.
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Heritage also improved the DI input. It’s now a discrete Class-A JFET circuit that automatically switches to DI mode when you insert a ¼-inch TS cable.
You’re not limited to Hi-Z sources for the DI input, however; the unit offers Line Mode, which switches the DI input from HI-Z to line-level. This feature allows users to “reamp” dull-sounding tracks through the unit’s circuitry. The preamp’s signal path includes Carnhill transformers (the same ones used by the company on its premium 80 Series line) on both the input and output.
The 73JR II sells for $949.00 and is available now.
