Warm Audio WA73-EQ 1073 Style Microphone Preamp w/ EQ

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Warm Audio WA73-EQ 1073 Style Microphone Preamp w/ EQ

Brand New

Description & Specs

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 preamps (with & w/out EQ), that each pay careful homage to British audio history.

When we at Warm Audio decided to release the WA73-EQ it was imperative that it met vintage expectation in both design and performance. The tone and sweet character that vintage '73-style mic preamps impart is so unique and familiar, that we had only the pure desire to release sonically accurate reproductions. After years of R&D, intense research and countless hours of auditioning, the WA73-EQ was born!

The WA73-EQ 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 WA73-EQ 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 WA73-EQ can’t handle.

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 our WA73-EQ with these beautiful custom Transformers.

An important part of the classic British circuits not often discussed are 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.

A great sounding '73-style circuit should be just as reliable as it is great sounding. The complex dual concentric switch potentiometers in the EQ sections of the WA73-EQ are made in the UK by Blore Edwards who manufacture military spec switches and potentiometers. The use of Blore-Edwards components is no small inclusion for a '73-style preamp-eq in this price range.

Classic '73-style preamps were often hand-wired and so is the WA73-EQ! 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 WA73-EQ is hand-wired and hand assembled, including the pcb components that are all populated by hand.

  • SINGLE CHANNEL, CLASS A, '73-STYLE BRITISH MICROPHONE PREAMP WITH EQ
  • UK MADE CARNHILL TRANSFORMERS
  • UK MADE - BLORE EDWARDS EQ DUAL-CONCENTRIC SWITCH POTENTIOMETERS
  • HAND WIRED, HAND ASSEMBLED
  • 80DB OF GAIN - RESISTOR STEPPED GAIN SWITCH
  • FULLY DISCRETE
  • TONE BUTTON - CHANGES INPUT TRANSFORMER IMPEDANCE FOR VARYING TONE
  • POLARITY SWITCH
  • 48V PHANTOM POWER
  • INDUCTOR BASED 3 BAND EQ
  • LOW BAND BOOST/CUT - 35, 60, 110, 220 HZ
  • MID BAND BOOST/CUT - 360, 700, 1600, 3200, 4800, 7200 HZ
  • HIGH BAND BOOST/CUT - 10, 12, 16 KHZ
  • ADDITIONAL HIGH BAND FREQUENCY EQ POINTS ADDED (COMPARED TO VINTAGE 1073)
  • 4 POSITION INDUCTOR BASED HIPASS FILTER - 50, 80, 160, 300 HZ
  • XLR MIC INPUTS (FRONT & BACK)
  • LINE LEVEL TRS INPUT
  • TS SEND/RECEIVE INSERT JACKS
  • XLR & TRS LINE LEVEL OUTPUTS
  • DIRECT IN, INSTRUMENT INPUT
  • OUTPUT CONTROL
  • LED LEVEL INDICATION
  • FREQ RESPONSE 20HZ - 20KHZ +/-.5 DB
  • 19" RACK MOUNTABLE
  • INTERNAL IEC 115V/230V POWER INLET

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LOCATION 

3316 N Lincoln Avenue Chicago, IL 60657


We're right off the CTA Brown Line 'Paulina' Stop Just North of Belmont and just West of Ashland.

We’re all musicians here at Chicago Music Exchange and we want you to love the gear you get from us. We understand that sometimes you get a piece of gear that doesn’t work out for you. That’s why we offer an easy return policy to take the stress out of purchasing from us.

If you decide you'd like to return an item, please contact your Sales Rep, chat us, or give us a call.

If you placed your order on Amazon or eBay, we advise issuing the return request from your account on the platform of purchase - our Customer Service team will process a refund upon receipt of the item(s).

Most new items may be returned within 30 days of delivery and most vintage & used items may be returned within 3 days of delivery for a full refund, exchange, or store credit. Please pack the product safely for the journey back to us. If the product was shipped for free, the charge will be deducted from refund, unless the reason for the return is outside normal circumstances.

Please contact us as soon as possible if your order was received incorrectly, damaged, or defective. Most times we will give you an RA number (Return Authorization). Why is that number important? This will allow us to speed up the process of the return.

We reserve the right to charge a restocking fee based on the return condition. Some items we just can’t take back for returns, due to a one time function like strings or drums heads and other times it’s not sanitary to do so with microphones or harmonicas. If you aren’t sure if what you bought falls into a category like this, call us (773) 525-7773!

We strive to get your return processed quickly. Most of the time we have it done within two business days. Funds going back to credit cards usually takes two to four business days. CME strives to make sure all customers are happy with their experience. It is our priority to provide great service along with great gear. We always want to be helpful, and open to your feedback. Please let us know your thoughts! If you have any questions, we’re here for you!

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