Calrec PQ 1161-02 Mic Pre/3-Band EQ #096 (Vintage)

The Calrec PQ 1161-02 is a discrete Mic Pre with 3 band EQ and pass filters. These babies rock. They are very tight and powerful. A cross between the punchy API and fluffy Neve tone. All of the EQ points are identical to the famous Neve 33122 console module. These are sleepers!

EQ controls are:

• High-shelf at 3.3 - 4.7 - 6.8 - 10 - 15 kHz
• High pass filter at 27 - 47 - 82 - 150 - 270 Hz
• Low pass filter at 3.9 - 5.6 - 8.2 - 12 - 18 kHz
• Low shelf EQ points: 33 - 56 - 100 - 180 - 330 Hz
• Hi-mid bell EQ points: 270 - 390 - 560 - 820 Hz; - 1.2 - 1.8 - 2.7 - 3.9 - 5.6 - 8.2 kHz
• Separate mic and line inputs
• Mic input attenuation from +10 to -70 dB in 5 dB increments
• Phase reverse
• EQ bypass

Unit will be recapped, with all pots, switches and card connector edges cleaned and any faulty components repaired. per module. Our servicing is regarded as the best in the industry worldwide!

Stereo matching is available. VK Racks are expertly crafted, coming with 48v, output attenuation pots, XLR I/Os, internal and selectable 110v/220v PSU.

History

Calrec Audio had its origins in the mid 1950s, when a small group of British audio enthusiasts got together in Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, and began making their own tube microphones to record local music. Eventually they formed the Calder Valley Sound Recording Company in the mid 1960s, and manufactured the C-41 tube microphone, which used a 6072 tube and could be fitted with either a cardioid or omni capsule. Subsequent designs used a Nuvistor tube, and eventually a FET was incorporated. Many years later, they reached their pinnacle of microphone creation by producing the Soundfield microphone, the first mic capable of recording in 3-dimensions at once, (using four capsules in a tetrahedral array).

The company name was shortened to Calder Recordings Ltd, and for the next two decades they continued to manufacture several dynamic and condenser microphones. But after building their first broadcast mixing console in 1971, the company began to focus exclusively on the broadcast market, making some of the finest desks in the world for this purpose. Very few companies can boast of a 50 year history in the audio world, but quality products and workmanship have been the hallmark of Calrec since the beginning, and are still maintained today.

In the 1970s, Calrec was one of the big competitors to Neve for the broadcast business, and their mic pre/EQ modules from this golden era are still revered for their tonal qualities and workmanship. Many of them have identical specs and frequencies as their Neve counterparts, since both companies were often building to the requirements of the BBC. There are numerous different Calrec modules from that era, but the 1161 model can be considered a good representative of the ‘Calrec sound’.