Ultimate British EQ
The EQ section of the WA73-EQ follows the classic 1073 circuit topology. The vintage 1073 is the holy grail of EQ, and the WA73-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 WA73-EQ is most welcome.
UK Custom Carnhill Transformers
1073-loving engineers perk up when the conversation turns to the component history of these classic circuits, and signal transformers are a frequent topic of discussion. Vintage 1073s used different transformer variants throughout their production run; but the most coveted were the first ones made by Marinair Radar, due to its fluid and forgiving nature that saturates sweetly when pushed. They have been known to bring engineers to tears when they hear how wonderful their mixes sound through them! Warm Audio turned to Carnhill Transformers of Cambridgeshire, UK to design meticulous replicas of these most desirable early 1073 transformers. The results are impressive and - to our ears - tantalizingly close to the first vintage 1073.
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 WA73-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-stepped rotary gain switch for easy recall
- Tone knob alters input transformer impedance for mic optimization and tonal shaping;
- Polarity switch;
- Phantom power 48V;
-
4-position inductor-based high-pass filter, selectable for Off, 50, 80, 160 or 300 Hz;
- Inductor-based 3-band EQ;
- 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 input;
- Line-level TRS input;
- TS send/receive insert connectors;
- XLR and TRS line level outputs;
- DI instrument input;
- Output level control;
- LED level indication meter;
- 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: 1;
- With phantom power: yes;
- Polarity switch: yes im;
- Equalizer: Low: 35Hz-220Hz, Mid: 360Hz-7.2kHz, High 10kHz-16kHz, Highpass;
- Analog Inputs: 2 x XLR (mic), 1 x 1/4 in. (thread), 1 x 1/4-in. (Hi-Z), 1 x 1/4 in. (return);
- Analog outputs: 1 x XLR (line out), 1 x 1/4 in. (line out), 1 x 1/4 in. (shipping);
- Rack Spaces: 1U;
- Power Source: Standard IEC AC cable;
- Width: 19 in.;
- Manufacturer Part Number: WA73-EQ.
