Manley TNT Dual Mic Preamp

The TNT 2-Channel Microphone Preamp from Manley Labs offers two distinct preamps with vastly different characteristics allowing for a broad spectrum of colors for processing audio. The tube channel offers a transparent sound with tube warmth, while the cool channel’s solid-state design offers a palette of clean tones to heavy distortion. The unit is constructed with professional-grade components, hand-wound transformers and hand-selected tubes.

The tube channel is based on the Manley Slam! JFET / Vacuum Tube Triode cascade circuit that allows for high gain, low noise, and low distortion without using negative feedback. The three variable impedance settings offer near-zero gain change, which allows the user to focus on the differences in mic and cable characteristics.

Inspired by vintage British designs, the solid-state cool channel uses opposite topologies from two different preamps. These high and low impedance preamps are used in tandem. The preamps can be controlled via the variable impedance switch. The high impedance preamp operates in voltage mode and uses a paralleled cascaded ultra-low-noise FET / op-amp circuit. The low impedance preamp operates in current mode with a special Lundahl input transformer, paired with an ultra-low noise, ultra-low distortion op-amp. With a medium impedance setting, both voltage and current preamps are engaged and blended at the output. The iron control knob reduces or exaggerates the effects of the custom-wound output transformer. The ’60s / ’70s color switch engages a circuit simulating the qualities of vintage discrete nonlinearities, tape overload (tape compression) and changes in frequency response.

The front panel for both preamps feature phantom power, a high pass filter, a phase reversal switch, an instrument input, and LED indicators for level and overload. Hand-made in the USA, the unit is housed in a 1U steel chassis with a CNC-machined 1/4″ faceplate that is also inlaid with laser-engraved inserts. The TNT ships with an IEC power cable.