The Cranborne Audio Camden EC1 microphone preamplifier offers more than its name suggests, quite a lot more. We take it for a spin and find out if the sound is as good as the spec.

The Back Story

I’ve had a Shure SM7B for quite a long time, several years. It gets used a lot for voice-over, a because it is obstensibly an SM57, I also use it for other duties such as electric guitar, acoustic guitar and vocals. However, anyone who owns or has used an SM7 for any length of time will know the struggle with the low gain output from the microphone. Put it this way, if you want to know how noisy a pre-amp is then use an SM7, as in most cases it is likely to need the gain at full tilt to get what you need.

I’ve tried things over the years. I have Cloudlifters and other stuff, but I’ve never felt that I’ve settled on something to put between my microphone and my audio interfaces. I use the plural, as I have several audio interfaces, my main ones are an Avid Carbon and an Audient EVO16. Both are high quality interfaces with good pre-amps and gain. However, I always felt when using my SM7B that as the gain was wound all the way up, it just didn’t feel right. That may be purely psycological and have no basis in scientific fact, but anyone who has issues with flying, the data to support that fear, however overwhelming, doesn’t allay the fears. It’s also worth noting that when it comes to recording, psychology plays a huge part in the equation, so the more confident one is in gear doing the job right, that’s one less thing to think about.

So, given all that preamble, I settled on getting an external pre-amp. I considered the standard offerings and was very close to pressing the trigger on a Neve 1073 style front end. Then during one of my searches Google popped up a listing for the Cranborne Audio Camden EC1. (Cranborne take note!)

I clicked on the link and started to investigate more about the Cranborne Audio Camden EC1. After reading their website, watching the video, visiting SOS for a trusted second opinion, I decided to check it out. One thing that surprised me, given that the Cranborne Audio Camden EC1 is not a new product, how had I missed it?

After a few emails and PMs I was connected with Sean at Cranborne who offered to send me one to try, not for a review, but to see what I thought. Having used it and tested it, I felt a review in order. Plot spoiler, this is a very good little pre-amp and more besides.

Features

• Discrete mic/line/hi-z preamp featuring the award-winning ‘Camden’ topology from the Camden 500 Preamp and Signal Processor for 500 series

• Audio performance at the near-theoretical limits of noise, distortion, and phase/frequency linearity at all gain settings

  • EIN: <-129.5dBu, 150 Ohm source, unweighted, <-135.5dBu, Inputs common, unweighted

  • THD+N: <0.00025% (1kHz, 35dB gain, +24dBu out)

  • Intermodulation Distortion: <0.0006% (50Hz and 7kHz, 35dB gain, +20dBu out)

  • Phase Shift: <2.75° (20Hz to 20kHz, 40dB gain), <6° (20Hz to 20kHz, Max Gain)

  • Freq. Response: ±0.7dB (<1 Hz to >1000 kHz, 35dB gain), ±1dB (<5 Hz to >200 kHz, Max Gain)

•  Unique 48v status LED

  • 48v LED Lights Orange to indicate voltage charging or dissipating to prevent damage to ribbon microphones and to ensure voltage is fully charged before use

  • 48v LED lights RED when voltage is fully charged and ready to use

• ‘Mojo’ analogue saturation circuits with variable control, true bypass, and 2 discrete styles - Thump and Cream

  • Thump excites low-end content by boosting lower odd/even harmonics from a range of 160Hz to 20Hz and below

  • Cream boosts odd/even harmonics whilst also reducing the amplitude of the fundamental frequencies and applying typical transformer-style transient taming

• Discrete headphone mixers with independant CH 1, Ext Input, and Aux Input level controls

  • Monitor the Camden preamp directly with headphones during mic placement to find the sweet spot of the instrument/source

  • Create zero-latency artist mixes by combining the Camden preamp with external playback from Aux Input 1/4” jacks on Camden EC1’s rear panel

  • Use the reference grade headphone amplifier for critical listening by sending stereo mixes from the interface into the Aux input and monitoring directly using Camden EC1’s headphone output

