The legendary 1073 wrote the book on mic preamp and EQ with personality. These venerable circuits helped define the energetic sound of '70s rock - and countless recordings and live shows since. Today, that coveted tone can be yours for a song, with the Warm Audio WA273-EQ mic/line/instrument preamp. In both design and performance, the 2-channel WA273-EQ pays homage to the revered lineage of British consoles that started it all. Across the audio industry, the 1073 is considered the holy grail of preamps and equalizers, with a rich, sweet and bold tone ideal for making bold statements with your music. After years of research and development, meticulous reverse engineering and countless hours of listening, Warm Audio has captured the sonic essence of this classic perfectly in their boutique WA273-EQ.
Handcrafted with premium quality parts
Boasting gun-grade build quality with discrete, hand-wired Class A circuitry and top-of-the-line parts like UK-made Carnhill transformers and Blore Edwards mil-spec dual concentric switching potentiometers, the WA273-EQ has 80dB of gain on tap so you can capture smooth sources with your favorite ribbon mic. Your tapes and condensers will sound heavenly; you'll be shocked to hear just how authoritative their dynamic mics sound. Engaging the input stage and lowering the output gain enhances your tracks with tasty vintage-style coloring. Rounding out the feature set are instrument-per-channel connectors, polarity inversion, 48V phantom power, and switchable impedance for tonal variation and to optimally match a variety of microphones.
Optimize every source — and microphone
There's no source that doesn't sound amazing through the Warm Audio WA273-EQ. With judicious microphone selection and placement, the battery is larger than life; The bass DI and keyboards sound massive and the synths become trance-inducing; electric guitars soar; vocal rule. Pianos and guitars are resplendent. Orchestral instruments - strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion - reach an ineffable exuberance and dimension. You can even use the WA273-EQ as a tone shaping tool to run full stems or mixes. Hear what the WA273-EQ can do for your own recordings. It's transformative.
Ultimate British EQ
The WA273-EQ's EQ sections adhere to the classic 1073 circuit topology. The vintage 1073 is the holy grail of EQ, and the WA273-EQ nails its sounds and behavior (complete with its legendary harmonic distortion). It's a three-band affair, with HF shelves at 10, 12, and 16 kHz; mid-band peaking with selectable center frequencies at 360 Hz, 700 Hz, 1.6 kHz, 3.2 kHz, 4.8 kHz and 7.2 kHz; and LF shelving, selectable at 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 110 Hz and 220 Hz. A high-pass filter, switchable at 50 Hz, 80 Hz, 160 Hz and 300 Hz, lets you cut your unwanted bass signals. If you've never worked with a 1073-style EQ before, all we can say is, you're in for a big surprise. It's worth noting that the original 1073 only offered a fixed 10kHz shelf, and the additional high-frequency flexibility offered by the WA273-EQ is most welcome.
Warm left no stone unturned
A vital but little-discussed component of these classic British circuits are the different types of capacitors and output transistors used. To maintain the integrity of the original circuitry, Warm decided to use high quality tantalum and polystyrene capacitors in the signal path and an output transistor choice that provides smoother results at higher gain settings than commonly found in pre-amps. 1073 style amplifiers of today. All things considered, Warm Audio's monumental effort to design a no-compromise product paid off. You'll appreciate it every time you plug in the WA273-EQ and record.
Characteristics
- Wired, hand-assembled 1073-style preamp/EQ;
- Totally discrete, Class A, transformer-balanced circuitry;
- UK made Carnhill transformers;
- 80dB of gain handles any type of microphone, including low-output ribbons;
- Resistor-scaled rotary gain switches for easy recall
- Tone knobs change input transformer impedance for mic optimization and tonal shaping;
- Polarity switches;
- Phantom power (48V);
- 4-position inductor-based highpass filters, switchable to Off, 50, 80, 160 or 300 Hz;
- Inductor-based 3-band EQ per channel;
- Low band boost/cut at 35, 60, 110 or 220 Hz;
- Mid-band boost/cut at 360, 700, 1600, 3200, 4800 or 7200 Hz;
- High band boost/cut at 10, 12 or 16 kHz;
- Additional high-band frequency EQ points added (compared to the vintage 1073);
- XLR microphone inputs;
- Line-level TRS inputs;
- TS send/receive insert connectors;
-
XLR and TRS line level outputs;
- DI instrument inputs;
- Output level controls;
- Level indication LED meters;
- Rugged chassis for 19-inch rackmount;
- Ground lift switch;
- Internal IEC 115V/230V power input.
Specifications
- Preamp Type: Solid State Class A;
- Number of channels: 2;
- With phantom power: yes;
- Polarity switch: yes im;
-
Equalizer: Low (35Hz, 60Hz, 110Hz, 220Hz), Medium (360Hz, 700Hz, 1600Hz, 3200Hz, 4800Hz, 7200Hz), High (10kHz, 12kHz, 16kHz), Highpass;
- Analog inputs: 4 x XLR (microphone), 2 x 1/4 in. (Hi-Z), 2 x 1/4 in. (line);
- Analog Outputs: 2 x XLR, 2 x 1/4 in;
- Channel inserts: yes im;
- Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz (±0.5 dB);
- Rack Spaces: 2U;
- Power Source: Standard IEC AC cable;
- Width: 19 in.;
- Manufacturer Part Number: WA273-EQ.
