SPL GainStation 8 Mk2

8 Channel Microphone and Instrument Preamplifier

The GainStation 8 Mk2 is the premium recording front end featuring 60V audio rail.

This preamplifier combines Class-A Clean Gain with sound-shaping Tube Gain bring the fullest sound palette to your recordings.

The GainStation 8 Mk2 is the premium recording front end, ensuring that any microphone and instrument signal is pre-amplified with the highest quality.

The quality of your recordings has a major influence on the subsequent mixing process – good recordings require less processing in later stages. Improved transparence and understandability can be achieved with less equalization and compression if the signals are recorded optimally, often allowing individual signals to be mixed at lower levels without compromising their presence.

This cutting-edge technology ensures that signals recorded with the GainStation 8 Mk2 have more presence and substance and will easily cut through a mix even at lower levels.

Extremely low-frequency signals are tight and transparent with clear intonation. Percussive transients are interpreted more precisely, which leads to a clearer rhythmic content and in turn a more solid rhythmic performance and perception.

60V DC Audio Rail

The GainStation 8 Mk2 Class-A preamplifier stages are based on proprietary discrete op-amps operating on a 60V rail.

That doubles the voltage of traditional preamplifier designs, resulting in a superior 130dB dynamic range and an extraordinarily alive, detailed image.

Clean Gain

The first amplification stage is the Clean Gain stage, so-called because this is an extremely fast Class-A stage exclusively built with discrete 60V rail op-amps. This stage is designed to capture the pure sound as is.

Tube Gain

The GainStation 8 Mk2 offers effective sound-shaping capabilities most notably via the tube stage, which can be completely bypassed or continuously added to the Class-A preamp circuit, allowing everything from subtle warmth to a noticeable tube saturation effect.

Peak& FET Limiters

The pre-output stage Peak and/or FET mode limiters can be used to protect an AD converter from clipping, or for example to add punch to drum tracks, which in turn reduces or in many cases even eliminates the need for subsequent compression.

Mic Input Impedance

The GainStation 8 Mk2 offers three input impedances to perfectly match the preamplifier to the microphones. The mic impedances are 200 Ohms, 1,2 & 10 kOhms.

Features

Specifications

Frequency range

‹1Hz-125kHz (Clean Gain 30dB, Tube Gain off, +/- 0.5 dB)
‹1Hz-310kHz (Clean Gain 30dB, Tube Gain off, +/- 3 dB)
‹1Hz-125kHz (Clean Gain 30dB, Tube Gain 1dB, +/- 3 dB)

THD+N

0,00038 % (Clean Gain 24 dB, Tube Gain off, 20-22 kHz, +25 dBu output level)
0,032% (Clean Gain 23dB, Tube Gain 1dB, 20-22kHz, +25dBu output level)

Noise

-99,6 dBu (Clean Gain 10dB, Tube Gain off, 20-22 kHz, A-weighted)
-94,6 dBu (Clean Gain 30dB, Tube Gain off, 20-22 kHz, A-weighted)
-68,4 dBu (Clean Gain 60dB, Tube Gain off, 20-22 kHz, A-weighted)
-86,5 dBu (Clean Gain 20dB, Tube Gain 10 dB, 20-22kHz, A-weighted)

E.I.N. 128,4 dB (Clean Gain 60dB, Tube Gain off, 20-22kHz, A-weighted, 40 Ohm)

Dynamik range (20-22kHz, A-weighted): ›130 dB

CCMR ›80 dB

(Clean Gain 30dB, Tube Gain off, 1kHz, Input -30dBu, without Lundahl transformer)

Maximum output level: +34 dBu

Maximum input level (Mic Input, Hi-Z Input): +17 dBu

Input impedance (Instrument Input): ›1 MOhm

Output impedance ›75Ohm

Phantom power 48 V +/-2 V

Power consumption 140W

Dimensions & Weight:

(W x H x D): 482 x 88 x 237mm; 19″ x 3.46″ x 9.33″
Weight: 6,3kg; 13.9lbs
External power supply: (W x H x D): 219 x 85 x 257 mm; 8.62″ x 3.35″ x 10.12″
Weight incl. power cord: 6,8kg; 17.7lbs