• Reference-quality, high-powered headphone amplifier

  • Freq. Response: <±1dB, <1 Hz to >100 kHz

  • Output Impedance: 0.33 Ohms

  • THD: 0.0003%, 1kHz

  • Output Wattage: 2x250mW @ 600 Ohm, 2x450mW @ 220 Ohm, 2x250mW @ 100 Ohm

• Balanced XLR output and impedance balanced 1/4” jack outputs for maximum connectivity into audio interfaces and other downstream equipment

  • -10dB PAD to attenuate preamp output for lowheadroom audio interfaces

• Dedicated Impedance balanced 1/4" jack Link output for true instrument DI functionality and splitting instrument inputs to balanced or unbalanced amplifiers and effects

• C.A.S.T. OUT port for connecting into 500R8/500ADAT

  • Transmit Camden EC1’s preamp and Ext Input directly into 500R8 and 500ADAT’s 500 series modules inputs for recording/processing

  • Receive a stereo mix generated from 500R8/500ADAT and monitor using Camden EC1’s headphone mixer

  • All managed and distributed via a single shielded Cat 5e, Cat 6, or Cat 7 cable

• External high-current 24v, 1.25a power supply with latching connector

In Operation

The Cranborne Camden EC1 is simple enough to get set up. Both XLR and Jack input for microphones and instruments. There’s connections on the rear for a stereo feed back into the unit, allowing for a REAL zero latency monitoring set-up, like using a large console in a studio. The attention to detail on this unit is fantastic, it’s been designed by someone who understands the challenges of using audio gear. For example the top input on the AUX in make the signal mono, when two jacks are inserted the signal becomes stereo. The user can the create a mix from the front panel of the unit without having to set one up in the DAW. There’s also a link out on the back of the unit, effectively making the EC1 a DI box when used with bass and guitars. This outputs an unaffected, buffered output to connect downstream equipment such as guitar amplifiers in parallel to Camden EC1’s hi-z and line inputs.

For such a small unit, the EC1 is a geek’s dream, there’s not a lot you would need that isn’t part of this little unit, and plenty more you haven’t thought of.

Operation is a doddle, it passed the ‘don’t read the user manual’ with flying colours. Then I connected the unit to my Avid Carbon interface and I was recording in Pro Tools.

Summary

I’m including some quick audio recordings of a Taylor 414 recorded with the Shure SM7B via the Cranborne Audio Camden EC1 into an Avid Carbon. There’s no treatment at all. All recordings placed the microphone at the twelfth fret. It’s also a good test because, to be frank, an SM7 isn’t the most expensive, or high end microphone I could have used.

I recorded without any use of the MOJO options and the EC1 sounded clean and open, it certainly gave me plenty of headroom and additional gain, should I need to use it. I also recorded with the Thump and Cream options, with a pass at 50% and 100%. You can see from the illustrations above what that should do to the sound.

And acoustic guitar is a good test as there’s a lot of mid, and when the a microphone is placed incorrectly, it’s possible to end up with low end boom that has to be EQd out. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could mic up the guitar at the 12th fret to mitigate the boom issue and then introduce some nice controllable bottom end from setting the MOJO.

Please listen on studio monitors or high quality headphones

Overall the EC1 delivered more than I was expecting, and far from the MOJO option being a gimmick, they make the EC1 an extremely flexible pre-amp. Had I tried it on other sources such as bass and vocals, I would expect the MOJO circuit to add… well, some MOJO!

The EC1 has a lot to offer for both the home recording enthusiast and the studio professional. With clever options for monitoring, either in standalone or connected via the smart CAST network, as well as many other features not found on other preamps, there’s a lot a bang for your buck. However, even if you took all the clever extras away from the Cranborne Audio Camden EC1, you would still have a very capable preamp for use in recordings.

It’s easy to consider the usual suspects when it comes to a preamp and overlook the Cranborne Audio Camden EC1, in my opinion that would be a mistake. It may not have the heritage of some of the more popular brands, but given time I think Cranborne Audio will become a classic studio brand.

You should have gathered by now that I like the EC1, I like it a lot. Ignoring the EC1 would be unwise… when it comes to Cranborne Audio, they are one to watch! Highly recommended.

A huge thanks to Sean and the team at Cranborne for the loan of this unit. Special mention to Janet who handled the dispatch, she took care of the whole delivery like a midwife delivering a baby, keeping me informed every step of the way.