General
Warm Audio delivers a very fine microphone preamp with this Tone Beast preamp. The Tone Beast lives up to its name and is indeed a beast when it comes to brute force, but always under control. You can easily send a number of sources over the ropes at the same time and you will find that this TB12-500 will sound best just then. When you enter the area of harmonic distortion, a nice dynamic is added to the original incoming signal. Thus, the original signal acquires a lively boost that will adorn your mix. This TB12 loves to be kicked on its tail!
Fully customisable
Another unique feature of the TB12 is the ability to replace the so-called op-amps with others that then change the timbre. Op-amp stands for operational amplifier and it is an active electronic component where the gain is significant. Here, the input voltage is offered at the output. You will find them in almost all electronic equipment today where integrated circuits apply. Replacing other opamps is easy. You simply plug another version into the socket on the circuit board whenever you wish. For example, if you want saturation levels that you don't get from the 'stock' opamps, this is among the options.
Discrete signal paths and CineMag transformers
As you have come to expect from Warm Audio, the TB12-500 also features strictly separated signal paths. This ensures superior sound quality. As in all other Warm Audio components, the TB12 includes two CineMag transformers. In this case, an all-steel and a 50% nickel transformer. Each of these colours the original signal differently. For example, the 50% nickel transformer ensures that the low and high frequencies are accentuated and the all-steel transformer colours the sound a bit more. When you start using the TB12 to make guitar or bass recordings, you will be surprised by how great the preamp sounds when you 'push' it. The subtle nuances that come from the choice of carefully chosen components make all the difference, and Warm Audio has done an excellent job of this!
