We at Sound Pure have been huge advocates of what Peter Montessi and the A-Designs crew have been creating for the past several years. Phenomenal gear priced below the market price of comparable equipment. The Pacifica is indeed something special- don't let its price tag fool you. This thing is a deal. The Pacifica has smoothness and richness without over saturation, nor over-coloration, and as a result retains a spectacular amount of detail and high end openness. While it is true to its 1970's heritage, this preamp has a much more usable modern transparency, detail, and noise floor. We tested it on many applications with great success, and really loved how its subtle character warmed up acoustic guitars without sacrificing character, and how detail and richness was revealed in vocals whether you were running tube or solid state mics. Its amazing how much warmth they have retained without sacrificing on the detail end of the spectrum. Additionally, a lot of our users have reported wonderful results using the Pacifica as a DI and line level through the 1/4" jacks on the 2-buss. Again, nice warmth, but still very refined detail. Honestly, this thing is a great every day preamp- the kind of thing that you can use all over the studio, in countless applications, and never feel like you were getting too much color, too much muddiness, or to much Pacifica. Much like the MP-2 has accomplished in the tube domain, the Pacifica is a solid state preamp that strikes an incredible balance of warmth, and clarity, and yet still is delivered at an extremely well built and affordable price point. Sonic Polish without the cloudiness and greatness without the obscene price tag. Congrats to Peter Montessi and A-Designs audio on their recent 2006 nomination- this preamp deserves every bit of it. We have been behind the thing since we originally tested it on its product release, and are pleased to see others have recognized the Pacifica's brilliance. Whether or not you are building a preamp collection where the Pacifica can round out the solid state mic pre line-up, or you are looking to purchase a high-end performing preamp that works in just about every situation, no studio should be without a Pacifica.

Throughout the 1970s, the American professional music recording industry was in its heyday. Popular artists like The Who, The Beatles, The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers, The Jackson 5, The Rolling Stones, and Steely Dan were all at the top of the charts and on every record player and eight track tape deck. Underground bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin were not on the radio but had ardent followers. The diversity and quantity of new music was astounding.

The seventies was also a time of great change in pro audio. The introduction of "solid state" electronics led to an explosion in development and a very different sound than tube gear of yesteryear. The Recording Console in a high end 1970s studio was likely a Neve, an API, or a Quad Eight. These were the companies that were setting the standards for audio quality-with a unique sound firmly imprinted on the popular recordings of the era.

While much has been made in our era with Neve and API reissues, interpretations and clones, the Quad Eight curiously faded from view. The irony is that many engineers firmly believe the Quad Eight Ventura, Pacifica and Coronado consoles to sonically be the very best of their day! Peter of A Designs Audio in West Hills California and pro audio designer Jon Erickson teamed up to recover and restore this lost "sound" to the recording community. Significant effort over the past 2 years has gone into research and speaking with Quad Eight owners while chasing down the origins of what was "The Quad Eight Sound". Closely examining the design and composition of these were both a nightmare and a joy. The original QE staff was hard to locate, design/parts and documentation was impossible to come by and key parts were obsolete and not readily replaceable. After thousands of hours, endless listening sessions and time at the bench with test circuits, a target emerged.

QE mic pres, such as those used in the Quad Eight Ventura, Coronado and Pacifica consoles emerged as one of the best examples of the unique Quad Eight tonal character. Thanks to critical efforts by Tom Reichenbach of Cinemag (whose father designed the original Quad Eight transformers), Jon and Peter developed a prototype dubbed the "Pacifica" as a clear indicator of its Quad Eight inspiration. The prototype was sent to a handful of devoted Quad Eight Console owners and mic pre fans along with some of today's talented recording engineers. The results were gratifying: nearly all agreed the new A Designs prototype was very close to the original Quad Eight sound but with a tad more top end (exactly the target sound).

A Designs Audio is very proud to introduce the "PACIFICA", a single rack space, dual (mono/mono) channel microphone pre amplifier that comes amazingly close to the original in looks and sound. There are few but valuable improvements, such as a front panel active hi-z 1/4 inch input that places the input transformer directly in the signal path for a huge direct sound. The PACIFICA possesses a uniquely "Made in California" feel with a significant heft from the huge transformers contained within. The original cream colored panel and red knob scheme has been retained. We think the A Designs PACIFICA will achieve an instant classic status, becoming an important part of your "must haves" for years to come.