'70s Vibe "All iron" Solid-state Preamp Brings Back the Quad Eight!A Designs Pacifica - If you're looking for a preamp with the depth of a Neve, the clear midrange of API, and the top end of a Massenburg, you'll find all that in the Pacifica by A Designs. In fact, that's what people who have access to all of the above are saying about the Pacifica. A Designs Pacifica brings back the sound of the Quad Eight console of the '70s (Pink Floyd's The Wall and Boston's More Than a Feeling were mixed on Quad Eight), which in its day was considered the best of the top three - the other two being Neve and API. If you're a small studio that can only afford one really good preamp, give the A Designs Pacifica some serious consideration. A-Designs Audio Pacifica at a Glance:Unique preamp based on the legendary Quad Eight ConsoleAll analog, custom-wound input and output transformers Two front-panel hi-Z inputsUnique look and soundPhase, -20 Pad, and 48v switchesWhat makes Pacifica different? In the early days of large recording consoles there were but three companies that were dominating the studios. Quad Eight was arguably considered as one of the best sounding at that time. The A Designs Audio "Pacifica" recaptures this sound with a preamp unlike any you have heard before. No wonder the Pacifica has been nominated for the Mix Magazine 2006 Tec Award! Custom wound input AND output transformersIn building any mic-pre with soul, one of the most important elements are the transformers. A Designs actually tracked down the original drawings for the old Quad 8 console transformers and went one step further - they convinced the son of the original Quad 8 designer to rebuilt them for A Designs -by ear-by hand. After many prototypes of core alloys and experiments in winding techniques, the sound of the A Designs Pacifica was born. Employing sonically crafted input and output transformer pairs, the Pacifica's sound is unlike anything on the market. Direct InjectUnlike modern transformerless designs, The Direct Inject front panel input is designed to go directly to the input transformer for fullest sound. The Pacifica offers extraordinary tone to today's guitar, bass and keyboard players. Color SchemeA Designs Audio wanted to keep the look of the old Quad Eight consoles with its Pacifica; the faceplate is a creamy off-white and the cast-aluminum knobs are red along with the red and gray switch caps. All of these are duplicates of the original colors from that era. The Pacifica is as distinctive in looks as it is in sound. Pad, Phase and 48vThe Pad is a -20dB, the Phase reverses Polarity, and the 48v is a full 48volt Phantom Power supply for condenser microphones. These three features will provide you with all the tools necessary for a great sound.A Designs Pacifica Features:72dB GainCustom wound input and output transformers-20dB Pad48v Phantom PowerPhase SwitchDirect Inject hi-ZCustom cast aluminum knobsBalanced XLR output connectorsRed LED Phantom IndicatorBlue LED power indicatorOn/Off power switch and internal power supplyToroidal power transformerSingle rackspace form factorLots of tone without tubes!All solid-state designIf you can only afford one really good preamp for your studio, give the A Designs Pacifica some serious consideration.