SPL Goldmike 9844

You want to have a powerful processor to amplify the sound power of your recordings. Would you like the electronic amplifier you plan to purchase to provide easier and more intuitive equalization settings?

Above all, you want to have a tube amp that can last and that can easily be connected to various audio devices without the risk of damaging it. Do you also want it to be compatible with a dynamic moving magnet microphone , a condenser microphone or an electro-acoustic guitar by simple analog and balanced jack connection.

Moreover, this symmetrical connection remains very practical for preventing the phenomenon of ground loop . This will avoid any audible hums and unwanted noises in the audio system due to a wiring problem. Alternatively, we can also use a Splitter which greatly helps to eliminate this loop .

If so, then I invite you to discover the SPL Goldmike 9844! This tube preamp is gaining popularity among a large number of audiophiles and studio professionals. Does this mean that it is much better than other tube amps and audio amps? Let's test the sound quality of the SPL Goldmike 9844 and discover its full potential in order to be able to judge it better!

Goldmike 9844 SPL Tube Preamp Overview

Apparently, the SPL Goldmike 9844 benefits from a sturdy design, as it is clad in a completely solid chassis. On the front of the mic preamp, in the very center, we find the predominant logo signature of the Goldmike brand.

The front of the SPL Goldmike 9844 provides access to a double adjustment panel. It therefore allows two channels to be managed simultaneously at its sound signal input. The first input signal channel is on the left and the second is just to the right. The first, like the second control panel, provides the same adjustment. Each channel gives access to the following settings:

• A 48-volt phantom power button (in case you need to plug in a static condenser microphone). In the case of a dynamic microphone , therefore with coil, make sure to deactivate it.
• A reverse button which is used to invert the phases and configure the polarity in case you wish to use two microphones at the same time.
• An attenuation pad button to input signal level 30 decibels if it is found to be too high. We can thus systematically readjust it via the volume adjustment potentiometer corresponding to the channel we are on.
• A low-cut filter activation button to suppress low noise and to attenuate the sharp rise in signal flow in low frequencies.
• A Flair gain boost button in the high frequencies. This button therefore allows you to slightly accentuate the treble.
• A “ Warm Up switch which is used to preheat the lamps for approximately 30 to 60 seconds.
• A volume potentiometer to adjust the sound and fine-tune its analog setting exactly as you want to hear it.

Each adjustment channel of the SPL Goldmike 9844 also provides access to a VU meter . Above each adjustment button, there is a corresponding indicator diode (or LED) to let you know that they are activated or deactivated. XLR input and output as well as an unbalanced mini-jack port for each of the two channels.

There is also a power input to connect a Power Supply cable. At first glance, we will also note that the SPL Goldmike 9844 is much less equipped than a Channel Strip pre-amp , but its handling will remain simpler and more practical to operate, without an adapter, than on a multi-channel pre-amp.

By the way, also discover our test guide on the Sontronics STC-20 Pack . It is a condenser microphone with cardioid polar pattern. Discover in this guide our complete test of the microphone to find out its sound quality, its technical characteristics, as well as our opinion on this microphone.

A real genius lamp box

The SPL Goldmike 9844 differs from ordinary preamplifiers due to its specific tube design . This design with genie lamps or tubes does not date from today. This technology was even implemented on amps well before the birth of electric guitars and the emergence of current Tuner amps .

The oldest design of tube amps dates back almost a century, around the beginning of the 1920s. To this day, many preamps continue to take advantage of this technology and the SPL Glodmike 9844 is one of them.

But how does this technology differ from the design of a receiver and that of more recent power amplifiers, to name only transistor preamps and Channel Strip amps? Truth be told, it's all in the tube design . This is also the main element that sets this type of preamp apart.

In this case, how can a simple lamp which is normally used to illuminate can amplify sound? Besides, that's a good question.

Indeed, the lamps integrated into this type of preamp are roughly designed in the same way as a simple filament bulb , except that instead of being used only to generate lighting powers in Watts (therefore light ), the filament tubes integrated into the tube preamp will serve to accentuate the sound power .

Just like an ordinary light bulb, the tubes of the SPL Goldmike 9844 preamp each have a (heating) filament, an anode and a cathode . All these components will be essential to allow the incoming sound signal to gain power .

