D.W. Fearn VT-2 – D.W. Fearn VT-series microphone preamplifiers have long been the go-to weapon of choice as an ultra-high-fidelity mic pre during tracking but is is also an essential part of the entire workflow for many artists, engineers, producers, and other audio professionals. Any microphone and any sound will benefit from the improved clarity, definition, and lack of solid-state artifacts that D. W. Fearn products bring to your session.
Design Philosophy
In designing the VT preamp, no compromise in sonic quality, reliability, or ruggedness was permitted. Like the best tube equipment of the 1950s and ’60s, the D.W. Fearn VT-2 preamp is built on a heavy-gauge aluminium chassis, utilising point-to-point wiring. Each vacuum tube is selected for minimum noise and microphonics, and maximum sonic clarity.
The front panel switches control sealed, gold-contact precision relays for all audio switching, eliminating the possibility of dirty contacts degrading the sound and minimising the internal audio path. Four class-A triode amplifier sections (in two tubes) in each channel comprise the entire active circuit. This surprisingly simple circuit, along with top-quality components and careful design optimisation, results in the sonic superiority that the D.W. Fearn VT-1 preamp has become known for.
New models of D.W. Fearn VT-2 preamp feature an integrated, switchable 43 dB pad, enabling it to be patched into the Master Buss during mixdown and mastering to provide D.W. Fearn’s unique sonic signature to the final mix or mastering process. This replaces the need for the LP-1 Line pad, which was a separate box previously available from D.W. Fearn. The new design now makes the D.W. Fearn VT-2 a veritable triple threat, equally at home in recording, mixing, and mastering.
D.W. Fearn VT-2 Features
- All vacuum-tube design
- Lo-Z input position for superior performance with transformer less mics
- Phase (polarity) reverse switch
- +48-volt phantom power (completely disconnected when off)
- Custom-design Jensen input and output transformers
- 20 dB input pad (switchable)
- True VU meters (amplifier isolated)
- All point-to-point audio wiring
- Gold input and output XLR connectors
- Polypropylene and polystyrene coupling capacitors
- All audio switching through gold-contact, sealed precision relays
- International operation on 100, 120, or 220 VAC, 50/60 Hz
- CE certified, RoHS-compliant
- +4 dBm output
- Conservatively rated precision components and rugged construction for stability and long life
