Quick Hits: Rupert Neve Designs 5025 Dual Shelford Mic Pre

No one has made a greater impact on the world of pro audio than Rupert Neve. For more than 50 years, his designs have powered our favorite recordings and remain the gold standard of the studio world. Many of his greatest innovations, including the 1073, 1064 and 2254 have been brought together in the best-selling Shelford Channel from Rupert Neve Designs.

Rupert Neve Designs has just announced its new limited edition 5025 Dual Shelford Mic Pre ($3999), which offers up two channels of the Shelford mic pre in a 1U rackmount form factor. Limited to just 300 pieces worldwide, the 5025 represents the definitive evolution of Rupert’s classic designs, as it offers custom transformers, Class-A circuitry, and his innovative Silk and Texture controls.

Before we go in-depth on the 5025 Dual Shelford Mic Pre, we know you want to hear this beauty in action. Watch our new Quick Hits video below to hear the 5025 used to track performances by Mike Leslie (Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals) and Bryan Reilly (Drums).

Rupert Neve Designs' Custom Input Transformers

At the front of the signal chain, the Dual Shelford Mic Pre features a custom input transformer that provides the first 15 dB of gain, enhancing the bold, mid-focused sound that can be heard on thousands of classic recordings. Combined with a series of class-A amplifiers and circuitry, the Dual Shelford Mic Pre sweetens the highs and enriches the low-end with subtle non-linear harmonic saturation.

The Dual Shelford Mic Pre improves on Rupert’s original designs with modern enhancements, combining the unmistakable sound of vintage recording technology with improved frequency response, amplifier performance and noise reduction. Each component was carefully optimized to ensure a flat, neutral frequency response from 10 Hz to 60 kHz for crystal-clear recordings pure of imperfections at any gain setting.

Silky Smooth Texture Controls

A true studio workhorse, the Dual Shelford Mic Pre features exclusive Silk and Texture controls that make it easy to dial in the ideal sound for any session. Quickly fine-tune your sound from clean and transparent to gritty and overdriven with 10 times the amount of harmonic saturation as Rupert’s vintage modules using two unique modes.

SILK RED boosts the highs and high-mids of a track for a sparkly sheen that sounds great on vocals, snares, acoustic instruments and more, while SILK BLUE enhances the lows and low-mids for a beefy, powerful sound that works well on drums, bass and guitars. Simply select your desired color and use the Texture controls to add the ideal amount of saturation to any track.

Dual Output Level Transformers

At the end of the signal chain, two output transformers equipped with Rupert Neve Designs’ distinctive dual output topology help protect your tracks from unwanted distortion. Crank the gain and drive the preamp for classic transformer saturation without fear of clipping the converters or other devices in the signal chain.

The Main Outputs offer an additional 6dB of gain for pristine sound without any coloration, even at high levels—while the -6 dB Outputs allow you to drive the output and intentionally color your sound without causing unwanted clipping. Especially when combined with the Texture controls, the Dual Shelford Mic Pre makes it easy to find the sweet spot with any microphone.

Finally, the Dual Shelford Mic Pre is powered by a custom power supply with double the voltage of the original 80 series modules, ensuring a strong, clean signal. All of this impressive technology is housed in a rugged 19-chassis that’s built for decades of use. But with just 300 pieces being made worldwide, you’ve got to move fast. Get your Limited Edition Dual Shelford Mic Pre before they’re gone!

If you're interested in purchasing a Rupert Neve Designs 5025 Shelford Dual Mic Pre, we're here to help! Please contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160.