Traverse Analogue 652 Vacuum Tube Preamplifier
By Adam Gallant
S
ome of the best tube preamps in the
country are designed and built in
Eastern Canada. Julian Traverse is a
hardware designer and builder who
has launched an incredible company based
in Conception Bay South, NL, by the name
of Traverse Analogue.
Our studio has had the delight of testing
the company’s flagship stereo tube preamp,
the 652 Vacuum Tube Preamplifier, for the
past few months, and put simply, the more
time we’ve spent with this unit, the more
we have fallen in love. Julian’s products are
hand-built with zero compromise for audio
professionals.
Overview
The 652 is a class A, dual-stage mic and line
preamp with one 12AX7 tube per channel
with custom Lundahl input and output
transformers. All of the components are
hand-selected by Julian and the build qual-
ity is world class. The unit weighs in at 6 kg.
The front plate is constructed of thick
anodized aluminum with an easy-to-read
and intuitive layout. For front panel controls,
we have a phantom power switch, mic/line
switch, and a 300-ohm to 1200-ohm imped-
ance switch followed by the input gain knob.
Input gain is controlled with a very rugged
12-step detented knob that provides from
5dB to 60dB of preamp gain. The output
“master” attenuator is controlled via a very
smooth, non-detented knob that will give
fine control of audio volume routed to your
DAW. On the front panel we also have a high
pass filter with 10 Hz, 80 Hz, and 200 Hz set-
tings as well as a phase switch.
I should also mention that all controls on
the unit are completely isolated from chan-
nels one and two. On the back, we have IEC
power as well as XLR ins and outs for each
channel. The heft of the unit, the feeling of
the knobs and switches, and the quality of
the front panel are all top notch, and since
spending some time with the 652, I’ve been
referring to it as the Bentley of preamps.
In Use
In our studio, we tend to use clean preamps
and dirty things up in the box. I am very used
to the sound of our API 512cs and have also
been using a Great River preamp lately. The
benefit of the Traverse tube pres is that they
are as clean- or cleaner-sounding than my
APIs but they have the ability to get saturated
with the most flattering tube sound. Zero
harshness, plenty of air, nice heft, and the
perfect amount of warmth and crush. When
I pin both the input and output gain, the 652
outputs less hiss than when I do the same on
my API pres. The 652 powers an SM7B nicely
and takes most mid-grade large diaphragm
condensers we throw at it from bland to rich
with the perfect amount of compression
when you drive them.
On vocals, the 652 brings out air and low
mids in a very flattering way without any
worry about managing hiss or harshness that
I have encountered with other tube pres. The
652 has a way of taming the often-sibilant
sound I get from some large diaphragm
condensers and balancing that frequency
range with a more forward-sounding low-
mid representation.
On acoustic guitar, I’ve taken to setting
up a stereo pair of room mics and driving
them a bit with the tube saturation. The
results are hyper-detailed and, again, void
of harshness.
For drum overheads, the 652 really
shines. It adds power and depth to over-
heads and does a great job of taming super
hard/fast transients that often need taming
in post-production. Having the option to
drive the overheads a bit can make the
drums sound pretty much mixed without
having to muck around with plug-ins to
balance the 2K to 4K area.
Every electric guitar I’ve recorded over
the last year has been with a Royer 122 and
a 57, a staple setup in our studios. The 652
has really helped the low-end representation.
The lows are more contained, less boomy,
and more “mixed-sounding.” The ribbon mic
is particularly happy to be paired with the
652, as the pre has a high impedance option
of 1,200 ohms and the high pass filter at 200
Hz cleans it up, allowing us to push gain into
our DAW more aggressively. The results give
a very present, speaker-filling sound.
Summary
I can’t say enough great things about the
652 Vaccum Tube Preamp from Traverse
Analogue. It has all the character of a tube
preamp but is quiet and reliable like our API
512cs. The fact that Traverse’s products are
hand-built and designed in Eastern Canada
is also very special to me. Hats off to Julian
for his dedicated work.
Adam Gallant has worked in all facets of digital
audio production, from music composition
to location and post audio for television and
film. He currently owns and operates The Hill
Sound Studio in Charlottetown, PE.
PROFESSIONAL SOUND 23