Multi award winning preamp, Mojo analogue saturator, and reference-quality headphone amplifier with discrete line mixer
Cranborne Audio and UK distributor Sound Technology Ltd are pleased to announce the Camden EC1. Camden EC1 combines the multi award winning Camden preamp technology with a reference-grade headphone amplifier to elevate your audio interface’s front-end to a professional level.
“We designed Camden EC1 to make it easy for musicians, vocalists, podcasters and video producers to achieve elite-quality recordings and reference headphone critical listening,” says Sean Karpowicz, Managing Director and Founder.
Award Winning Pedigree
Camden EC1 introduces one of the cleanest and most transparent preamps on the market into a standalone, desktop-friendly chassis that can integrate with any audio interface.
Designed to compete with the very best, the Camden preamp itself achieves unprecedented low-noise and low-distortion performance as well as frequency and phase linearity at all gain settings.
Capture your source with complete transparency; boost low-sensitivity microphones without adding noise and colouration; and capture instant and coherent transients without phase shift that cause summing abnormalities. Camden EC1 exhibits performance specifications that exceed the most revered ‘transparent’ preamps on the market.
It’s 12-way rotary Gain switch enables easy recallability of preamp gain whilst it’s dedicated mic, line, and hi-z input modes allows Camden EC1 to not only become your go-to mic preamp, but also a line-level saturator and instrument DI thanks to dedicated ¼” jack Link outputs for each channel.
Vintage Persona
“Camden's unprecedented performance allows you to vastly improve the quality of your tracks,” says Elliott Thomas, Product Manager. “Using its ‘Mojo’ control, Camden EC1 goes from extraordinarily clean and natural sounding, to thick, vintage-style analogue saturation that can add that ‘magic colour’ to your tracks.”
With two discrete Mojo styles; Thump and Cream, Camden EC1 can perfectly imitate vintage transformer or valve-based preamps at the turn of a dial.
Mojo’s saturation is completely variable, allowing you to dial-in the amount of saturation you need for each source. Keep it at 3-4 for authentic preamp saturation or crank it up to 11 for a more exaggerated effect!
Perhaps most crucially and unlike transformer-based preamps, when you need something clean and transparent for a particular session/source, Mojo can be completely bypassed and removed from the signal using the pots’ built-in, true-bypass switch to reveal the true clarity of the Camden preamp design.
Record through Mojo to apply instant analogue colouration during tracking or send line-level sources through the Mojo to add vintage colouration to your DAW tracks or stereo bus during the mix phase.
Advanced Tracking And Reamping Tool
The Camden EC1’s reference-quality headphone amplifier and independent, 4ch line mixer allows for direct, zero-latency monitoring of the Camden preamp using headphones connected directly to Camden EC1’s front panel. Monitor the preamp directly using headphones during mic placement to find the sweet spot of the instrument/source, or create a zero-latency, analogue headphone mix by mixing the preamp with external playback from dedicated Stereo Aux and Mono Ext Line Inputs.
Camden EC1 features an extraordinary Hi-Z instrument D.I. circuit with a dedicated ¼” jack Link output - the combination makes Camden EC1 the perfect tool for reamping bass and electric guitars on studio or stage. Simply connect your instrument to its Hi-Z input for unparalleled DI performance, and connect the ¼” Link output of the preamp to your amplifier/effects pedals for wet/dry recording and reamping.
C.A.S.T. Enabled
Camden EC1 also utilises Cranborne Audio’s unique C.A.S.T. system for distributing audio around the studio or stage using affordable Cat 5e, Cat 6, or Cat 7 cabling whilst achieving the highest sonic results.
Connect Camden EC1’s C.A.S.T. OUT port to Cranborne Audio’s 500R8 or 500ADAT, and you can send Camden EC1’s preamp directly to the interface's input ready for further processing and recording. At the same time through the same cable, 500R8/500ADAT transmit their built-in monitor mix directly to Camden EC1’s headphone mixer for monitoring.
This allows 500R8/500ADAT users to relocate their Camden EC1’s preamp and headphone amplifier into the live room using a single Cat 5e, Cat 6, or Cat 7 cable whilst freeing-up 500 series slots in 500R8/500ADAT for more EQ and Compressor modules and extra processing before hitting 500R8/500ADAT’s converters.
Meticulously Designed and Engineered In The UK
With an abundance of I/O available, Camden EC1 facilitates the maximum amount of flexibility with all 3rd party audio interfaces and recorders by including dedicated XLR outputs, Impedance balanced 1/4” jack outputs with 10dB PAD, and a Link output when using Camden EC1 as a DI.
“Engineered and designed under the Cranborne team’s watchful eyes,” continued Karpowicz, “Camden EC1 features elite audio specifications and application-based features that defy its price tag and is accessible for professional, project, and home studio engineers.”
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Pricing and Availability
The Cranborne Audio Camden EC1 will be available in November 2020 priced at £549 RRP inc VAT. A Half-Rack Kit will also be available priced at £40 RRP inc VAT.
Cranborne Audio is distributed in the UK/ROI by Sound Technology Ltd. For more information please call 01462 480000 or visit www.soundtech.co.uk/cranborne-audio.
