With two channels of the classic tone you know and love, 72dB of gain, sweepable high-pass filters for precise control, and the power of Mr. Rupert Neve’s dual-tap transformers with variable Silk saturation, the 5211 delivers a versatile, flattering and uncompromising front end for any signal path. In short, it’s everything a mic preamp should be.
What Is Silk?
One of the key features of the 5211 is the Silk/Texture control. The Silk circuit was initially developed for the original Portico series mic preamplifiers, and was only a single switch—on or off—that added a specified amount of musical, pleasing harmonic saturation to the unit’s output stage.
Taking this concept one step further, the Texture knob is designed to adjust the actual amount of harmonic content from the source material.
So how does it work? By reducing negative feedback across the output transformer and adjusting this feedback’s frequency response, the Silk/Texture circuit provides the sweet, musical saturation found in Rupert’s legendary vintage designs—but with complete and precise control over the amount of classic tone you want. And when the level is driven to the edge of its headroom, the Silk effect is multiplied.
Why a -6dB Output?
Complementing the Silk circuit is the custom-designed output transformer from the renowned Shelford Channel, which uses Rupert Neve Designs’ unique dual-tap output topology. This offers both full-headroom (+26dBu) and -6dB outputs, allowing the engineer to drive the unit fully into classic transformer saturation without clipping converters and other devices later in the chain.
Unlike the Shelford Channel, which uses a mic input transformer for a more vintage topology, the 5211’s input is fully transformerless, maximizing signal clarity direct from the microphone. Combined with the more extreme saturation from both variable Silk and the custom output transformer’s lower-headroom tap, the 5211 is capable of producing tones ranging from thick and warm to breathtakingly delicate and clear. It’s the best of old and new alike.
- Mic gain-A 12-way precision rotary switch controls gain from 0 to 66dB in 6dB steps
- Trim-Continuously variable +/-6dB level control
- Silk/texture-Pushing the Silk button engages the Red Silk circuit, which reduces the negative feedback on the output transformer, adding harmonic content as the texture is increased, Red Silk accentuates the saturation in the mid and high frequencies, similar to that of the Red Silk mode on the Shelford Channel, by manipulating the Texture control, the amount of Silk can be changed from essentially absent, to roughly 10 times the amount of coloration/distortion found in Silk from the original Portico Series, with Silk/Texture engaged, the distortion characteristic and harmonic content of the unit are very reminiscent of many of Rupert’s vintage class-A designs
- Level Meter: An eight-segment LED bar-graph meter displays output level (pre-Silk). from -30dBu to +22dBu
- Polarity-Reverses the polarity of the input signal
- High Pass Filter-Continuously variable from 20Hz to 250Hz, and engaged with the HPF button
- Phantom Power-Provides 48V phantom power to microphones
- 6dB Output-A secondary split off the output transformer with a lower headroom, designed to allow engineers to fully drive the output of the 5211 without clipping converters and other devices
- @ 1kHz: +26dBu
Noise
- Un-weighted, 22Hz–22kHz, 150-ohm input termination
- Line Out (Unity Gain): -104 dBV, -101.9dBu
- -6dB Line Out (Unity Gain): -109dBV, -107dBu
- Line Out (+30dB Gain): -98dBV, -96dBu
- Line Out (+66dB Gain): -66dBV, -64dBu
Equivalent input noise (ein)
- -128dBV, -126dBu
Frequency response
- -0.2dB at 10Hz, -2.9dB at 120kHz
Maximum output level
- 1kHz: +26.5dBu
- 20Hz to 30kHz +26dBu
Total harmonic distortion and noise (without Silk)
- 1kHz, +20dBu O/P level, no load 0.0015%, typical
- 20Hz, +20dBu O/P level, no load less than 0.02%, typical
- Total harmonic distortion and noise (with Silk engaged)
- Texture @ min, 100Hz, +20dBu O/P level, no load: 0.03%, mostly 3rd harmonic
- Texture @ max, 100Hz, +20dBu O/P level, no load: 1.5%, mostly 2nd harmonic
Power consumption
- 35W (Max)
Shipping weight
- 11 lb. (5 kg)
Shipping dimensions (WxDxH)
- 23” x 15” x 7”, 58.4 cm x 38.1 cm x 17.8 cm
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