Golden Age Audio Pre-73 Premier Microphone Preamp

Golden Age Project Pre-73 Premier Overview
The Golden Age Project Pre-73 Premier is a versatile, single-channel mic, line, and instrument preamp that brings the iconic British console sound to your recordings. Inspired by the legendary 1073, this preamp delivers a powerful 80dB of gain, making it ideal for both quiet sound sources like passive ribbon microphones and high-output instruments. Whether you’re capturing vocals, instruments, or line-level signals, the Pre-73 Premier offers vintage-style coloration with warmth and punch that will enhance any recording. Packed with useful features like phantom power, an Air EQ circuit, and a highpass filter, this preamp provides everything you need to shape your sound while maintaining a high level of audio fidelity.

Vintage British Sound with Modern Features
Drawing from classic British preamplifiers, the Pre-73 Premier is built to produce the same fat, warm, and punchy sound that has been a staple in world-class studios for decades. Featuring UK-made Carnhill transformers for both the mic input and line output, this preamp delivers authentic vintage character with every track. The Pre-73 Premier also incorporates tantalus capacitors in the signal path, ensuring high-quality signal transmission and a rich tone. Whether you're recording soft vocals or the loudest electric guitar, the Pre-73 Premier provides the tonal flexibility to suit any source, delivering that unmistakable "British console" sound.

Flexible Mic and Line Input Options
With 80dB of gain on tap, the Pre-73 Premier excels at handling passive ribbon mics and quiet sound sources. The preamp features a mic/line switch, which provides a broad gain range and ensures compatibility with a wide variety of microphones and line-level signals. For added flexibility, the mic input impedance is switchable between 1200 and 300 ohms, giving you the ability to tailor your sound to suit different mics. Whether you’re recording dynamic, condenser, or ribbon microphones, the Pre-73 Premier offers a versatile platform that ensures your recordings capture the desired character and tone.

Highpass Filter and Air EQ for Custom Sound
The Pre-73 Premier features both a highpass filter and an Air EQ circuit, allowing you to shape your recordings with precision. The 80Hz/200Hz highpass filter helps to eliminate low-frequency rumble, ensuring a cleaner signal by cutting unwanted noise from your recordings. Additionally, the 2-position Air EQ provides either a 3dB or 6dB boost at 30kHz, adding clarity and shimmer to your vocals and mixes. This makes the Pre-73 Premier an excellent tool for vocal recordings, giving them an intimate and polished sound that is perfect for mixing and mastering.

Easy-to-Use Controls and Output Level Control
One of the key highlights of the Pre-73 Premier is its intuitive control layout. With Marconi-style gain and output knobs, you can easily adjust the gain and output levels to suit your recording needs. The output pad provides a further layer of control, allowing you to attenuate the signal by 14dB to optimize the gain structure and prevent distortion when driving the preamp into saturation. The simple LED level indicator gives you visual feedback on your signal levels, ensuring that your recordings are always balanced and distortion-free.

Built for Durability and Rackmount Compatibility
The Pre-73 Premier’s build quality is as solid as its sound. Featuring sturdy toggle switches with gold-plated contacts and soldered internal connections, this preamp ensures a clean, reliable signal path that delivers top-notch audio fidelity. The beefy external power supply helps to eliminate electromagnetic interference, ensuring a noise-free operation. Additionally, the compact half-rack chassis design makes the Pre-73 Premier an ideal option for mounting in a 19-inch rack, allowing you to fit up to two units in the Unite Premier rack kit. This rugged, professional build ensures that your Pre-73 Premier will deliver exceptional performance for years to come.