Cranborne Audio Camden 500

The Cranborne Audio Camden 500 is a versatile 500 Series preamp and signal processor designed to deliver both pristine clarity and rich analog warmth. Its fully discrete, transformerless design ensures exceptionally low noise and distortion, providing a transparent sound that captures every nuance of your audio source. This makes it an ideal choice for professionals seeking an uncolored and natural preamp for microphones, instruments, and line-level sources.

What sets the Camden 500 apart is its innovative "Mojo" analog saturation circuit. With two distinct styles"'Thump' and 'Cream'"you can dial in the perfect amount of harmonic richness to suit your recording needs. 'Thump' enhances low-end content by adding harmonics in the 20Hz to 100Hz range, resulting in a fuller bass response, while 'Cream' introduces vintage-style saturation, adding smoothness and character to mid and high frequencies. This flexibility allows you to achieve anything from a clean, transparent sound to a warm, colored tone reminiscent of classic analog gear, all within a single module.

• Pristine Preamp Performance " Provides ultra-clean and detailed sound with low noise and distortion.

• Mojo Analog Saturation " Adds warm, vintage-style harmonic saturation to shape sound character.

• Ultra-Wide Frequency Response " Captures audio with exceptional clarity across a broad range of frequencies.

• Variable Gain Control " Easily adjust gain with smooth, precise control for different audio sources.

• Compact 500-Series Module " Designed to fit 500-series racks, ideal for studio integration.

• Versatile Sound Shaping " Perfect for vocals, instruments, and various recording applications.

• High-Quality Build " Built to withstand regular studio and professional use.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS:

• 500 Series format preamp and signal processor

• Fully discrete, transformerless design

• Custom 'Camden' preamp topology

• Optimized for mic, line, and Hi-Z sources

• Gold flashing on backplane contacts

• Designed and engineered in the United Kingdom

GAIN:

• Mic: 8dB to 68dB

• Line: 0dB to 60dB

• Hi-Z: 3dB to 63dB

INPUT IMPEDANCE:

• Mic: 8.9kΩ (48V off), 5.4kΩ (48V on)

• Line: 24.3kΩ

• Hi-Z: 1.5MΩ unbalanced, 3MΩ balanced

MAXIMUM INPUT LEVEL:

• Mic: +17.6dBu (<0.003% THD)

• Line: +26.5dBu (<0.02% THD)

• Hi-Z: +24dBu (<0.02% THD)

MAXIMUM OUTPUT LEVEL:

• +27.5dBu (<0.002% THD, 30dB gain)

EQUIVALENT INPUT NOISE (EIN):

• <-129.5dBu (150Ω source, unweighted)

• <-131dBu (150Ω source, A-weighted)

• <-135.5dBu (inputs common, unweighted)

TOTAL HARMONIC DISTORTION + NOISE (THD+N):

• <0.0004% (1kHz, 35dB gain, +24dBu out)

FREQUENCY RESPONSE:

• ±0.25dB from <5Hz to >200kHz at 35dB gain

• <±1dB from <5Hz to >200kHz at maximum gain

PHASE SHIFT:

• <2.25 at 40dB gain, 20Hz to 20kHz

• <4 at maximum gain, 20Hz to 20kHz

COMMON MODE REJECTION RATIO (CMRR):

• 70dB, typically >85dB at 35dB gain, 10Hz to 20kHz, 100mV common mode

HIGH-PASS FILTER (HPF):

• 80Hz, -3dB point, 12dB/octave slope

SLEW RATE:

• 20V/μs at 35dB gain, +25dBu out

CURRENT DRAW:

• 120mA per rail (idle)

• 140mA per rail (typical use)

DIMENSIONS:

• 31.8mm (W) x 133.35mm (H) x 170.11mm (D)

MOJO ANALOGUE SATURATION CIRCUIT:

• Two discrete styles: 'Thump' and 'Cream'

• Variable control with true bypass

• Thump: Enhances low-end by boosting lower odd/even harmonics from ~160Hz to 20Hz and below

• Cream: Boosts odd/even harmonics while reducing fundamental frequencies and applying transformer-style transient shaping