In this case, how do the tubes integrated into the SPL Goldmike 9844 manage to pre-amplify and color the sound passing through the preamp circuits? It all starts from the source: someone will use a dynamic moving coil microphone like the Shure SM58, or a condenser condenser microphone to do a vocal take on vocals .

It could then be that the same person wishes to record the sound of an acoustic or electro-acoustic instrument that they intend to play in full vocal take. The sound generated by the voice and the instrument will first be picked up by the microphone to be converted into some sort of electronic signal.

The microphone connected to the SPL Goldmike 9844 (either by jack or by XLR cable) will then be responsible for routing this signal to the signal input of the tube preamp. Upon entering the circuits of the SPL Goldmike 9844, the sound signal which has already been converted into an electrical signal since passing through the microphone will then pass through the tubes.

From then on, and once preheated, these tubes (or lamps) will be able to fully fulfill their role. The electrical sound signal perceived at the input of the preamp will therefore travel through all the components of the tubes (or tubes) which constitute the amplifier. The cathode (one of the main components of the lamps) will first receive the signal in order to charge it negatively.

The signal will continue to pass through the grid to reach the anode. The signal will therefore be pre-amplified. A second amplification stage will complete this stage via the tubes to amplify the sound and bring out the signal with slight natural modifications of sound effects .

We can then purify the sound so that we can really process it via a channel strip or a dedicated mixing console with headphone output for monitoring and equipped with digital audio output.

For a multichannel preamplifier, this in sound quality must be done manually via the Enhancer function . This is not the case for the SPL Goldmike 9844 preamp since the tubes will take care of coloring the sound to give it a beautiful vintage effect without the need to make any equalization adjustment.

It should therefore be noted that the two genius lamps integrated into the SPL Goldmike 9844 will receive the electrical sound signal to heat , compress and charge so that it can be equipped with enough sound power at the output (c 'that is to say upon its release).

In addition, you can also consult our complete test guide on the Presonus M7 microphone . This guide gives you the full overview of this microphone, its technical features and performance, as well as our opinion on the microphone.

A sound enhancer par excellence

Before getting down to business, and whatever the type of equipment you plan to use in a home studio, the SPL Goldmike 9844 effectively allows you to pre-amplify the sound . Indeed, the sound signal emitted at the input from the source (whether it is a voice or the sound of an instrument) remains weak enough to reach the receiver and therefore needs to be reinforced by amplification or pre-amplification pathway (as appropriate).

Thus, the SPL Goldmike 9844 tube preamp will have the main role of giving the essential strength to this signal to make it clearly and pleasantly audible. All this on a response curve that is quite broad and perceptible to the ears of the most common among us.

This is between 20 Hertz and 20 khz (Bass, Medium, Treble). Being capable of covering a very wide bandwidth , this SPL Goldmike 9844 tube preamp will somehow give color to the sound you want to record or broadcast.

This step remains essential insofar as it will determine and condition the clarity as well as the identity of the timbre of your sound. Most, if not almost all, audiophiles and studio professionals agree that a tube preamp sounds better than any other solid-state amplifier or preamp.

In part, this is true since the advertised output signal power for a transistor amp or preamp is often lower than its actual power in Rms . This could (presumably) be explained by the fact that these types of preamps are equipped with a power supply smaller than their nominal power.

However, this measure is essential to protect the sensitive and fragile electronic components of these preamps and in this case the transistors. For the rest everything will depend on your needs and preferences.

We will only note a huge difference in terms of sound reproduction since it remains neutral in the case of a transistor preamp while the sound gains a nice effect when coming out of an SPL Goldmike 9844 type tube preamp.

Also discover : Audio-Technica AT2035 Vs Rode NT1. Comparison guide between the two cardioid polar pattern microphones

A class A amplifier par excellence

The SPL Goldmike 9844 is a tube preamp with 2 input channels . This “ class A” provides a dynamic range of 111 dB with reinforcements that can reach up to 72 dB .

Categorized class A, the SPL Goldmike 9844 therefore amplifies the entire sound signal at its input, unlike a class B amplifier which only processes this input signal half-heartedly.

