Designed for recording engineers who want an updated take on the classic '73-style unit, the Black Lion Audio B173 Quad is a four-channel preamp with a warm, creamy, 1970s tone. It's suitable for recording vocals, keyboards, guitars, basses, and more.

This preamp gives you four channels in a 2-RU package. XLR connections on the rear of the unit correspond nicely with your microphones, while you can plug any electric bass, guitar, or keyboard into one of its two 1/4" DI jacks. To better correspond with a variety of downstream gear, both XLR and 1/4" outputs are provided. Each output can be run in parallel, should you need to divert a single output to two different sonic destinations.

All four channels offer up to 70 dB of gain. Each channel sports its own phantom power switch for condenser microphones, as well as a polarity-reverse selector. A Hi-Z switch on two channels lets you choose between the mic and DI input. Gain and output knobs allow you to fine tune the level of each instrument; if you wished, you could drive the signal hard with the gain knob for a harmonically rich tone, then lower the output knob to avoid clipping your digital converter downstream.

The B173 Quad employs Cinemag transformers on both the input and output stages, ensuring a warm, meaty tone. Output metering is made possible via four meters. A power supply is included.