The Black Lion Audio B173 MKII Preamp is a Half-rack British-styled preamp and the most portable 1073 British-sound around!
The B173 mkII uses the same Cinemag input and output transformers as our B173 Quad for a whopping 70dB of gain, a revamped gain stage, and a lower noise floor for cleaner, lower distortion sound. A front panel D.I. delivers a harmonically rich tone to guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers, and stepped input gain and variable output attenuation allow for perfect control over transformer saturation.
Black Lion Audio B173 MKII Preamp Features
- Big 1073-style gain
- Cinemag input and output transformers
- Variable output attenuation for control over transformer saturation
- Front panel D.I.
- Stepped input gain
- 48V phantom power and phase inverse controls
- Convenient half-rack sizing for mixing-and-matching
This is a half-rack unit and Black Lion has a handy Joining Plate that will allow you to easily connect any two Black Lion Audio half rack units together to fit in a 1U rack space.
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Awesome Tone
Sep 11th 2025I’m running this preamp through an Apollo Twin X. Let me just say, this thing adds major analog heft to DI signals, and warmth to mic signals. Makes a DI guitar tone thicker and more present, much better than the stock Apollo pres. It rounds off the highs subtly on a mic (I’m using a Townsend Labs Sphere) and adds a three dimensional character to it. I can’t recommend this preamp enough. I’m going to buy a second one for stereo capability. If you want Neve 1073-style tones, this preamp will get you there, and the price is right too.
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