RUPERT NEVE DESIGNS 5025 Dual Shelford Mic Pre

Two-Channel Microphone Preamp

The RUPERT NEVE DESIGN 5025 Dual Shelford Mic Pre is a limited-edition, two-channel version of the top-of-the-range preamplifier that has quickly become an indispensable tool for countless sound engineers, producers, and musicians worldwide. The RUPERT NEVE DESIGN 5025 offers the sonic excellence of two Rupert Neve Designs Shelford microphone preamplifiers in a single module, with an internal power supply: in other words, you have two channels of the best microphone preamplification ever available.

This special production will be limited to just 300 units worldwide.

The best-selling Shelford Channel from the prestigious American brand is the definitive evolution of the original electronics of the classic 1073, 1064, and 2254. Like Mr. Rupert Neve's original designs, the Dual Shelford Pre uses a custom input transformer that provides the first 15 dB of gain. This custom transformer, along with its careful integration with the surrounding Class-A circuitry, is fundamental to the amplifier's sonic performance. While most of the harmonic richness of Rupert's designs comes from the output transformer and surrounding Class-A amplifiers, this input transformer provides unique sonorities. The technical reasons are primarily the result of the reactive impedance characteristic of the input transformer and how it interacts with the connected microphone, with a fine nonlinear harmonic enhancement of the lows and an unmistakable sweetness in the high frequencies. When creating the input stage for the Shelford Channel and Dual Shelford Pre, the goal was not simply to reintroduce classic designs, but to improve them by combining the unmistakable sound of vintage technology with broad bandwidth frequency response, with always excellent amplifier performance at any gain setting, and extremely low background noise. To achieve this, the custom transformer designs were optimized, and complete MuMetal shielding of the input transformer was implemented. The resulting preamplifier is flat from below 10Hz to above 60kHz, thus achieving the purest and most versatile sound possible.
The Dual Shelford Mic Pre's unique Silk & Texture circuit allows adjustment of the amount (and type) of harmonic content in the output stage. This means that the sound can range from transparent settings to others that produce almost 10 times the amount of color of vintage Neve modules. When applying SILK RED, you enhance the harmonic content generated by the high and mid-high frequencies of your source. This adds brilliance to the upper frequency range and is often ideal for sources like vocals, snare drums, strings, piano, and many other acoustic instruments. With SILK BLUE, you enhance the harmonics generated by the bass and mid-bass frequencies of the source. This tends to "reinforce" the signal, making it an excellent choice for drums, bass, heavy electric guitars, male vocals, and synthesizers.
Completing the Silk circuit are custom-designed output transformers, utilizing Rupert Neve Designs' unique dual-output topology. These offer both Main (+26 dBu) and -6dB (+20 dBu) outputs, allowing the engineer to drive the preamps into classic transformer saturation without clipping converters and other downstream devices in the audio chain. The main outputs are designed to capture a more pristine sound at high levels, avoiding any nonlinear coloration from the output stage. The -6dB outputs allow high gain levels on the Shelford without clipping most professional interfaces. On drums, vocals, guitars, and other instruments, these outputs make it easy to hit the "sweet spot" of the transformer's nonlinear harmonic content, bringing a recorded performance to life in a way that other preamps cannot match.

Specifications

• Input Impedance: 2.2 kOhms
• Maximum Input Level: @ 1kHz: +24.9 dBu; @ 1 kHz (main output): +26.7 dBu; @ 1 kHz (-6dB output): +20.7 dBu
• Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz: +/- 0.25 dB; 10 Hz to 62 kHz: +/- 0.5 dB; 5Hz: << -3 dB; 70kHz: -3dB
• THD+N% (BW 10Hz - 90kHz): Input 0dBu, 1kHz: <0.0025%; Input +20dBu, 1kHz: <0.008%
• Output Noise on main out (BW 22Hz - 22kHz): Gain 0dB: -102 dBu; +30dB gain: -94 dBu; +66dB gain: -61 dBu; Ein (+66dB gain): -127 dBu
• Output Noise at -6db (BW 22Hz - 22kHz): Gain 0dB: -107 dBu; +30dB gain: -100 dBu; +66dB gain: -67 dBu; Ein (+66dB gain): -133 dBu