Maag Audio PREQ2 | Dual Mic/Line/DI Preamp with EQ

Housed in a sleek and rugged 1U chassis, the Maag Audio PREQ2 is a 2-channel mic/line/DI preamp/EQ that can input any analog signal and optimize it to achieve its maximum sonic potential. Equipped with two of Maag’s acclaimed mic preamps with a robust 71dB of gain, the PREQ2 can handle all your mic, line-level, and DI signals. But it also offers unique features such as buffered Pass Thru and proprietary level-match technology that facilitate re-amplification of mic and instrument signals, lackluster tracks, and even complete mixes through the PREQ2’s discrete Class A transformer-coupled circuitry and equalizer section featuring the legendary Air Band. All controls (with the exception of the continuously variable mic gain pot) are detented for easy settings logging and recall. It’s not only a powerful solution for euphonic enhancement and fine tuning, but it’s also a tremendous value. Put the Maag Audio PREQ2 to the test in your studio. You will be impressed.

Microphone magic
Fortified with 71dB of clean gain, the PREQ2’s mic preamps allow you to use any mic on any source. With the PREQ2, choosing a microphone to capture a specific source is a creative decision — not a technical one. No longer hampered by insufficient gain, you can now deploy that cherished passive ribbon mic on a quiet vocal or instrumental performance. For vintage-flavored “big-iron” sound, the preamps are spec’d with beefy, nickel-core transformers, custom designed and built by Maag Audio. Through the PREQ2, mic signals take on a commanding, larger-than-life authority, resulting in lively, full-bodied tracks that sit perfectly in the mix. These per-channel circuits deliver a pristine, stunningly detailed sound with a massive +27dBu of headroom and a vanishingly low EIN noise level of -128dB. You can select from two optimized gain ranges via the front-panel +25dB gain switch. Also included on the front panel are LED indicators and buttons for 48-volt phantom power, a 20dB pad, and polarity reverse, plus signal present and +26dBu peak LEDs.

Line-level luminescence
If you’ve ever over processed an uninspired track or entire mix in a failed attempted to breathe life into it, we have some good news for you: the Maag Audio PREQ2 is a fantastic re-amping tool that can revitalize any audio signal you send through it. Per-channel switches allow you to toggle between the rear-panel mic and line XLRs, so it is possible to keep both a microphone and a line-level source connected, one to each channel. A line source can be “re-preamped”: in other words, processed through the PREQ2’s amplification and EQ circuitry to inject vitality into it. Now, you may have noticed the per-channel pair of 1/4-inch TS jacks on the front panel — and they are key to a very unique feature of the PREQ2.

DI and instrument/mic re-amping device
The PREQ2 also functions as a traditional re-amp box. When an instrument is plugged into the Instrument Input of either channel, it is buffered and multed back out the Instrument Mic Thru jack at unity gain. This allows you to process the DI signal through the PREQ2; you can also route the signal out to, for instance, a guitar amp located in another room. Cool, but there’s more! You might be wondering why the Instrument Mic Thru jack is called that. Well, with just a microphone attached to the balanced XLR Mic input, that mic signal will be multed, amplified by +20dB, and routed out the 1/4-inch Instrument Mic Thru jack. This is an ingenious method of routing the mic signal to amplified speaker cabinets or stomp boxes without the need for additional interface devices. That the Thru jacks are active whether using DI or mic inputs multiplies your creative options exponentially. Well done, Maag Audio!

Smart detection circuitry
When using the instrument input TS jack, the PREQ2 uses an automatic detection circuit to flip a relay, lowering the impedance and routing the unbalanced 1/4-inch input signal to the mic input transformer. This smart detection circuitry not only allows your DI basses, guitars, keyboards, and synth modules to be infused with “big-iron” transformer muscle; it also makes it impossible for 48V phantom power to ever reach the 1/4-inch Instrument or XLR Line input, should you forget to switch it off.

Unconventional and highly effective EQ
The PREQ2’s EQ section sports an innovative 3-band configuration consisting of a highpass filter, a low-frequency boost, and Maag Audio’s proprietary Air Band. It may be an unconventional arrangement, but it works amazingly well for quick tonal touch-ups and fine tuning. The 12dB/octave HP filter is frequency selectable in 21 steps on its detented rotary switch. Next, the low-frequency band offers 9dB of boost (only) and is frequency selectable via a 6-position rotary starting with a 6dB/octave 10Hz shelf (“Sub”), followed by bell curves centered at 40Hz, 65Hz, 100Hz, 125Hz, and 165Hz. Lastly, we come to the Air Band.

The legendary Air Band
It was 1993 when Cliff Maag rocked the pro audio world with his NTI EQ3, which introduced the Air Band. Regarded to this day as one of the most musical EQs on the planet, the EQ3 has gone on to inspire three decades of Maag Audio EQs. The Air Band has garnered legions of fans over the years and is perfect for adding a vivacious, glistening sheen to a vast range of program material. Incorporating the Air Band into a supremely musical EQ section, the PREQ2 becomes a formidable studio tool that lets you intuitively tune any program material by ear. The PREQ2’s Air Band offers up to 9dB of shelving boost at 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 40kHz and shares a single hardwired bypass with the LF section. Meticulously crafted in the USA, the Maag Audio PREQ2 is built to serve you reliably — session after session, year after year. Add one (or more) to your rack and hear what you’ve been missing!