Universal Audio 710 TwinFinity

Reviews | Universal Audio 710 Twin Finity
90
T
here’s been steady fl ow of new
Universal Audio products
coming through Future Music
HQ lately. From the DCS
Remote Pre and 2-LA-2 to the
upcoming UAD-2 card, UA’s design
workbench is busy to say the least!
The latest offering from UA is the
Model 710 Twin-Finity mic/line/Hi-Z/DI
preamp. It not only provides a tube and
transistor signal path but also a blend
control, allowing the user to move
smoothly from 100% transistor signal to
a 100% tube signal or any blend of the
two in varying amounts. In theory, this
pre could be the answer to many
people’s dreams!
Make no mistake, the 710 looks
great and is well laid out. The 2U,
half-rack, metal-chassis design, reminds
me of my Avalon U5 preamp/DI though
the 710 weighs considerably less. The
710 can either sit upon a desktop or is
rackable using the included rack-
mounting kit – a nice surprise
considering we normally get fl eeced for
essential extras such as this!
There are three main dials on the
front panel that control the two
preamps’ input/output and blend
between the solid-state/transistor and
tube signal paths. On the left is a gain
control that raises the amount of gain
applied to the input by a not-to-be-
sniffed-at +60dBu (for the mic input),
or +40dBu (using the line input or front
panel Hi-Z jack input/DI). There is a
15dB pad available for high output
mic's as well.
Ins ’n’ outs
On the right is a level control that acts
as a master volume, attenuating the
signal sent from the rear panel line out
XLR (to your DAW for example).
Unfortunately, there is no mic output
level XLR on the 710. In the bottom
centre of the front panel is the blend
dial, which is the key feature of the 710
(more on this important feature later).
Moving swiftly on, taking front-panel
Universal Audio 710
Twin-Finity | £599
UA’s latest offering is a hybrid preamp that contains
a blend-able tube/transistor signal path. Dan ‘JD73’
Goldman travels from here to Twin-Finity!
WHAT IS IT?
A twin channel, mic/
instrument preamp,
utilising tube and
solid-state signal paths
with unique blend control
CONTACT
Who: Source Distribution
Tel: [phone]
Web: uaudio.com
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Can sound clean or dirty
or anywhere in between
using the blend control
2 Low noise with plenty of
gain/headroom available
3 Will sit comfortably on a
desktop, out and about, or
in a rack
Tube versus Solid-State
There are two separate
preamps contained within
the 710 (summed into
one output). The Class-A,
high-voltage vacuum tube
amplifi er utilises a single
12AX7 tube and is based
on ‘vintage guitar amplifi er
designs’ according to the
manual (though most
guitar amps have several
tubes methinks?)
It’s designed to allow
precise and smooth
control over the amount of
even-order harmonic
distortion applied to the
signal path. Even-order
harmonic distortion is very
easy on the ears and can
transform the most
anaemic of sounds into
something altogether more
warm and sizzly!
The solid-state transistor
preamp in the 710, is
designed to be
super-quiet, capture fast
attack/transients and
exhibit very low distortion
characteristics in line with
the preamps found in
many of UA’s other
devices (such as the DCS
Remote Preamp).
It’s what UA call a
‘transimpedance design’
that feeds current back
into the circuit to inhibit
noise and distortion and
thus, this pre is largely
transparent in character
until the input gain is
pushed. Transparent pres
are particularly useful for
tracking, when colour is to
be added via other pres or
outboard at the mix stage.
ON THE DVD
FMU207.rev_ua 90 14/10/08 3:48:16 pm