Rupert Neve 5211 Microphone Preamplifier

With two channels of the classic tone you know and love, 72dB of gain, sweepable high-pass filters for precise control, and the power of Mr. Rupert Neve’s dual-tap transformers with variable Silk saturation, the Rupert Neve 5211 delivers a versatile, flattering, and uncompromising front end for any signal path. In short, it’s everything a mic preamp should be.

What is Silk?
One of the key features of the Rupert Neve 5211 is the Silk / Texture control. The Silk circuit was initially developed for the original Portico series mic preamplifiers, and was only a single switch – on or off – that added a specified amount of musical, pleasing harmonic saturation to the unit’s output stage.

Taking this concept one step further, the Texture knob is designed to adjust the actual amount of harmonic content from the source material.

So how does it work? By reducing negative feedback across the output transformer and adjusting this feedback’s frequency response, the Silk / Texture circuit provides the sweet, musical saturation found in Rupert’s legendary vintage designs – but with complete & precise control over the amount of classic tone you want. And when the level is driven to the edge of its headroom, the Silk effect is multiplied.

Custom Transformer Outputs
The Rupert Neve 5211 has a custom transformer output stage with a balanced main standard line level output. Additionally, a separate -6dBu XLR output can compensate for high levels of input and Silk harmonic saturation, enabling engineers to fully drive the Rupert Neve 5211 to achieve more transformer harmonics without clipping the next device in the chain. Both outputs are active and can be used concurrently.

Is the preamp circuitry in the 5211 the same as any other RND mic preamps?
The Rupert Neve 5211 is a unique design featuring a transformerless input, and is very similar to that in the Newton Channel – but uses the same line amplifiers and output stage (featuring the special -6dB output) as the Shelford Channel.

An important note: the majority of harmonic content and sonic color associated with Rupert’s vintage modules actually comes from the output stage transformers, not the input stage – and in addition to the -6dB output, this tonality is controllable via the Silk / Texture circuit on the Rupert Neve 5211.

Can the 5211 be used on line sources like keyboards or line outputs?
Absolutely – just make sure to disable 48V phantom and turn the gain down to zero before connecting the inputs.

Can the 5211 be used with a guitar or bass direct signal without a DI?
No, the impedance is not high enough to properly interact with a high-Z source. Use a direct box like the RNDI or RNDI-S to convert the impedance to mic level first.