The Prism Sound Maselec MMA-4XR is an audiophile 4 channel microphone pre-amplifier offering the highest standards of performance.
Design objectives included consistently good sound over the whole range of gain settings, a high level of transparency and ultra-low noise and distortion.
Applications
The MMA-4XR is designed for the discerning professional recording engineer. The microphone pre-amplifier is a critical component in the recording chain, as it must take a low-level signal from any of a wide range of transducers and amplify it so that it can be transmitted to a recording or distribution system without loss of information or introduction of noise. To meet today's requirements for quality, particularly driven by advanced digital media such as CD, DVD, SACD/DSD places huge demands on the preamplifier electronics. The MMA-4XR has been designed to meet these challenges.
The MMA-4XR is a pre-amplifier that can provide precise gain adjustment with minimal noise - it is designed to provide a very transparent signal path where the original signal from the microphone is perfectly preserved, whether it is a classic tube or modern design.
Pedigree and design philosophy
The most recent addition in the range of Maselec Master Series products, the MMA-4XR was developed for Prism Sound by engineer/producer Leif Mases. Leif's work with a diverse range of artists including Abba, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck and Black Sabbath as well as co-ownership of the renowned Marcus Studios in London provided the essential experience using the "tools of the trade" needed to define and implement new and improved professional audio components.
Also qualified in electronic design, Leif Mases developed the highly acclaimed Maselec 9001 retrofit equalizer for SSL 4000 mixing consoles used in film sound and recording studios and currently also builds custom consoles and equipment for mastering and other applications.
The combination of Leif Mases' experience with the creative process and Prism Sound's focus on engineering and technical excellence ensure that the Maselec Master Series delivers great-sounding audio in an intuitive and easy-to-use package.
Using the MMA-4XR
The MMA-4XR is a minimalist microphone preamplifier that has been designed to provide integrity and transparency. Consistent with this, each channel has only controls for gain (69dB in 3dB steps), phase invert, cut (mute) and 48V phantom power. The Phantom power circuit provides a higher-than usual level of current output - often a problem with inferior designs which can result in compromised microphone performance. An LED bargraph clearly shows signal level with conventional green, yellow and red colouring for highest levels. Output headroom extends to +28dBu. The MMA-4XR frequency response extends to more than 200kHz - well beyond the basic 20kHz audio band.
