The whole look, feel, vibe and sound of the Universal Audio 2108 Dual Mic/Instrument Preamplifier say "rock" to me. Maybe it's the black anodized front panel of this lean and mean-looking single rack space unit or it's no nonsense operation--like its sibling, the UA 1176LN Peak Limiter. The 2108's design was inspired by the original 1108 line amp developed by Bill Putnam Sr. in the early '60s to use in his recording consoles and subsequently in the 1176. The 2108 uses a newly designed J-FET mic-input stage that allows precise control over saturation characteristics, followed by an 1176 line amp and output transformer. In the spirit and heritage of UA CEO/president Bill Putnam Jr., this is his father's preamp; enhanced, modernized and reincarnated into a versatile and worthwhile unit reminiscent of the 1108 amplifier and a bygone era.

Right out of the double shipping boxes, I saw that the 2108's finish, white silk-screened labeling, knobs and E-Switch push buttons all matched the 1176. To obtain an extremely low-noise spec, the 2108 is powered by an external power supply; one power supply is included and required for each 2108 in your rack. The 2108 is ruggedly constructed and housed in an all-steel cabinet. Service techs will like the neat and spacious circuit board layout and the way all of the components and beefy transformers are securely mounted. Metal polypropylene-coupling capacitors and metal film resistors are used throughout. It's hand-built like a tank; I would have no qualms about taking this unit on the road or renting it out. With the 1176's output-stage circuit and specially made UA-5002 output transformer, the 2108 shares the same sonic world: one that is inhabited by many top mixers who, just for the sound, strap a pair of 1176s across the stereo bus without compressing.

Each of the two identical preamp channels on the 2108 uses two control knobs to set recording levels. The Gain control uses a sealed ElectroSwitch rotary switch and sets gain in 5dB steps from a minimum of 25 dB to a maximum of 65 dB. The Level control is a smooth-feeling pot that sets final output levels from zero (off) to 10 (i.e., the full value of the Gain knob setting). I found the 2108 was best used in a deliberately overdriven mode like a guitar amp with a master volume control: Wind up the input Gain knob and turn down the output Level control. This produces harmonic-enriched soft saturation and, being a solid-state, all-discrete, Class-A preamp, sets the 2108 apart from most other transistor mic pre's. Overdriving transistor gear is nothing new, but producing many usable and repeatable results is.

After the Gain and Level controls, each channel has a +48-volt phantom-on/off, phase reverse and input/output meter switch. For metering, the 2108 uses a tri-colored LED mounted in a nice-looking, glass jewel housing. With the Meter button pushed in, any signal present on the input causes the jewel to glow green, changing to amber with more level and then red when circuit saturation begins. The manual states that red does not indicate clip, but I wish there were output clip LEDs, anyway. With the button out, you'll see output levels with red that indicate a +12dB output at the rear panel XLR output connector. While recording, you'll see it changing colors all of the time, a quick check clearly seen from across the control room. Precise metering is best accomplished at your tape deck, MDM or DAW.

UA 2108 Specifications

Microphone-input impedance: selectable, 1 kohm/4 kohms Hi-Z input impedance: selectable, 2 Meg or 58 k-ohms Maximum microphone-input level: +8 dBu Maximum output level: +26 dBu Recommended minimum load: 600 ohms Frequency response: 20 to 20k Hz, ±1 dB Maximum gain: 65 dB Noise: -165dB EIN @ 65dB Gain Dynamic range: >100 dB CMRR: 50 dB @ 1 kHz Power requirements: 115 volts/230 volts Weight: ~11.5 pounds (5.2 kg) Dimensions: 1U rack, 11.5 inches (29.2 cm) deep

There are two ways to get audio into the 2108: the standard XLRs on the back panel or the gold-plated, high-impedance, 1/4-inch jacks on the front. The rear XLR jack is active only when the Gain control is in any position between 30 dB and 65 dB. The hi-Z jack automatically takes over when the Gain control is set to the 25, 30 or 35dB positions. Therefore, it is impossible to have, say, 25 dB of gain for the XLR or 30 db of gain for the hi-Z. Because there are no -10 or -20dB mic-attenuator positions onboard, you may have to use more gain than usual and reduce the output level control to achieve proper recording levels. Conversely, if you run out of gain, then you'll have to make it up somewhere else in the recording chain. I found out that none of these initial concerns mattered much when I used the 2108 for my recordings. High on my wish list would be separate XLR line-level input jacks to process whole mixes through the output section of the 2108; get that 1176 sound without tying up two 1176s!