Doug Turkel
Liz Atherton
Joel Snyder
Tom Antonellis
Marc Preston
Armed with a bold new look, a different and improved housing, and more steps of amplification, version two of the SPL Crescendo Duo packs the company’s acclaimed transparent, high-headroom preamp technology into a convenient 2-channel format. If you’re not familiar with the Crescendo series yet, let Sweetwater clue you in. These preamps have an internal operating voltage of 120 volts, which makes it almost impossible to overdrive. Thanks to this proprietary technology and high-voltage SUPRA op-amps, the Crescendo Duo has a potential internal operating voltage of ±60 volts, enabling it to effortlessly and flawlessly amplify even the fastest transients, the finest details, and the complete frequency range, with stunning clarity and incredibly low distortion. If you’ve been looking for a new mic pre to add to your studio, you can’t go wrong with the SPL Crescendo Duo.
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What’s onboard
Each of the Crescendo Duo’s preamps is equipped with +48 phantom power, input gain, output gain, VU meter, polarity reversal a 20dB pad, and a -10 reduction switch for the VU meter display. The 12-step mic gain knob controls a range from 18dB to 70dB, providing plenty of juice for even your low-output passive ribbon mics. Engage a Pad to knock high-level input signals down into the comfort zone (-2dB to 50dB).
What’s under the hood
The Crescendo Duo is packed full of technical innovation and quality components. The differential amplifiers in the input stage are built with precisely matched transistor pairs, grouped in a special housing. The transistor matching, combined with thermal coupling, guarantees high common-mode rejection and exceptionally low total harmonic distortion. Meticulous transistor and resistor selection has a huge impact on the sound and contributes to its transparency. The perfect components for the Crescendo Duo were chosen in the context of ongoing critical listening sessions, and the results tell all.
Cutting-edge tools for pro studios
SPL — Sound Performance Lab — is a German pro audio manufacturer that has consistently been on the cutting edge for the last three decades. From their renowned Transient Designer, TwinTube, and Vitalizer MK2-T to professional mastering tools such as the Passeq, SPL gear is found in top studios and mastering facilities worldwide. Now SPL unleashes another groundbreaking product. With its uncanny ability to handle any and every source without audible distortion, the Crescendo Duo raises the bar for high-end mic preamps.
SPL Crescendo v2 2-channel Microphone Preamp Features:
- Improves upon its predecessor with a cosmetic facelift, improved housing, and more steps of amplification on the Mic Gain knobs
- 120V technology and SUPRA op-amps deliver incredibly high headroom
- Matched transistors and resistors cut down on harmonic distortion
- -10 reduction switch makes it easy to display the dynamics of high levels
- Discrete output stage op-amps are capable of driving long cable paths without problems
- Active servo circuits avoid the use of coupling capacitors and their inherent drawbacks
- 2 parallel XLR outputs per channel ma
- Gain range: 18-70dB (-2dB to 50dB with 20dB Pad engaged)