Black Lion Audio B173 MKII Classic British 1073 Style Mic Pre and DI

Black Lion Audio B173MKII Overview
Designed for recording engineers who want an updated take on the classic ’73-style unit, the Black Lion Audio B173 mkII is a single-channel preamp with a warm, creamy, 1970s tone. It’s suitable for recording vocals, keyboards, guitars, basses, and more.

This preamp gives you a half-rack package, with an XLR connection for microphones and a 1/4″ jack for line-level or Hi-Z instruments. The output connection is handled by the 1/4″ TRS output on the rear of the unit.

The unit offers a stepped input gain knob to ensure repeatability. It’ll provide you with up to 70 dB of gain. You’ll find controls for phantom power and polarity, while a Hi-Z switch will allow you to plug in your favorite guitar or bass for a DI recording.

The preamp utilizes a creamy CineMag transformer for that classic velvety ’73-style sound. The output control is situated after the transformer. So, if you wished, you could drive the signal hard with the gain knob for a harmonically rich tone, then lower the output knob to avoid clipping your digital converter downstream.