Description
The B173 is Black Lion Audio’s homage to the highly revered Neve 1073 Style mic pre. The B173 is a single channel mic preamp with input and output transformers, stepped gain, output level control, phantom power, and phase. It features a DI, 80dB of gain, and is housed in a 1U, 1/2 rack chassis.
Power: flip switch up to turn preamp on (there’s a 2-3 minute “warm up” time for lowest distortion), flip switch down to turn preamp off
Mic Gain (stepped, 12-position switch): clockwise rotation yields an increase in input signal amplitude, counterclockwise rotation yields a decrease in input signal amplitude
48v: engage to turn phantom power on, disengage to turn phantom power off
Phase (Ø): engage to adjust input signal polarity by 180°, disengage to leave input signal polarity unchanged
Output Level: clockwise rotation yields less attenuation, counterclockwise rotation yields more attenuation (for beginners, it’s best to leave the output level fully clockwise and increase Mic Gain as needed so as not to saturate the input transformer)
DI: engage to select front panel TS jack as input source, disengage to select rear panel XLR jack as input source
Output: balanced, line-level TRS output
Input: balanced, mic-level XLR input
GND: internal chassis ground
Power: 24VAC input jack (only use a BLA-specified power supply)
Features
• Cinemag Input Transformer
• Edcor Output Transformer
• 80dB Gain
• D.I. Input (active, unbalanced)
• Phantom Power
• Phase Switch
• Output Attenuator
• XLR Microphone Input
• TRS Line Output (balanced)
Mic Section
Max Microphone Input Level: +1dBu
Input Impedance: 200O
Pad: None
Gain (no pad): +13dB to +80dB
Equivalent Input Noise (noise floor): -105dBu
THD+N (@ +4dBu output):
• .10% @ +9 dBu
• .12% @ +35 dBu
• .13% @ +45 dBu
• .16% @ +60 dBu
• .85% @ +76 dBu
Bandwidth (1kHz, 150O source, unweighted): 10Hz to 30kHz
D.I. Section
Max D.I. Input Level: +18dBu
Input Impedance: 1.1MO
Pad: None
Gain: Up to +25dB of gain
Equivalent Input Noise (noise floor): -100dBu
THD+N (@ +4dBu output):
• .021% @ +10 dBu
• .016% @ +20 dBu
Bandwidth (1kHz, 600O unbalanced source, unweighted): 10Hz to 30kHz
Output Section
Max Output Level: +28dBu
Output Impedance: 600O
Power Supply
24VAC, 500mA External Supply
Product Dimensions
9.5″ x 6.5″ x 1.75″
Product Weight
3.2 lbs
Shipping Dimensions
13″ x 13″ x 5″
Shipping Weight
6 lbs
