AEA RPQ3 microphone preamplifier

General

The RPQ3 is AEA’s third-generation preamp with EQ: two channels of high-output, high-impedance, low-noise gain, complemented by a unique EQ architecture that brings out the best in every microphone. Designed to bring out the warmth and full-bodied sound of ribbon microphones – with the same crystal-clear, musical circuitry as the rest of AEA’s third-generation range. Passive ribbon microphones with a low output level require a preamp that delivers serious power. Without sufficient clean gain, a soft signal can quickly sound too thin or have too much noise. These issues are particularly noticeable with acoustic guitars, strings, remote recordings or long cable runs. For this reason, the RPQ3 delivers a generous 85dB of JFET gain, so clean that no source is too quiet to capture. It is a recommended product for recording engineers who want not only clean gain but also control at the source, without having to introduce a separate EQ into the signal chain.

Features of the AEA RPQ3

The CurveShaper EQ gives you control over your microphone signal right at the very start of the signal path. Adjustable boost/cut on the low and high frequencies, with a slope control for the high-frequency filter – perfect for taming proximity effects or, conversely, adding presence and air to sources that benefit from it, such as ribbon microphones and stereo buses. The low-frequency control quickly and unobtrusively removes bass build-up. Dynamic microphones such as ribbons and moving-coil mics are highly dependent on the impedance of their preamp; the higher the impedance, the better the result. The RPQ3 offers an exceptionally high input impedance of 68kΩ (phantom power off). Preamps with an impedance below 10kΩ limit the low frequencies, high frequencies and transients of your passive microphones; the RPQ3’s high impedance, on the other hand, reveals the true character of your microphone — a rich bass, an open high end and articulation in the transients that you have to hear to believe. Condenser and active microphones also benefit from this impedance.