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Rupert Neve Designs 5211 2-Channel Microphone Preamp

Rupert Neve Designs 5211 2-Channel Microphone Preamp

Regular price £1,518.00
Regular price Sale price £1,518.00
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Description

Simple and elegant, the 5211 is the natural evolution of what is arguably the most famous gear in audio recording history: Rupert Neve’s microphone preamps. 

With two channels of the classic tone you know and love, 72dB of gain, sweepable high-pass filters for precise control, and the power of Mr. Rupert Neve’s dual-tap transformers with variable Silk saturation, the 5211 delivers a versatile, flattering, and uncompromising front end for any signal path. In short, it’s everything a mic preamp should be.


What is Silk?
One of the key features of the 5211 is the Silk / Texture control. The Silk circuit was initially developed for the original Portico series mic preamplifiers, and was only a single switch – on or off – that added a specified amount of musical, pleasing harmonic saturation to the unit’s output stage.

Taking this concept one step further, the Texture knob is designed to adjust the actual amount of harmonic content from the source material. 

So how does it work? By reducing negative feedback across the output transformer and adjusting this feedback’s frequency response, the Silk / Texture circuit provides the sweet, musical saturation found in Rupert’s legendary vintage designs – but with complete & precise control over the amount of classic tone you want. And when the level is driven to the edge of its headroom, the Silk effect is multiplied.


Why a -6dB Output?
Complementing the Silk circuit is the custom-designed output transformer from the renowned Shelford Channel, which uses Rupert Neve Designs’ unique dual-tap output topology. This offers both full-headroom (+26dBu) and -6dB outputs, allowing the engineer to drive the unit fully into classic transformer saturation without clipping converters and other devices later in the chain.

Unlike the Shelford Channel, which uses a mic input transformer for a more vintage topology, the 5211’s input is fully transformerless, maximizing signal clarity direct from the microphone. Combined with the more extreme saturation from both variable Silk and the custom output transformer’s lower-headroom tap, the 5211 is capable of producing tones ranging from thick & warm to breathtakingly delicate & clear. It’s the best of old and new alike.

MAXIMUM INPUT LEVEL
@ 1 kHz: +26 dBu

NOISE
  • Un-weighted, 22 Hz - 22 kHz, 150 Ohm input termination
  • Line Out (Unity Gain): -104 dBV, -101.9 dBu
  • -6 dB Line Out (Unity Gain): -109 dBV, -107 dBu
  • Line Out (+30 dB Gain): -98 dBV, -96 dBu
  • Line Out (+66 dB Gain): -66 dBV, -64 dBu


EQUIVALENT INPUT NOISE (EIN)
-128 dBV, -126 dBu

FREQUENCY RESPONSE
-0.2 dB at 10Hz, -2.9 dB at 120kHz

MAXIMUM OUTPUT LEVEL
  • 1 kHz: +26.5 dBu
  • 20 Hz to 30kHz +26 dBu


TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION AND NOISE (WITHOUT SILK)
  • 1 kHz, +20 dBu O/P level, no load 0.0015%, typical
  • 20 Hz, +20 dBu O/P level, no load less than 0.02%, typical


TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION AND NOISE (WITH SILK ENGAGED)
  • TEXTURE @ min, 100 Hz, +20 dBu O/P level, no load: 0.03%, mostly 3rd harmonic
  • TEXTURE @ max, 100 Hz, +20 dBu O/P level, no load: 1.5%, mostly 2nd harmonic


POWER CONSUMPTION
35 W (Max)'

PRODUCT DIMENSIONS
19” W x 1.75” H x 7 ⅝” D

SHIPPING WEIGHT
11 lbs. (5 kg)


SHIPPING DIMENSIONS
23” W x 15” D x 7” H (58.4cm W x 38.1cm D x 17.8cm H)
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SKU: RNEVE5211S

Description

Simple and elegant, the 5211 is the natural evolution of what is arguably the most famous gear in audio recording history: Rupert Neve’s microphone preamps. 

With two channels of the classic tone you know and love, 72dB of gain, sweepable high-pass filters for precise control, and the power of Mr. Rupert Neve’s dual-tap transformers with variable Silk saturation, the 5211 delivers a versatile, flattering, and uncompromising front end for any signal path. In short, it’s everything a mic preamp should be.


What is Silk?
One of the key features of the 5211 is the Silk / Texture control. The Silk circuit was initially developed for the original Portico series mic preamplifiers, and was only a single switch – on or off – that added a specified amount of musical, pleasing harmonic saturation to the unit’s output stage.

Taking this concept one step further, the Texture knob is designed to adjust the actual amount of harmonic content from the source material. 

So how does it work? By reducing negative feedback across the output transformer and adjusting this feedback’s frequency response, the Silk / Texture circuit provides the sweet, musical saturation found in Rupert’s legendary vintage designs – but with complete & precise control over the amount of classic tone you want. And when the level is driven to the edge of its headroom, the Silk effect is multiplied.


Why a -6dB Output?
Complementing the Silk circuit is the custom-designed output transformer from the renowned Shelford Channel, which uses Rupert Neve Designs’ unique dual-tap output topology. This offers both full-headroom (+26dBu) and -6dB outputs, allowing the engineer to drive the unit fully into classic transformer saturation without clipping converters and other devices later in the chain.

Unlike the Shelford Channel, which uses a mic input transformer for a more vintage topology, the 5211’s input is fully transformerless, maximizing signal clarity direct from the microphone. Combined with the more extreme saturation from both variable Silk and the custom output transformer’s lower-headroom tap, the 5211 is capable of producing tones ranging from thick & warm to breathtakingly delicate & clear. It’s the best of old and new alike.

MAXIMUM INPUT LEVEL
@ 1 kHz: +26 dBu

NOISE
  • Un-weighted, 22 Hz - 22 kHz, 150 Ohm input termination
  • Line Out (Unity Gain): -104 dBV, -101.9 dBu
  • -6 dB Line Out (Unity Gain): -109 dBV, -107 dBu
  • Line Out (+30 dB Gain): -98 dBV, -96 dBu
  • Line Out (+66 dB Gain): -66 dBV, -64 dBu


EQUIVALENT INPUT NOISE (EIN)
-128 dBV, -126 dBu

FREQUENCY RESPONSE
-0.2 dB at 10Hz, -2.9 dB at 120kHz

MAXIMUM OUTPUT LEVEL
  • 1 kHz: +26.5 dBu
  • 20 Hz to 30kHz +26 dBu


TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION AND NOISE (WITHOUT SILK)
  • 1 kHz, +20 dBu O/P level, no load 0.0015%, typical
  • 20 Hz, +20 dBu O/P level, no load less than 0.02%, typical


TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION AND NOISE (WITH SILK ENGAGED)
  • TEXTURE @ min, 100 Hz, +20 dBu O/P level, no load: 0.03%, mostly 3rd harmonic
  • TEXTURE @ max, 100 Hz, +20 dBu O/P level, no load: 1.5%, mostly 2nd harmonic


POWER CONSUMPTION
35 W (Max)'

PRODUCT DIMENSIONS
19” W x 1.75” H x 7 ⅝” D

SHIPPING WEIGHT
11 lbs. (5 kg)


SHIPPING DIMENSIONS
23” W x 15” D x 7” H (58.4cm W x 38.1cm D x 17.8cm H)