Harman group company dbx recently announced the launch of its new tube mic preamp, the 676. It's a vacuum-tube-based preamplifier offering an extensive range of flexible options for customizing your sound and delivering powerful audio quality, both in recordings and live.
The 676 uses a high-gain class A tube preamp section based on the 12AU7 vacuum tube. This preamp section can be adjusted for a clean, pure sound or a dirty one full of harmonic character. The 676 incorporates the compressor/limiter design of the acclaimed dbx 162XL, as well as a 3-band parametric EQ.
This allows precise control over the dynamics and tonal balance of the audio signal. "We created the dbx 676 to become the ultimate mic preamp," says Jason Kunz, Market Manager, Portable PA and Recording & Broadcast, Harman Signal Processing. "If you need a preamp that delivers crystal-clear sound, extraordinary audio quality and tube warmth, if you want to add a little character and personality to your vocals or instruments, or if you're looking to improve the sound of your recordings or live shows, the dbx 676 is the ideal tool for taking your sound to the highest level."
The dbx 676 includes XLR and jack inputs and outputs, a front-panel instrument input and an insert. An optional digital output card can also be fitted. It allows precise adjustment of input and output levels, which can be monitored on its large multifunction VU meter.
The limiter/compressor section provides extremely flexible dynamics control, including threshold, attack, gain, release, auto attack, auto release, hard- and soft-knee compression, dbx's exclusive manual AutoVelocity® and OverEasy® modes and the PeakStop™ limiting algorithm, along with many other additional functions.
The 676's 3-band parametric EQ allows adjustment of level and bandwidth at frequencies carefully selected for maximum musical effectiveness. Although it's a system with a huge number of functions, the dbx 676 is designed to be easy to use, with its vintage-style controls and large VU meter. The 676 is also super rugged for maximum reliability and is rack-mountable, taking up 2 units.
