External (Belt clip-on)

Electronics Engineered by K&K Sound

Features a 3-Band EQ with volume (+/-20 db bass, mid, and treble controls plus an internal gain trimmer). They are specifically designed for the frequencies of acoustic guitar & bass but are also great for many other instruments. The Preamp features a special super wide band midrange filter, which is absolutely great in combination with our pickups, and it's designed to specifically match the impedance of our pickups. Its simple and noiseless circuit provides unsurpassed clarity and power and the internal gain trimmer allows you to dial in the precise amplification factor needed for your instrument.  The adjustable gain range is covered by a factor of 1 to 10. This means, you can boost your incoming signal up to the 10-fold amount.

Frequency response is 10-30,000Hz. The bass control is set to roll of at 100Hz, the midrange at 1.5kHz with extra large bandwidth and the treble are set at 10kHz.
Input impedance is 1 meg and the output is low ohmic.  Battery life is about 180+ hours.

One year warranty

Specifications:

Frequency response: 10 - 30,000 Hz

Input: 1/4”,   1 Mega Ohm

Output:: 1/4”, 10 KOhm

EQ: 3 band, +/- 20db

  Bass:  roll off @ 100Hz   

  Midrange: super wide band @ 1.5khz

  Treble: 10Khz

Dimensions: 2.5 x 1.25 x 3”    

Battery Consumption: less than 1 milli Ampere – 9-volt – 180 hours

*Note: We also recommend using a DI Box with a Phase & Ground Lift Switch with your instrument. 

This Preamp has the same great sound and super low noise as the above Preamp with the addition of a DI balanced XLR out and a phase switch. It is 9-volt battery or phantom power operated, features a 1/4" line-out, plus the XLR active balanced output in a compact package.

The Preamp is specially designed to complement our pickups. The Preamp features a special super wide band midrange filter, which is absolutely great in combination with our pickups, and it's designed to specifically match the impedance of our pickups However, due to its adjustable input gain and wide frequency range it will work with many more applications. The Preamp features +/-20 db bass, mid, and treble controls, plus an adjustable input gain control. Its simple and super-noiseless circuit provides unsurpassed clarity and power and the adjustable input gain allows you to dial in the precise amplification factor needed for your instrument. The adjustable gain range is covered by a factor of 1 to 10. This means, you can boost your incoming signal up to the 10-fold amount.

An LED light indicates if phantom power is present. The unit can optionally be powered by a 9-volt battery, which will not be drained as long as the phantom power provides more than 10 volt. (Optional A/C adapter available.)

Frequency response is 10-30,000Hz. The bass control is set to roll of at 100Hz, the midrange at 1.5kHz with extra large bandwidth and the treble are set at 10kHz. Input impedance is 1 meg. Output impedance on balanced XLR and 1/4" line out is 100 Ohm. The 1/4" line out can conveniently be used as a monitor out or for connection to a tuner.

One year warranty

Specifications:

Frequency response: 10 - 30,000 Hz

Input: 1/4”,   1 Mega Ohm

Output Impedance: Balanced XLR and 1/4” line out is 100 Ohm (both outputs)

EQ: 3 band, +/- 20db

 Bass: roll off @ 100Hz   

  Midrange: super wide band @ 1.5khz

  Treble: 10Khz

Phase Switch: Invert phase on/off

Outputs: XLR (12-48v phantom-power capable) and 1/4" line out

Dimensions: 4.9" x 3.6" x 1.3"

Battery Consumption: less than 1 milli Ampere – 9-volt – 180 hours

What does the Preamp's phase switch accomplish?

Phase switches are usually marketed as a feedback-controlling device, but they accomplish more than just that. Every acoustic instrument projects sound waves in a certain phase. The phase that is projected out of the amplified speaker source needs to be "in phase" with the acoustic instrument's own soundwaves or the result will not be optimal. If the amp projects in the opposite phase, the acoustic instrument will fight its own sound and no balanced tone can develop. Round and warm tone is only achieved when acoustic and amplified sound oscillate in the same phase. This Preamp's phase switch allows for instant correction of this problem.

External  Preamp  with XLR / DI / Phase / Phantom

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Acousta-Elecktra Preamps

For Ordering or More Info. Please Contact Us  

Blue Note Woodworks

Gold Hill,  OR   USA

External Mach 2 Preamp

The Mach 2 Preamp preserves harmonics and overtones and provides a more open and true acoustic sound response. The additional parametric band allows you to fine-adjust the low mid / high bass band for optimum tone and feedback control.

What makes the Mach 2 Preamp sound so good?

The circuit runs on a “voltage doubler” that provides 18 volts to the internal components even though it uses standard 9 volt input voltage. The result is high-powered clarity that simply cannot be achieved with a regular 9-volt circuit!

Electronic circuits work more efficient on higher power and electronic components designed for low power consumption will never sound as good as the more power-hungry components that are optimized for tone quality.

There is a direct relation between power consumption and sound quality, meaning that preamps with 200+ hours battery life will compromise on sound quality. Phantom powered preamps, depending on their complexity, also need to compromise on power consumption issues as phantom power fluctuates and diminishes with the number of consumers connected. Generally, low power consumption equals less high-end response, less headroom (circuit peaks or overloads sooner), and less overall clarity. We've always favored sound quality over power consumption in our external preamp line, but with the Mach 2 Preamp we went even further and run it on 18 volts. This feature alone would make the new Mach 2 Preamp worthwhile, but we added a few more things that players have asked for:

    +/- 15dB Parametric band that covers 150Hz to 700Hz with adjustable notch width

    Full bypass of parametric stage if not needed

    Tuner output

    Mute switch output

In addition to these features:

    Proprietary high-power three band EQ (bass – mid – treble)

    Adjustable input gain

    Phase switch

    Master volume

    Simultaneously usable 1/4” line out and balanced XLR – DI output

The tuner output allows you to connect your tuner “open ended," so there will be no signal degradation by passing through it and no switch noise.

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