AEA MS380 TX – Ribbon stereo microphone preamp, Jensens, 1/50 made! 00 new!

Description

This is an absolute rarity. It was built by Wes Dooley and AEA in the USA as the ultimate stereo microphone preamp with a beautiful external power supply, Jensen input and output transformers, and 84 db of gain! No expenses were spared on this preamp, and only about 50 of these were made and only sold directly to really high end studios for both music recording (especially vocals and drums) and sound work for television and film (you have heard the voice work of this pre for years). While TRP (the ribbon pre) is a fine preamp, it is a pale imitation of the MS380 (which sold for 00 new in the 1990s!). This one I bought from Sound Satisfaction in Los Angeles several years ago where they used it for foley, ADR, and mixing. They have an incredible set of credits and you have heard this preamp for voice work or mixing (
https://www.imdb.com/name/
nm0178884/
if you're curious...). So there are only a handful of these pres in existence at all, and this is a professional tool for tracking or mixing. It sounds big, full, and super hi-fi. Those Jensen transformers, the transistors running in Class A, and standalone power supply really make a difference here sonically. These have a ton of headroom as well, and some features not often found in preamps (like a headroom monitor LED or T power for less common condenser mics in addition to the typical 48 volts). We picked this up because we wanted a great pre for ribbons, and this was several notches above TRP. It was designed and built to be a definitive solid state mic preamp steps in the API / Neve realm. The M/S is just an amazing bonus, as the sum/difference encoder is just the definitive way to do drums and foley alike. I am only selling this because we are in a position where we need to sell off some things for other financial obligations. It's a super neat pre, and I am certain I will regret it, as it is the only one for sale in the world right now!
Here is the original data sheet from AEA:
Supports all dual microphone perspectives such as: left-right, M/S stereo, spaced or coincident pair.
Multi-Format (M/S or L/R) Dual Mode Matrix M/S decoder.
Single-knob width control of M/S or Stereo material
Independent main and mic preamp outputs permit simultaneous X-Y & M/S recording and/or monitoring.
M/S decoder may be used for monitoring or final mix.
All microphone types supported including phantom and "T" power.
Jensen input transformers.
84dB total gain.
Independent input gain trims and 20 dB pads.
LEDs indicate 10dB below clipping for optimizing levels.
Programmable frequency 18db/Oct. filters.
main outputs deliver +7dBm into 150 ohms and are isolated with Jensen Transformers.
115/230 volt AC to DC external power supply for negligible hum and field induction or transmission to unit.
1.7" x 8.2" x 9.5", 3.85 Ibs. (4.3 cm x 20.8 cm x 24.1 cm, 1.75 Kg)
Condition-wise, I would call it in fair shape. My guess on the age of the unit is that it is from the 1990s (serial 80 17 if anyone reads AEA serials, my guess is that it's the seventeenth unit made of the 380s, which puts it somewhere in the mid 90s). It has some miles on it, but it hasn't been abused. Keep in mind, it's 25-ish years old at this point, so there's scuffs and scrapes and such. That being said, it functions as it should, a nice strong preamp for hard to drive ribbons and condensers (remember, AEA engineered stuff to drive brutal loads, like the RCA 44). Again, we only used it as a dual mono preamp, so if you have questions about the intricacies of Matrix inputs and outputs, I'm not sure how much I can help. It's so rare, that AEA doesn't even have a manual on file (although I have included the only print out I could find on it). Visually, it has its share of scuffs and scrapes for sure and even some oxidation on the metal jacks. . The story I got was that it was moved around during foley sessions, which makes sense. There is still the Sound Satisfaction sticker on it, a couple of the side screws are missing, and the bottom plate has some pretty good scrapes on it. Some scuffs / paint missing on the standalone power supply as well (note: it connects with an attached 4 pin cable). The price has been adjusted to reflect this mileage and condition.
Overall, this is an incredible rarity. If you are looking for a new color of preamp with its own sound and unique circuit and the ability to quickly process M/S micing, this is a really neat piece of gear. It's the only one for sale in the world right now, and the people who buy these generally keep them as they are amazing preamps, so there are limited opportunities to own one of the 50 ever made. Don't miss out!