Warm Audio WA273 2 Ch 1073 Style Mic Pre

DESCRIPTION

Warm Audio WA273 2 Ch 1073 Style Mic Pre

A Dual Channel '73 For The Rest Of Us

If there's one style of preamp that professional engineers would unanimously agree has defined the tone of pop/rock records for decades, it would most definitely be the venerable '73-style of mic pre. '73-style preamps have been massively used in recording and live applications for many years and are still considered to be the “Holy Grail” of preamp choices today. The Warm Audio “WA73 Family” consists of single and dual channel '73-style amps (with and without EQ), that each pay careful homage to British audio history.

The WA273 is a “Desert Island” boutique preamp, but it can also be classified as a studio and live work-horse. Classic '73-style preamps are known for being versatile tools that work with all kinds of microphones from Condenser, to Dynamic, to Ribbon. The WA273 equally shines on all types of microphones and sources including; vocals, acoustic/electric guitars, bass, drums, percussion, orchestras, keyboards, and even as a tone shaping tool to run partial or complete mixes through. With 80dB of gain and a fully discrete Carnhill Transformer balanced signal path, there's no recording, mixing, or engineering task that the WA273 can't handle.

UK Custom Carnhill Transformers

Enthusiasts unequivocally get excited about the components used in classic '73-style British preamps. The signal transformers are a common topic of conversation. Vintage units used various versions of transformers throughout the years, but the most coveted were the earliest versions. These are regarded as the most desirable choice due to their fluid and forgiving nature. They saturate sweetly when pushed, and have been known to make engineers cry when they hear how beautiful their mixes sound through them!

Warm Audio worked closely with Carnhill Transformers of Cambridgeshire, UK, to design faithful reproductions of these most coveted, early version transformers. We at Warm Audio have not yet heard a modern day '73-style preamp sound as sweet and musical as does thier WA273 with these beautiful custom Transformers.

Capacitors & Signal Path

An important part of these classic British circuits not often discussed is the different styles of capacitors and output transistor used. We found it important to maintain integrity to the original design by using tantalum and polystyrene capacitors in the signal path and an output transistor choice that is much smoother in the high gain settings than what is typically found in modern '73-style reproductions.

Hand Wired & Hand Assembled

Classic '73-style preamps were often hand-wired and so is the WA273! Guru’s claim that a portion of the sought after classic British tone can be attributed to the hand-wired nature of the build. The WA273 is hand-wired and hand assembled, including the pcb components that are all populated by hand.

Warm Audio WA273 Specs

Rack Height	1 RU
Number of Channels	2
Inputs	2 x XLR 3-pin (balanced) 2 x 1/4" TRS (balanced) 2 x 1/4" TS (unbalanced)
Outputs	2 x XLR 3-pin (balanced) 2 x 1/4" TRS (balanced)
Phantom Power	48 V
High-Pass Filter	Off, 50 Hz, 80 Hz, 160 Hz, or 300 Hz
Gain Range	Up to 80 dB
Frequency Response	20 Hz to 20 kHz (±0.5 dB)
Equivalent Input Noise	-111 dBu (unweighted)
Power Requirement	115/230 V, 50/60 Hz
Dimensions	19.0 x 1.8 x 11.5" / 48.3 x 4.4 x 29.2 cm
Weight	14 lb / 6.4 kg
Specialties	2 x 1/4" TS insert sends 2 x 1/4" TS insert returns 2 x 5-segment LED meters Switches for phantom power, polarity, impedance, input source, insert, power, and ground lift