The amplification stage or output stage transmits to the audio signal the energy supplied by the power circuit of the preamp or that of the integrated amplifiers of a device. The amplifier class determines how these amplifier and output stages operate in a power amplifier of any type.

It can be a phono preamplifier , a home theater amplifier , a headphone amplifier or any other type of audio amplifier. The most common amp classes are Class A, B, AB and D.

As efficient as a class D amplifier, the SPL Goldmike 9844 is perfectly suited to HD sound recording . Note that a class D amplifier amplifies sound and makes it easier to digitize.

In the case of the SPL Goldmike 9844, we can perfectly use an external USB Dac to perform audio digitization without risk of reduction , alteration or loss of signal. The DAC or ( Digital Analog Converter ) is a digital converter which allows you to obtain very high definition sound quality conversion to Dolby and Surround.

The external USB Dac can even replace a sound card with an integrated amplifier for an optimized digital final sound reproduction of much better quality. Instead, we can also use a DSP processor (or Digital signal processor).

Unlike any other type of class A preamp operating on transistors, the SPL Goldmike 9844 improves vocal presence and allows you to better define the identity of the sound you wish to record or broadcast. When it comes to sound recording in a home studio, the use of a Goldmike 9844 SPL type tube preamp (Class A) allows you to obtain:

• Distinctive and therefore clearly identifiable sound : all tube amp models, including the SPL Goldmike 9844 mic preamp, are one of a kind. Each of these preamps produces exceptional tone. This is not surprising given their specific design with replaceable lamps (or tubes) (also unique).
• Increased output power , because even at equal power, a tube preamp could sound better than a solid-state amp or amplifiers integrated into a subwoofer due to the fact that the tubes are preheated to allow the sound signal to be automatically compressed, amplified and equalized before output through the speakers.
• Vintage and retro tones that seem to color and define the sound better than other types of amps.
• processing that is simpler to operate , even without an equalizer, because more than half of the sound purification and coloring work takes place almost automatically via the passage of the sound signal through the lamps.
• High-fidelity restitution of dynamics and harmonics to enrich the musicality of your vocal and instrumental recordings in a home studio.

Note that in itself, the SPL Goldmike 9844 tube preamp is not really difficult to use although it remains quite fragile. Its maintenance requires a lot of attention and one must take good care of the integrated lamps. The replacement of these tubes should also be entrusted to a professional in order to extend the life of the tube preamp.

When will the lamps need to be replaced?

When the life of the tubes of the SPL Goldmike 9844 preamp comes to an end, we will easily notice it since it will bring out an abnormal sound. It will even tend to clash. This will then indicate that the lamps you are using absolutely need to be replaced. And this, despite the fact that you have scrupulously respected the preheating time necessary for each start-up.

Note also that each preamp or tube amp lamp owned is unique. As a result, each new lamp will give a new color to the sound that you will like to have. This color will not completely resemble that of all your old lamps or that of all the new tubes that you will integrate into the SPL Goldmike 9844.

Generally, and depending on the frequency of use of the SPL Goldmike 9844, the lifespan of its essential components may vary from a few months (for intense use) to several years (for occasional use). Everything will also depend on the quality of design of these replaceable lamps.

Another review guide: The Lauten Audio Atlantis FC-387 Microphone . Discover in this guide the new technologies of this condenser microphone, its sound quality, its dynamic characteristics, as well as our opinion and some demos of using the microphone.

Zoom on the sound quality of the SPL Goldmike 9844 preamp

For the SPL Goldmike 9844, we have a volume adjustment potentiometer for each of the two channels. They can be used separately or simultaneously (in phase inversion) to capture audio from two sound sources coming from two microphones connected to the SPL Goldmike 9844.

On each volume adjustment button, there is also a VU meter . The first channel on the left, like the second channel on the right, is provided with a command line allowing you to make various settings:

• A 48 Volt phantom power button to operate condenser and condenser microphones that require this power. No need to activate it when you need to use a dynamic moving coil microphone such as the Sennheiser MKH 416 microphone or the Shure SM58.
• A phase inverter to reverse the polarity in case you need to use the two input channels to pre-amplify two sounds (well isolated) coming from two cardioid microphones (for example a Neumann TLM 193 and an Antelope Audio Edge Go).
• An attenuation pad which reduces the saturation of the sound signal to -30 dB at its input level. The gain can be readjusted by directly using the volume adjustment potentiometer corresponding to the signal channel to be processed.
• A low pass filter to allow audio to be cut from 50 Hz at 12 dbp per octave.
• A Flair button which allows you to boost the sound (of the voice or that of a high frequency instrument) to give it a gain of approximately 2.5 dB .

