Say „Grace Design" and you think transparency and musicality, not coloration. The company's story starts in an unusual way — back in 1990, Michael Grace, a devoted Grateful Dead fan, modified some phono preamps into microphone preamps just so he could properly record the shows he loved. Demand for his hand-built units grew so fast that in 1994 his brother Eben Grace joined him, and together they founded the company in Boulder, Colorado, releasing their first official product — the now-legendary 801 preamp, which set a new standard for outboard mic preamps and direct-to-tape recording.
The secret to Grace Design's sound lies in its trans-impedance (current feedback) amplifier topology — instead of a typical voltage-controlled amp, the company uses current-controlled circuits, delivering near-constant bandwidth regardless of the gain setting and more natural behavior on complex signals. On top of that, nearly every Grace preamp includes a dedicated „ribbon mode" that automatically raises input impedance and disconnects phantom power, protecting delicate ribbon microphones from damage. It's a „hear the music, not the gear" philosophy — zero coloration, zero compromise.
At Wired Tunes we carry the full Grace Design lineup — from the classic m101 and m501 (500 series format) preamps, to the flagship 8-channel m108, to the m905/m908 monitor controllers. We also stock portable stage preamps (FELiX2, ALiX, BiX) built for acoustic musicians who want studio-grade sound live on stage. This is gear for people who record once and need it to sound perfect the first time — backed by an unmatched 20-year EON warranty.
