Electrical Audio: EApreq500

Let's talk about gear snobbery behavior. "Tubes are better than transistors." "Transformers are better than servo-balanced circuits." "Discrete op-amps are better than integrated circuit (IC) op-amps." Sure, sometimes these statements are correct, because there is cheap gear out there. But in other cases, fuck all that. Well-designed gear is well-designed gear. If it sounds good, it is good. Nothing else matters. I have equipment at my studio that violates all the snobbery rules above; I use them constantly and would not part with them.

The EApreq500 from Electrical Audio is designed by Greg Norman [Tape Op #87] and is handmade by the Electrical Audio folks in Chicago, IL. Greg has been at Electrical since the studio was being built, becoming an integral part of the late Steve Albini's [#10, #24, #87] core team. Over a decade ago, Greg began building the Normaphone MXPre L1C [#92], made to drop into the '80s-era Sony MXP-3000 Mixing Console as a preamp upgrade. In 2011, he created the EAPreQ, a 2-channel rack-mount preamp (with EQ) for use at Electrical (and for sale to the public, though it's now sold out).

Designed for the 500 Series format, like its predecessors, the EApreq500 is based around a Lundahl input transformer, a 16-step 20 to 65 dB gain stage, a ground-sensing solid-state balanced output amplifier, and features Hi and Low Shelf Boost stepped controls. The usual -20 dB pad, polarity, and 48V phantom power switches are here too, plus an amber LED that indicates peak level. The preamp's gain comes from a monolithic FET Burr Brown OPA627 op-amp gain stage. This is an integrated circuit, but not a cheap one. Greg's goal with this preamp is stated as looking for the "subtle character of its input transformer with very little amplifier noise or distortion." It achieves this, but we'll talk about that in a second. So, are the self-appointed audio snobs going to say something about this circuit design? We put the EApreq500 to work at Jackpot! Recording Studio, and the short answer is: It's stellar.

As usual, test number one was performed in the heat of a band tracking session on the top snare drum mic (Telefunken M80-SH), feeding a BURL Mothership BAD8 converter [Tape Op #122]. I recently finished the mixes on this recording and can say that the snare sound held up. What did I like? The gain and presentation of the transients felt clear, punchy, and tight. The snare sound hit hard and remained present, though the drummer was also a (thankfully) consistent player. The real bonus has to be the simple, additive EQ bands. I clicked a handful of stops up on the Hi Shelf Boost, then backed off a few, which resulted in a perfect high end snap. Then, being curious, I also added in some Low Shelf Boost EQ. A little was fine, but I always hate hearing the kick get louder in the snare track! However, it did add some needed weight. The snare sound translated well, all the way down to the mixing stage, where the band was enthusiastic about the resulting drum sound.

A few weeks after installing the EApreq500 at Jackpot! Recording Studio, manager Zach Bloomstein dug in on this preamp, "I love gear that's easy and fast to use. I used this on a mono room mic for drums (AEA R44CXE [Tape Op #127]). Having the Hi and Low Shelf Boost EQs right there allowed me to tone shape fast without having to patch in another piece of gear. I used this on vocals (FLEA M 251 [#157]), mono drum room (Telefunken U 47), and a catch-all mic (Wunder Audio CM7 FET) that I always set up in case there's an idea that needs to be laid down fast. The EApreq500 handled all of these so well. I loved how fast it was to dial in and shape sounds with the Low and Hi onboard EQ Shelves – one less patch cable is always great! The pre also has an amber LED that lights up just before clipping. This was my favorite sound. Right on the edge of distorting on the mono drum room track gave tons of color and depth to play with that was a huge complement to the room sound."

I sort of wish the EApreq500 had a 1/4-inch DI, but maybe I'm just curious what it would sound like. If the omission of a DI were due to a front panel space choice between the boost EQs or a DI, I'd definitely keep the EQs! I found them to be the one thing many of my other preamps do not have, and the smoothness of the Hi Shelf Boost reminded me of a simpler version of my much-used Mäag Audio EQ2 EQs [Tape Op #96], and it's right there on the preamp! It'd also be handy to have a line level input switch in order to access the EQs when mixing, but this is a real studio workhorse preamp, and what it sets out to do it does superbly. A 500 Series rack full of these would be a versatile, reliable, and easy tracking setup for any studio.