Consider the A-Designs Pacifica solid state stereo microphone preamplifier if you're ready for your first really good preamp-or the last one you may ever need.

How often in life do you encounter someone or something that no one has anything bad to say about? We haven't met that someone yet, but the something is the A Designs Audio Pacifica solid state, dual-channel preamp. This Tec Award nominated beauty has won more hearts than Jennifer Garner, and has, if you'll excuse the pun, garnered more praise from engineers and producers than just about any other preamp to hit the streets in a long, long time.

Throughout the 1970s, the American professional music recording industry was in its heyday. Popular artists like The Who, The Beatles, The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers, The Jackson 5, The Rolling Stones, and Steely Dan were all at the top of the charts and on every record player and eight track tape deck. Underground bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin were not on the radio but had ardent followers. The diversity and quantity of new music was astounding.

The seventies was also a time of great change in pro audio. The introduction of “solid state” electronics led to an explosion in development and a very different sound than tube gear of yesteryear. The Recording Console in a high end 1970s studio was likely a Neve®, an API®, or a Quad Eight. These were the companies that were setting the standards for audio quality ­with a unique sound firmly imprinted on the popular recordings of the era. While much has been made in our era with Neve and API reissues, interpretations and clones, the Quad Eight curiously faded from view. The irony is that many engineers firmly believe the Quad Eight Ventura, Pacifica and Coronado consoles to sonically be the very best of their day!

Peter of A Designs Audio in West Hills California and pro audio designer Jon Erickson teamed up to recover and restore this lost “sound” to the recording community. Significant effort over the past 2 years has gone into research and speaking with Quad Eight owners while chasing down the origins of what was “The Quad Eight Sound”. Closely examining the design and composition of these were both a nightmare and a joy. The original QE staff was hard to locate, design/parts and documentation was impossible to come by and key parts were obsolete and not readily replaceable. After thousands of hours, endless listening sessions and time at the bench with test circuits, a target emerged. QE mic pres, such as those used in the Quad Eight Ventura, Coronado and Pacifica consoles emerged as one of the best examples of the unique Quad Eight tonal character. Thanks to critical efforts by Tom Reichenbach of Cinemag (whose father designed the original Quad Eight transformers), Jon and Peter developed a prototype dubbed the “Pacifica” as a clear indicator of its Quad Eight inspiration.

The prototype was sent to a handful of devoted Quad Eight Console owners and mic pre fans along with some of today’s talented recording engineers. The results were gratifying: nearly all agreed the new A Designs prototype was very close to the original Quad Eight sound but with a tad more top end (exactly the target sound).


Custom Transformers, the Key to a Big Punchy Sound

In solid-state preamp design, the key to a big punchy sound rests in the input and output transformers. (That's where you get what is known as the "big iron" sound of the '70s). To ensure top-quality sound, A Designs has their transformers custom-built by Tom Reichenbach of Cine-Mag, whose lineage extends back the days when his father Ed built transformers for Altec-Lansing in the '40s. (Ed Reichenbach was also one of the designers of the Quad Eight console on which the Pacifica is based.) Not only are the transformer hand-made, they're also ear-made" by Jon and Peter, who won't okay a transformer design until they get exactly the sound they're looking for. After extensive listening tests and redesign after redesign, they finally found the sound they were looking for. And herein is the most important distinction of the A Designs Pacifica. While its name, look, and inspiration was taken from the Quad Eight Pacifica, the A designs Audio Pacifica has a sound all its own, and one that top producers and engineers feel that they could make an entire record with (that s pretty rare in this business).

Pacifica Performance

Aside from the custom wound transformers, which, by the way, the instrument inputs are routed directly into for the fullest possible sound, the Pacifica boasts a frequency range of 9Hz-101kHz. (Another reason for its great sound. Input impedance is 600 ohm at 400Hz and the gain range is a remarkable 72dB so break out those ribbon mics and go to town. Since the focus of A Designs is sound quality first and foremost, you're not paying for bells and whistles and extra devices in the circuit path that can degrade sound. Features are kept to the necessary minimum, which include polarity reverse, a -20dB pad (which sounds nearly invisible, +48V phantom power with indicator LED, and balanced XLR I/O.

In use, producer-engineer Tony Sheppard (Back Street Boys, Lionel Richie, Kenny Loggins, Melissa Etheridge, Elton John) claims that the Pacifica has the depth of Neve and a high end that rivals GML combined with the punch of API. We say, It doesn t get much better than this, baby! Try a Pacifica and experience the sound that everybody is raving about.

A Designs Audio is very proud to introduce the “PACIFICA”, a single rack space, dual (mono/mono) channel microphone pre amplifier that comes amazingly close to the original in looks and sound. There are few but valuable improvements, such as a front panel active hi-z 1ž4 inch input that places the input transformer directly in the signal path for a huge direct sound. The PACIFICA possesses a uniquely “Made in California” feel with a significant heft from the huge transformers contained within. The original cream colored panel and red knob scheme has been retained. We think the A Designs PACIFICA will achieve an instant classic status, becoming an important part of your “must haves” for years to come.

Features:

* Custom input and output transformers
* Single rack space
* Balanced XLR ins and outs
* Level controls
* -20dB pad switch
* 48v switch
* Phase switch
* Blue LED power indicator
* 72dB of gain
* Hi-Z 1/4" input
* Red LED phantom power indicator


* 2-channel, solid state preamp with 2 x front-panel hi-Z inputs
* Custom-wound input and output transformers
* Captures the sound quality of the legendary Quad Eight console but with more presence and high end
* Balanced XLR I/O, phase reversal, -20dB pad, +48V phantom power

Specifications:

* Input impedance: 600Ohm@400Hz
* Gain range: 72dB
* Mic Phantom: switchable 48V power source
* Mic input phase: switchable 0-180
* Instrument input jack: 1/4" phono
* Balanced XLR out
* Frequency response: 9Hz to 101KHz
* Distortion: less than 1%
* Power requirements: 100/120/230 VAC -23 Watts
* Dimensions: 19" x 1.75" x 10"
* 11 lbs