Dennis Marshall Acoustic Preamp review

In the pursuit of amplified acoustic tones, there are plenty of ways to be relieved of your hard-earned cash. This compact valve preamp, however, could be the only thing you need - especially if you go direct into a PA.

The ECC83 valve imparts a moody red glow through a mesh-protected outlet hole in the top on the large DI-sized matt black unit, though the matching red legends aren't the easiest to see in dim venue lighting.

The two sides house the controls. On the input side we have fixed bass and treble and variable parametric midrange with frequency and level controls. The 'heat' rotary controls how much of the signal passes through that valve. Then we have 16 digital effects, with control over one parameter per effect along with wet/dry effects level.

On the output side there's an unbalanced jack monitor output with level, a balanced XLR DI output, again with level control, plus ground lift switch and input for the supplied 12V AC adaptor.

Sounds

This is an extremely good-sounding preamp with sensible EQ centres - the bass handles the deep low end, the treble enhances or attenuates the sparkle, while the broad midrange control dials in on those often unnatural mids.

But it's the heat control that progressively adds warmth and definition and really makes a difference. The analogue-filtered digital effects are very good, too, and stylistically broad.

If you can find somewhere to put it (the manufacturer suggests an iPad stand attached to your mic stand), you may find it very hard to part with this preamp.