MusicRadar

The R20 looks like it's built to serve in a war zone.

1 of 2 » View in gallery

• Review

Having tried a large range of microphones (ribbons, dynamics and condensers, old and new) it became apparent that the R20 excels at allowing the qualities of the mic to take precedence.

Though many manufacturers are including variable input impedance to help match the enormous range of mic outputs that populate modern studios, the fixed 6.8kOhm used here only had us maxing out the gain on a few old dynamics and ribbons, though their frequency responses remained intact and unfettered.

The transparent tone of the R20 extends across the audio frequency spectrum and we could find no audible evidence of roll-offs at the extremes. A massive guitar sound through a Royer R121 came through with a low end to die for and smooth upper frequencies that showed no sign of phase shift even when prodigious EQ was added.

"Behind a bomb-resistant 5mm thick front plate the clutter-free circuit delivers a clean and tonally transparent signal path."

The meaty low-mid response of large dynamics such as the Shure SM7 did not require a little EQ as they so often can. Even a cheap condenser with some harsh upper mids seemed to come through with some of that phasey nasal tone ironed out.

This is a preamp for mic lovers, so if you want to impart some extra character with the preamp then this is not the unit you are looking for.

The instrument input possesses plenty of clean gain and with enough headroom to take the dynamic range of troublesome sources such as a high output active bass played slap-style. The frequency response is again wide ranging and smooth, leaving the instrument's tonal character intact.

We have come to expect a lot from devices as simple as the mic preamp, with manufacturers offering ever more elaborate functionality to tempt the cash from our pockets. The R20 resists this temptation and concentrates on the job in hand, but there is one option we missed. A high-pass filter is conspicuous by its absence, especially as the low frequencies come through in such pure form.

Summary

A perfectly decent two-channel mic preamp can be bought for less than £1,000, but with the R20, Arsenal Audio is offering a chunk of classy amplification for those willing to make the investment that good microphones deserve.

The wide-ranging tonal neutrality coupled with the high headroom put the R20 in the high-end audio league, where its price could be considered on the low side.

Some preamps suit beefy guitars, some add that something to vocals, while others excel at capturing the high transients needed for drum overheads. The R20 suits almost any use, but what you will be hearing is the quality of your mic and your source. This is where new technology meets old fashioned simplicity in the best possible way.