ART TPSII 2-Channel Tube Mic Preamp 1U Rack 16 V3 Presets 48V Phantom

ART TPSII: Two Voiced Tube Channels in One Rack Space

The ART TPSII is a 2-channel tube microphone preamp and instrument DI that delivers 74 dB to 80 dB of maximum gain from a single 19 in (483 mm) rack space. Its two channels are fully independent, each with its own gain control, preset selection, boost switch, phantom power switch and phase reverse, so the unit behaves like two separate preamps rather than a linked stereo pair. A preamp is the stage that lifts a microphone's tiny output up to the line level a converter or console expects, and doing that with a tube stage adds the gentle harmonic thickening engineers describe as warmth. For anyone recording two sources at once, this is a way to buy a matched pair of characterful channels that occupies almost no rack.

Sixteen V3 Preset Voicings for Fast, Repeatable Tone

Sixteen onboard V3 presets are organized into Neutral, Warm and OPL groups, with a Flat setting for an unvoiced signal path. Each preset applies a precisely engineered equalization curve tuned for a source family such as vocals, acoustic instruments, percussion, bass or synthesizers; the Warm group adds tube saturation on top of that curve, and the OPL group engages output protection limiting. Rather than sweeping frequencies and guessing, an engineer picks a starting point that already suits the instrument and moves on. Project studios and one-person podcast rooms benefit most, because the preset recalls the same voicing every session without a notebook full of knob positions.

Variable Input Impedance and Automatic Instrument Switching

Input impedance is switchable between 5 kilohm and 1 megohm on each channel, which changes the electrical load the preamp presents to whatever is plugged in. Microphones, especially dynamic and ribbon designs, react audibly to that load: a lower impedance tightens and darkens, a higher impedance opens the top end and loosens the low end, and the difference is a genuine tonal control rather than a specification footnote. Plugging into the front-panel combo jack automatically routes the signal into the instrument preamp path, so a bass or acoustic guitar can take a channel without any rear-panel re-cabling. That makes the TPSII equally at home as a two-microphone tracking front end and as a two-instrument stage DI.

Gain, Headroom and Noise Performance

Frequency response runs from 5 Hz to 50 kHz within 0.1 dB, THD stays under 0.01 percent on the clean presets, and equivalent input noise measures -129 dBu A-weighted. Equivalent input noise is the amount of hiss the preamp itself generates referred back to its input, so a lower figure means a quieter chain when you are pushing 80 dB of gain into a ribbon microphone on a distant source. Maximum output reaches +28 dBu on the XLR outputs and +22 dBu on the 1/4 in outputs, giving plenty of headroom into modern converters. Classical and acoustic engineers capturing room detail at high gain get the quiet floor they need, while loud sources still have room before anything squares off.

Metering, Connectivity and Rack Integration

Every channel has both an LED input meter and an analog output meter, plus XLR and 1/4 in TRS outputs and rear-panel XLR microphone and 1/4 in line inputs. Watching input and output level separately is what keeps a tube preamp honest: you drive the input stage hard enough to get the character you want, then trim the output so the converter sees a sensible level, and two meters make that a visual task instead of a guess. Switch-selectable +48 V phantom power and phase reverse sit on both channels for condenser microphones and for flipping polarity on a bottom snare or a room pair. In a 1U chassis drawing 16 W, it slides into a tracking rack or a portable case without a redesign.

Who the TPS II Suits

Two-channel tracking is the everyday reality for most small studios, and this preamp is built around that number rather than around a large console. A singer-songwriter records voice and acoustic guitar simultaneously with two different preset voicings, a drum engineer runs a stereo overhead pair through matched channels, and a broadcast desk gives two hosts identical, recallable tone. Live engineers use the front combo jacks as a pair of high-quality DI channels for bass and keys while the OPL limiting protects the console input. One rack space that covers all of those roles is the reason a two-channel tube preamp stays in service for years.