Hazelrigg Industries VLC MKII

Hazelrigg Industries VLC MKII is a premium all-tube microphone preamp, DI, and passive LC equalizer developed by Hazelrigg Industries as part of the Solutions Series by D.W. Fearn. Designed for professional engineers, producers, and musicians, it delivers exceptional tone shaping, musicality, and warmth in a compact, travel-ready format. Combining the legendary D.W. Fearn preamp topology with a four-band passive LC EQ, the VLC MKII serves as a complete tone-contouring solution for both recording and mixing applications.

The preamp section is based on D.W. Fearn’s renowned VT series, providing exceptional headroom, transparency, and detail for condenser, dynamic, and ribbon microphones. Its all-tube DI input delivers rich, musical harmonics, ideal for bass guitars, acoustic pickups, modular synths, and electric instruments. The balanced line-level input allows the VLC MKII to be used as an insert processor for “re-preamping” tracks — a favorite trick for adding analog depth and harmonic texture to digital recordings. The fully transformer-balanced input and output stages ensure smooth saturation and excellent phase coherence.

The passive LC equalizer offers intuitive yet powerful tone shaping through Low Cut, Low Boost, High Cut, and High Boost controls, each featuring a two-position frequency selector. The EQ section provides wide tonal flexibility, remaining musical even at extreme settings, while the EQ In/Out switch enables instant comparison. Every unit is hand-built in the USA, featuring top-grade components, custom-wound inductors, and a locking +48V phantom power switch for safety.

KEY FEATURES

• All-tube microphone/line/DI preamp with passive LC EQ
• Amplifier and power supply designed by D.W. Fearn
• Transformer-balanced input and output
• Dedicated line input for re-preamping and tone shaping
• Four EQ bands: Low Cut, Low Boost, High Cut, High Boost
• Two-position frequency selector per EQ band
• All-tube DI path for instruments and synths
• Polarity reversal, -20 dB pad, and EQ bypass switches
• Locking +48V phantom power safety switch
• Handcrafted in the USA with custom-wound inductors
• 5-year warranty (90 days for vacuum tubes)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Type: Tube microphone/line/DI preamp with passive LC EQ
• Design: All-tube signal path, transformer-coupled I/O
• Inputs: Front mic/instrument input, rear mic input, balanced line input
• Outputs: Transformer-balanced line out
• Controls: Gain, Low Cut, Low Boost, High Cut, High Boost, frequency selectors
• Switches: +48V phantom, EQ bypass, polarity, -20 dB pad
• Construction: Hand-built chassis, custom inductors
• Power: External tube power supply designed by D.W. Fearn
• Made in: USA
• Warranty: 5 years (tubes 90 days)