Lenny Kravitz or Beck? Two tube preamps from Kansas
Coil Audio is a small company in Lawrence, Kansas that builds tube mic preamps from very old circuits.
The CA-70 is a two-stage octal tube design (a 6J7 into a 6C5) based on the Western Electric circuit that RCA, Gates and Langevin all built versions of. It’s thick and creamy, heavy in the lows. The CA-286 uses a two-stage EF86 circuit in the same family as the Telefunken V72 and the old Langevin, Collins and Gates broadcast amps. It’s more forward and detailed, with a bit of edge.
Tape Op’s reviewer put it about as well as anyone could: “CA-286 would be Lenny Kravitz, CA-70 would be Beck.” Vance Powell, who has engineered for Jack White and Chris Stapleton, keeps CA-286 modules in his rack.
One practical note. Neither one supplies phantom power, so condenser mics need it from somewhere else.
Watch and read
- Tape Op: Coil Audio review (issue 121)
- Tape Op: Coil Audio review (issue 107)
- Front End Audio: Coil Audio CA-70
- Equipboard: Vance Powell and the CA-286
Gear in this post: Coil Audio CA-286, Coil Audio CA-70, Telefunken V72
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