Telefunken/TAB V76M Mic Pre (Vintage)

Without switchable low/high cut and without fixed input filters; linear frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz. Its excellent bass response makes it one of the best mic preamps ever for bass and kick drum.

Photo is of a stock unit. Actual sale unit will vary.

The V76 is a descendant of the classic V72 mic preamplifier. The V72 was originally developed by North West German Radio and the Institute of Broadcast Technology of Hamburg between the years 1949-1952. Designed as a microphone and main studio amplifier, the V72 had a fixed gain of 34dB, and was used with a high pass filter as a mic pre, and as a buffering amplifier to make up for losses from a passive fader EQ. When the V76 arrived, the V72 was generally used only for buffering in broadcast applications.

In the mid 50s both the Siemens and TAB companies began manufacturing the units for Telefunken, and the V72 became the standard preamp in German radio stations, while its cousin the V72s was being used extensively by companies like Decca and EMI.

Approximately 25,000 units were built for domestic use in Germany, and many more for export. By 1963, its reign had come to an end, as the age of transistors had arrived, and the V72 was replaced by the V72t (’t’ for transistor). Siemens continued to build the V72 until 1964, and the V72b until 1966. TAB continued to build the V72 until the mid 1970s.

Several different amplifiers were made on the basic V72 circuit platform, including the V71, V76 and V77. Other members of the V72 family, with different circuitry, are the ‘a’, ‘b’, & ‘s’ versions of the V72, as well as the V70, V74a and V77b.

The TAB V76m is basically a pair of V72 modules placed in series with some extra control features, and more gain than a V72, (76dB compared to 34dB).

At the dawn of the 1960s, AEG-Telefunken was a major manufacturer of broadcast equipment, and their systems were found in radio stations around the globe. The venerable V72 and its relatives were an important part of these facilities: rugged, dependable, quality units that stayed in operation for decades, and are still valued today.