There is also a warm-up switch which will preheat the tubes for a few seconds before making the tube amplifier operational. Once started, the LED can automatically turn off.

Concretely how does this tube amp preheating mechanism work? On almost all types of tube-based power amplifiers, including the SPL Goldmike 9844 tube preamp, you will notice the presence of two switches .

One acts like a on/off switch and therefore either turns the pre-amp on or off. The other, on the other hand, will allow you to switch to Stand-By mode and therefore preheat the lamps. So, when the SPL Goldmike 9844 is set to Standby or Warm-Up mode, the electrical voltage passing through the amp will be momentarily cut off.

You will therefore notice that no sound will be able to come out of the amp while it is still in Standby. This does not mean, however, that the preamp is completely idle. On the contrary, the electric current which will pass through its circuit will be used to preheat the lamps (i.e. the tubes).

When the tubes are heated to an optimal temperature, the “Warm up” indicator LEDs will automatically turn off for the SPL Goldmike 9844. From then on, the tube preamp will be functional. We always recommend that you preheat the SPL Goldmike 9844 lamps before using it, it is imperative!

The SPL Goldmike 9844 tube preamplifier will also work perfectly on a variety of electronic and multimedia audio devices, to name but a few:

• The CD, DVD (and even Blu-Ray) player
• The hi-fi system with CD, DVD and vinyl player
• The vinyl record player (to purify, process, digitize or simply to broadcast the sound of high-fidelity vinyl records)
• The double turntable for DJs
• The VHF and UHF reader equipped with RCA cable
• The Home cinema speaker equipped with USB connectivity and analog jack port.

Depending on the type of audio, video or multimedia device that you plan to connect to the SPL Goldmike 9844, you will need to use appropriate converters . The use of an HDMI cable will be more appropriate if you intend to establish the digital connection in HD of data coming from a computer to the audiovisual interface of an LED, LCD or plasma screen television.

The amplifier module of the SPL Goldmike 9844 may also sound better when outputting the signal through the speakers depending on the type of speaker. Hence the importance of good wiring and paying close attention to the choice of converter to use.

To better protect against the risks of overvoltage or impedance overload , you will also need to use a transformer and an ohmmeter . Concerning the impedance (expressed in Ohm ), this is often between 4.5 and 8 Ω for most modern speakers.

Above all, you must ensure that the output impedance of the SPL Goldmike 9844 tube pre-amp coincides with that of the speaker you intend to use, whatever the type. This is normally established at 8 Ω . For multiroom use , this will mainly depend on the number of audio devices that will have to be used. For home speakers, the impedance is often 6 Ω .

The technical characteristics of the SPL Goldmike 9844 preamp

• Type: Tube pre-amp
• Category: Class-A
• Number of input channels: 2 tube channels
• 48 volt Phantom power supply
• Volume adjustment potentiometer (for each of the 2 channels)
• VU meter (for each channel)
• Phase inverter (for channel 1 and channel 2)
• Pad attenuator (per channel)
• Low cut filter (for channel 1 and 2)
• Flair per channel (for first and second channel)
• Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
• Two XLR inputs
• Two unbalanced XLR or jack outputs
• Dynamic range: 111 dB
• Lamp preheating switch
• 19-inch rack format – 2U

Our opinion on the Goldmike preamp

In a few words, the SPL Goldmike 9844 tube preamp benefits from ingenious Overdrive technology which allows you to enhance the effect of a voice and add roundness to the sound. The tube technology integrated into this preamp makes it possible to restore its distortion when optimizing its gains. Please note, however, that the SPL Goldmike 9844 remains quite fragile.

Although it is easy to use, this tube preamp requires proper maintenance. We should therefore consider replacing the lamps regularly. We would recommend its purchase without hesitation to an audiophile as well as to all people who really want to acquire good studio and sound equipment at the best quality/price ratio.

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