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Chameleon Labs 7602 MKII


Chameleon Labs 7602 MKII Microphone Preamplifier & Equalizer

$799.00 MSRP

X-MOD (Mic and Output Transformer Upgrade)

$275.00
MSRP

NOW SHIPPING

Product Reviews

The 7602 Mic Pre & EQ input channel was our first product in 2005 that started it all. The 7602 MKII is designed to deliver the "desert island preamp" sound you expect from English console inputs of the 70's along with 3 band EQ. We incorporated a few, important functions like switchable input impedance to optimize the unit for ribbons/dynamics vs. condensers, a 4 LED input meter, a nice 4 frequency HP filter at 50, 80, 160 and 300 Hz to get rid of the low end junk clogging up your digital recordings and an adjustable high frequency section.

The 7602 MKII makes use of a high end 20 position solid gold gain switch manufactured and imported from Switzerland. This switch is designed for long term use and is typically found in very high end US or Euro units costing a lot more. For the DI input, where there is a lot of rough plugging and unplugging of a ¼ inch jack, we chose a US made Switchcraft DI input jack to greatly improve reliability over jacks that look the same but don't last. Expensive old school US made tantalum capacitors are now incorporated on the main output board because they sound significantly better in this design than our previously used electrolytic capacitors. That's how the original console input was made and we can hear why! We use only outboard power supplies for lowest noise.

Equalizer Section (Selectable 3 band design with a flexible filter section)

Filter - This is a high pass filter with 3db loss at 300Hz, 160Hz, 80Hz, and 50Hz with an 18db cut per octave slope.

Low Equalization - This section has a shelving slope with four frequency selections: 220Hz, 110Hz, 60Hz, and 35Hz. This equalizer affects the selected frequency and all others below it. The gain control provides 20db of boost or cut.

Mid Equalization - This section has a peaking characteristic with six frequency selections: 360Hz, 700Hz, 1.6k, 3.2k, 4.8k, and 7.2k. The gain control provides 20db of boost or cut.

High Equalization - This section has a shelving characteristic with five frequency selections: 16k, 12k, 7k, 4.9k and 3.4k. This section adjusts the selected frequency and all others above it. The gain control provides 20db of boost or cut.

Model 7602 MKII Features

  • Fully balanced transformer mic and line inputs
  • Balanced XLR output
  • Hi-Z direct input for instruments on the front panel
  • LED input metering *NEW
  • Selectable mic impedance switch (300 or 1200 Ohms) *NEW
  • 48VDC phantom power switch
  • 180 degree phase reversal switch
  • 20 position gold contact ELMA rotary gain switch for both Mic and Line sections
  • Output level control functions as a fader when going straight to tape
  • Carnhill® mic and output transformer option ($275 MSRP) *NEW
  • One-year warranty

Electronics

By employing classic circuit design, polystyrene capacitors, a gold contact ELMA gain selector and custom wound transformers, Chameleon Labs ensures that the Model 7602 MKII will exhibit classic audio sound.

The Model 7602 MKII has a transformer balanced input with a range between 20dB and 80 dB of gain. The separate line input is transformer balanced and accepts input levels from -20 to +10dB.

X-MOD ($275 MSRP)

X-MOD

Our famous "X-MOD" option offers British input and output transformers from Carnhill/Saint Ives Company, the source of vintage transformers used in the original console. In our view, the "X-MOD" is the only way to go but we even without them the 7602 MKII is a remarkable bargain. The 7602 MKII full and warm bottom end and smooth, gentle top is perfect for tracking and a pair are ideal for mixing.

Power

External In-Line Power Supply : Each Model 7602 MKII ships with an in-line power supply, type-dependent on country of operation. This is not a traditional "wall-wart" but simply an outboard AC transformer. DC filtering and regulation is accomplished inside the 7602 MKII itself.

Model 7602 MKII Specifications

Input impedance:          Microphone – 300 & 1,200 ohms
                                   Line – 10,000 ohms
                                   D.I. – 100,000 ohms

Sensitivity:                   Microphone – -80dBm to -20 dBm in 5dB steps for 0 dBm output.
                                   Line – -20 dBm to +10 dBm in 5 dB steps for 0 dBm output.

Noise:                          Measured at 80 db of gain with 200 ohm input termination, without 20Hz to 20kHz to assist in filtering out noise.
                                   -49dbu with final output stage at 50% EIN -129 dbu;
                                   -46dbu with final output stage at unity EIN -126 dbu;
                                   -56dbu without final output stage EIN -136 dbu.
                                   Controls either “flat” or switched out.

Output:                        Balanced and floating to feed a 600 ohm load.
                                   Maximum output +26 dBm into 600 ohms, or +20dBm into 150 ohms.

Output impedance:        600 ohms, balanced (source impedance 75 ohms).

Frequency Response:    11 Hz – 77.65 kHz – 3 dB.
                                   Level variation is less than 0.2%.

Distortion:                    1k Hz = 0.0245%

 

REVIEWS

7602 MKII Review by Brandon Drury (Recording Review April 2010)

NOTE: Review links below are for original 7602

7602 Review by Rich Wells (Electronic Musician Magazine May 2006)

7602 Review by Jay Matheson (Mojo Pie Jan 2006)

DOWNLOADS

MANUALS

RECALL SHEET

WAVE FILES

NOTE: WAV files are recordings of original 7602 -- 7602 MKII audio samples Coming Soon!

Here are some mono .wav files that can be listened to or downloaded onto your computer. The files are named with both the pre-amp and the microphone that was used in the recording. To listen to a file, simply click on the filename. To download to your computer for comparison listening, right click on the filename and copy it to any location on your computer. You may then load these files into any audio program that will accept the .wav format.
 
:: Acoustic Guitar (Acoustic GTR - 1073 -TLM103.wav)
:: Acoustic Guitar (Acoustic GTR - 7602 -TLM103.wav)
:: Electric Guitar (Electric GTR - 1073 -TLM103.wav)
:: Electric Guitar (Electric GTR - 7602 -TLM103.wav)
:: Female Vox (Female Vox - 1073 -TLM103.wav)
:: Female Vox (Female Vox - 7602 -TLM103.wav)
:: Male Vox (Male Vox - 1073 -TLM103.wav)
:: Male Vox (Male Vox - 7602 -TLM103.wav)
:: Tenor Sax 1 (Tenor Sax1 - 1073 -TLM103.wav)
:: Tenor Sax 1 (Tenor Sax1 - 7602 -TLM103.wav)
:: Tenor Sax 2 (Tenor Sax2 - 1073 -TLM103.wav)
:: Tenor Sax 2 (Tenor Sax2 - 7602 -TLM103.wav)
 
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