Many folks have been asking for a preamp that can push their music production “over the edge”. Well, here it is!
This dual pentode preamp has 2 tubes per channel, one for clean gain and the other for overdrive. You can go from pristine clean to even harmonic drenched sound thanks to the dual stage overdrive. A special combination of a JFET transistor and a pentode makes the breakup even smoother than the tube by itself. And a 3-position pre-overdrive filter helps clean up the muddiness that often results when too much bass hits an overdrive circuit. First, drive the second tube to your liking, then blend it in with the clean signal, and, voila!
Whether you use it with your microphone, instrument or line signal, Xcalibur cuts through where other swords break!
Xcalibur JC Saturation Preamp
The Xcalibur JC was introduced in early 2018 in collaboration with Joe Chiccarelli, a Los Angeles based producer/engineer. He was checking out the original Xcalibur at his Sunset Studio in Hollywood and requested a few mods to make the unit more suitable for his way of work: A master pot replaces the 3-way attenuator switch, OD gain (marked OD+) now has 3 stages (mid/low/high), and there’s an additional 3-pos post-drive Low Pass filter (marked ODf2). All other functions and specs are the same as on the Xcalibur Standard. See manual for details.
Please go to our Audio Samples page to listen to some actual recordings using Xcalibur.
Demos
In these videos, Joe Chiccarelli talks about why and how to use the Xcalibur JC. Greg Wells demonstrates the use of the Xcalibur JC on Kick and Snare. Finally a couple of music examples using the Xcalibur: “Earth Rising” was all recorded on the Xcalibur standard in clean mode, and “Blue” by Aza Nabuko was mixed using the JC on individual tracks as well as adding saturation on the stereo bus. Courtesy of the Blue Light Studios, Vancouver.
Technical Specifications
2 channels
Variable input impedance (for mic input only)
Frequency response: 10Hz-50kHz +/-3dB
Maximum clean gain: 68dB (mic), 48dB (inst. and line)
Harmonic distortion (with no OD blend): <2% before clipping level, quickly decreases if driven less.
Maximum output level: 32dBu
Minimum output load: 600 Ohms
Connectors: XLR’s for mic, line and output, balanced only
Instrument input: 1/4” unbalanced, mono
Power consumption: 30W