Retro Instruments OP-6

Portable Amplifier

The RCA OP-6 has been the behind-the-scenes ‘Holy Grail’ tube preamplifier for ribbon microphones for well over 60 years. Its almost endless headroom and gain are legendary, as is the extremely thick, rich tone imparted by its unique design. The OP-6 was used on some of the greatest recordings of the past, and many of these coveted units are still in use today. Unfortunately, these days originals are hard to find, are very expensive, and mostly don’t perform to the technical specification they once did.

The vintage unit’s feature set is also somewhat limited when compared to modern standards. While the preamp sounds just amazing on ribbon mics –or any other microphone type for that matter – with each pairing an adjustment to the input transformer (inside the unit) is required to adapt it to the optimum impedance. Further, some mics require 48 volts, which wasn’t an option on a vintage RCA OP-6, and it’s often hard for a purist to mod an amazing vintage ’50s preamp beyond its original design to accommodate modern convenience.

Features

• Stepped gain control
• Switchable Mic Impedance – /37/150/600
• Over 80dB of gain
• Phase Switching
• 48V phantom power
• Instrument input
• 25db Pad
• High Quality VU Meter
• Output Attenuator Control
• Improved Noise Performance
• XLR Input/Output
• Integral Tube Test Functions
• Durable Hammer Tone Case Finish
• Faceplate Holds true to original OP-6 design
• 115/230 Operation 50/60 Cycles