The Maag Audio PreQ4-500 front panel starts with separate +48-volt phantom power on/off switch and phase reverse (polarity) switches. Next is a switchable -20 dB attenuator pad that is placed in the circuit just before the input transformer to avoid saturation unnecessarily with an excessively, “hot” microphone signal.
Adjacent to the pad switch is the high pass filter in/out switch. The high pass filter has a very gentle slope starting at 160 Hz and is -3 dB down at 70 Hz. All four of these switches—the 48-volt phantom, phase reverse, -20 dB pad and high pass filter all have LEDs to confirm their status.
Just above is the gain +20 dB range switch that changes the nominal throughput gain range from either 25 to 45 dB over to 45 to 65 db of gain. The air band in/out switch is next and these two switches also have led status indicators. Within a dimly lit recording studio, these LEDs are vital to provide an extra level of confidence and confirmation of the Maag Audio PreQ4-500’s correct setup and operation.
Next is the gain control with a green led to indicate signal presence at -20 dBu and a red led to indicate when the output is near clip at +23 dBu. Above gain is the air band gain control for up to +12 db of boost in the vari air band section. There is a 6-position switch for selecting the starting frequency of this shelving equaliser of: 2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 kHz.
The Maag Audio PreQ4-500 is an excellent tracking microphone preamplifier when you desire a pristine and uncolored sounding recording. It provides a choice of extending the high frequencies in a clear and musical way without harshness.
