Warm Audio JUDE: The Original Sound Techniques A-Range Preamp Circuit Returns
Warm Audio and Sound Techniques bring the original A-Range preamp circuit back with JUDE
Warm Audio JUDE is out now — an official collaboration with legendary British console builder Sound Techniques that puts the exact original Sound Techniques A-Range microphone preamp circuit back into production.
Rather than creating another vintage-inspired recreation, Warm Audio has worked directly with Sound Techniques to manufacture the original circuit from the original schematics.
Designed by Geoff Frost, Sound Techniques consoles played an important role in the golden era of British recording, with consoles installed at studios including Trident, De Lane Lea, Sunset Sound and Elektra Sound Recorders.
Perhaps most famously, the A-Range console at Trident Studios helped shape recordings by The Beatles, David Bowie, Elton John, Queen and many more. Among them was Hey Jude — the recording that ultimately gave this new preamp its name.
The exact circuit, not a recreation
For decades, accessing this circuit has largely meant finding rare original Sound Techniques hardware.
JUDE changes that.
Built directly from the original Sound Techniques console preamp schematics, JUDE preserves the original signal path, including the dual-discrete 3035 Class-A amplifier, original Z-Match impedance circuit and custom-spec CineMag input and output transformers.
It’s an important distinction: JUDE isn’t simply based on the classic Sound Techniques design. It is the original circuit, brought back into production through the collaboration between Sound Techniques and Warm Audio.
Z-Match: more interaction between mic and preamp
A particularly interesting part of the original design is Geoff Frost’s 9-position Z-Match impedance control.
By changing the interaction between the microphone and preamp, Z-Match allows engineers to explore different gain, response and tonal characteristics from the same microphone — giving vintage and modern microphones alike another layer of flexibility at the very start of the recording chain.
JUDE also offers up to 76 dB of gain, 48V phantom power, polarity and line-level switching, hand-wired construction and a five-year Warm Audio warranty.
Mono or stereo
JUDE is available in two versions:
JUDE-MP — Single Channel Microphone Preamp
RRP $1,280
JUDE-MP2 — Dual Channel / Stereo Microphone Preamp
RRP $2,350
For stereo recording, drum overheads, piano, guitars or anyone wanting a pair of matched signal paths, the JUDE-MP2 places two complete channels into a 1U rackmount format.
See and hear JUDE
There’s plenty more to explore around the history, circuit and sound of JUDE:
Watch the JUDE introduction
Hear JUDE in action
Watch the full JUDE overview
Warm Audio JUDE is available now through authorised Australian Warm Audio dealers.