Heritage Audio has added the HA-81A to its Elite Series, a British-spec hybrid channel strip combining an all-discrete, class-A 73-style mic preamp with an 81-style equaliser.
The HA-81A uses only rotary switches and precision, concentric potentiometers to manage an 80dB, all-discrete class-A preamp section with Carnhill and St Ives input and output transformers – as found in Heritage Audio’s other Elite Series products. The unit’s input gain is switched in 5dB steps (0-80), with output trim attenuation (0-infinity), a -20dB pad ahead of the input transformer, and +48V phantom power.
The HA-81A equaliser is a four-band, inductor-based circuit, with high- and low-pass filters each with five frequency positions. It offers extreme – five frequency-position – control over shelf or bell response curves on the high and lows, and dual Q on both mid bands with dedicated high and low mid ones, each with ten frequency positions – a choice of 40 frequency selections overall.
The HA-81A is shipping and available now, via RAD Distribution in the US at an MAP of US$1,099
