Heritage Audio 8173 80 Series Microphone Preamp & EQ

The best parts of two beloved British console modules

Engineers in the ’70s loved the flexibility of the 81-style equalizer module, a four-band EQ with two wide-ranging mid bands. But the 81-style module had a Class A/B amplifier stage that just didn’t have the character of the better-known 73-style module. The Heritage Audio 8173 80 Series preamp/EQ module gives you the best of both: the warm, rich Class A sound of the 73-style module, combined with the powerful 4-band EQ of the 81-style module.

Built to original specs for a true vintage re-creation

The Heritage Audio 8173 is designed and built just like the original British-produced modules, in the same 80 Series format. Inside, you’ll find the same transformers, dual-concentric switches, push buttons, and even the same PCB cards. So don’t think the 8173 is another vintage emulation or copycat — it’s a true combination of the original 73- and 81-style modules.

This preamplifer/EQ module is ready for any studio application

The 8173 packs 80dB of gain in its Class A mic preamp, perfect for ribbon mics and low-output dynamics. The sound is full, punchy, and gets incredibly vibrant when you push your signal levels. And the EQ is amazing too — high- and low-shelving EQs sport the classic Baxandall curves, which give an incredibly natural-sounding roll-off or boost for any material. And the sweepable mid-bands have a wide enough range to cover any task, from scooping mud out of your kick drum to sharpening its attack at 6kHz.

Heritage Audio 8173 80 Series Microphone Preamplifier/EQ Module Features:

• Incredibly accurate combination of the classic 73- and 81-style console modules
• For use with approved 80 Series chassis
• Class A mic preamp with 80dB of gain, plus a sweet-sounding 4-band EQ
• Equalizer’s mid-bands nearly the entire audible frequency range
• Class A line-level amplifier with 10dB of gain
• Low- and high-shelving EQs with Baxandall curves for smooth, natural-sounding response
• High-pass filter, switchable between 50Hz, 80Hz, and 300Hz
• +48V phantom power is supplied by your 80 Series chassis
• Designed with the same components, specifications, and construction techniques as the original British-produced modules