TK Audio
TK Audio SP502 500 Series Class A Mic Preamp
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TK Audio SP502 is a single-slot 500 series mic preamp with a hybrid design that pairs a clean, transformerless input stage with two selectable output stages. With up to 70 dB of clean gain it handles anything from a loud guitar cab to a quiet ribbon mic.
Clean or British-flavoured with one switch
Instead of filling two lunchbox slots with two preamps, you choose the electronically balanced output for a clean, modern tone associated with the 80s and 90s, or the discrete Class A output with a Carnhill transformer for the low-mid punch and thick sound of early 70s British desks. A selectable saturation stage adds harmonics when a track needs more attitude, and the sweepable 30 to 400 Hz high-pass filter at 12 dB/oct lets you shape the low end before it reaches your converter.
Bass and guitar straight through a discrete path
The Hi-Z instrument input has a Direct mode that sends the signal straight to the output stage, bypassing the preamp stage while still allowing the saturation and filter to be inserted. Combined with the Class A stage this gives a very nice discrete path for bass recording without a separate DI box.
KEY FEATURES
- Hybrid design: transformerless input stage and two output stages
- Up to 70 dB of clean gain
- Electronically balanced or discrete Class A output with Carnhill transformer
- Selectable saturation stage
- Sweepable HPF 30 to 400 Hz, 12 dB/oct
- Hi-Z input with Direct mode to the output stage
- -30 dB pad, 48 V phantom power, polarity switch
- Illuminated switches and output level control
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Format: single-slot 500 series preamp
- Gain: switch in 5 dB steps, 15 to 70 dB (-15 to 40 dB with -30 dB pad)
- Input impedance: 2400 Ohm
- Instrument input impedance: 1 MOhm
- DI Direct gain: +15 dB
- Max output level: +25 dBu electronically balanced, +24 dBu Class A
- THD+N at +20 dBu: 0.0008% electronically balanced, 0.007% Class A, 0.9% with saturation
- Frequency response: -0.6 dB at 80 kHz electronically balanced, -0.5 dB at 20 kHz Class A
- Power requirement: +130 mA / -130 mA
