PreSonus BlueTube DP V2 Dual Channel Tube Mic/Instrument Preamp

Main Features

• Mic preamp with 2 input channels
• High-headroom Class A XMAX mic preamplifier with 80 dB gain range on each channel
• 12AX7 vacuum tube gain stage on each channel
• Tube Drive tube-saturation control on each channel
• 48V phantom power, 80 Hz high-pass filter, -20 dB pad and polarity-reverse switch on each channel
• Illuminated analogue VU input-level meter on each channel
• Compact 1/2U chassis

The PreSonus BlueTube DP V2 is a 2 channel mic preamp with XMAX mic pres. The really great thing about the BlueTube DP V2 is that it can give you a great range of very useable tones. It features a Tube dial, allowing you to add a smooth, warm characteristic to your signal. However, set it to its extreme anti-clockwise position and you get no tube distortion at all as your signal simply passes through the clear XMAX preamp. The Tube dial can be set to any position to find the perfect tone.


Have It Your Way!
PreSonus' popular Class A XMAX preamps are widely lauded for their clarity and transparency. Their tube preamps are beloved for their warm, smooth sound. With the BlueTube DP V2 dual-path mic/instrument preamp, you get both types of high-quality sound in one unit.

No wonder the original BlueTube DP became a classic!

XMAX Preamps
Now PreSonus have improved on the classic unit with the BlueTube DP V2. The solid-state path now feeds PreSonus' top-of-the-line Class A XMAX mic preamplifier with 80 dB of variable gain — an upgrade from the original BlueTube DP's solid-state stage.

The mic preamplifier is a key component in the sonic quality of a recording. That's why the BlueTube DP V2 includes custom-designed, high-voltage, discrete, XMAX Class A microphone preamplifiers that are suitable for use with all types of microphones.

The job of a microphone preamplifier in an audio interface is to boost a microphone-level signal to line level before conversion to the digital domain. A good preamp boosts the level to almost 400 times that of the original signal, making the preamp one of the most important stages in an interface. A cheap, off-the-shelf, op-amp-type mic preamp delivers thin, noisy, harsh results.

But with XMAX preamps, the sonic quality is limited only by what microphone you plug into it.

XMAX preamplifiers are built with three key elements:

High Voltage. The XMAX preamplifier runs on power rails of 30V. Most off-the-shelf, op-amp-based designs run on power rails of 10V to 18V. Higher-voltage power rails deliver more headroom, deeper lows, smoother highs, and a richer overall sound.

Discrete components — not op-amps. PreSonus only use genuine transistors, resistors, and capacitors. Op-amps add noise, coloration and harshness to a signal. The discrete design of the BlueTube DP V2 delivers ultra-low noise and transparency.

Class A. Class A circuits have no crossover distortion and deliver purer, clearer, and more musical results than the Class AB designs that are found in many preamps.

The net result of the XMAX preamp design is high headroom, low noise, wide dynamic range, extended frequency response, and—most important of all — musicality and transparency, with smooth highs, solid deep lows, and everything in between.

12AX7 Vacuum Tubes
The tube path of the BlueTube DP V2 features a 12AX7 tube that operates on voltages double that of other preamplifiers in its class, producing lots of headroom and big tone. PreSonus have done an assortment of other tweaks as well. The result: The BlueTube DP V2 offers lower noise, more high-end clarity, and an even smoother tube sound than its predecessor.

The 12AX7 is a miniature dual-triode vacuum tube with high voltage gain that was developed around 1946 by RCA engineers. It was first released for public sale in 1947 — and hasn't changed design since.

Part electronic fabrication, part glass-blowing and part voodoo, tube manufacturing is nearly a lost art — only four major factories in the world still produce the 12AX7!

All 12AX7 vacuum tubes are not created equal. The tubes in the BlueTube DP V2 were hand-selected and carefully tested for electrical conformity and freedom from microphonics. (Microphonics occur when the charged elements in a vacuum tube vibrate, changing the distance between the elements. This causes charges to flow in and out of the tube, as they do in a condenser microphone, creating electrical noise and, potentially, feedback.)

Essential Features and More!
You still get all the secondary features you expect in a professional-grade preamp: 48V phantom power, an 80 Hz high-pass filter, -20 dB pad to control hot input signals and a polarity-reverse switch. Each channel also has an illuminated VU meter so you can visually monitor your input levels.

A Tube Drive control provides a wide range of sounds: when it's clicked off, you're using the solid-state preamp for quiet, transparent amplification - when it's engaged, your signals flow through the tube preamp and you can achieve anything from gentle warmth to edgy distortion.

Versatile and Affordable
With two combo mic/instrument inputs, the half-rackspace BlueTube DP V2 is a great choice for guitars and basses as well as for vocals. Singer-songwriters can run their vocal through one channel and their guitar through the other, feeding both to the P.A. — no guitar amp needed. It also serves as a DI box, thanks to balanced XLR and unbalanced 1/4 inch outputs, and it's housed in a rugged, 1/2U case.

Try the BlueTube DP V2 as a front end for a DAW, too - sure, your recording interface might already include preamps, but few of them give you both tube and solid-state operation.

PreSonus have also updated the preamp's compact, rugged enclosure - it has more rounded edges and looks modern and sleek. It can be used as a desktop unit or it can be screw-mounted to a standard rack tray.

Plus, despite the improvements, the BlueTube DP V2 costs roughly the same as the original BlueTube DP!

PreSonus BlueTube DP V2 Specifications

Connector Type: Neutrik Combo
XLR Microphone Impedance: 1.3 kOhms
1⁄4 Inch Instrument (Hi-Z) Impedance: 1 MOhms
THD+N (Unweighted), Solid-State: <0.005%
THD+N (Unweighted), Tube Stage: 0.01% to 30%
Signal-to-Noise: >95 dB
Power-Supply Rejection: >98 dB
Dimensions: 44.45 x 139.7 x 241.3 mm / 1.75 x 5.5 x 9.5 inches