Name: A-Designs Pacifica
SKU: Pacifica
Availability: InStock

In keeping with A-Designs Audio’s mission of sound quality above all,the features of the Pacifica are just what an audio professional needsto record high-quality tracks and no more. Sonically compromising extraswitches and components of dubious features are eliminated from thesignal path. Plus, with 72dB gain and extremely low-noise operation(-128dB EIN) the ribbon mic-friendly Pacifica ensures clarity andfidelity—whether you’re going for transparency or plenty of punch andcharacter.

Paying homage to the color scheme of the Quad Eight Pacifica console,the hand-crafted Pacifica sports a rich, cream-colored finish withsolid-feeling, red metal gain knobs; a red +48V phantom-power pushbutton with red LED indicator—both for easy identification if ribbonmics are involved; plus grey push buttons for phase reverse and –20dBpad—all giving the Pacifica a look reminiscent of California girls,beach boys, and classic Woodies.

It also has two front-panel Hi-Z instrument inputs, but just like aclassic Woodie, it’s what’s under the Pacifica’s hood that gives the DIsa special kick. Unlike other preamps, the Pacifica’s DIs are routedthrough the input transformer, which puts signal through twotransformers for added depth and richer tone. And these aren’t just anytransformers. Key to the Pacifica’s sound, they’re custom-designed inputand output transformers built by Tom Reichenbach of Cinemag (whosefather, Ed, built the transformers for the original Quad Eight desks).The output transformers are custom wound and share the same design asthose found in the original Quad Eight. Input transformers are pure,proprietary A-Designs.

But transformers don’t tell the whole story. Another key factor tothe Pacifica’s sound is its wide-bandwidth design, which ranges from 9Hzto 101kHz with less than 1% distortion. Along with its customtransformers, the linear response down below 10Hz provides the big,punchy sound that the Pacifica has become famous for. It also providesharmonic content well above the range of human hearing, which reducesin-band phase shift for more realism, along with the added benefit ofmore harmonic information to work with at mixdown—turning your EQ into acreative tool rather than a corrective one.

Pacifica Features:

Two-channel, solid state preamp with two front-panel Hi-Z inputs
Captures the sound quality of the legendary Quad Eight Pacifica console with even more presence and high-end
Very warm and full tone without being dark; wide bandwidth with a sweet top end.
Custom-wound Cinemag input and output transformers
Input transformer: A-Designs proprietary input transformer with unique winding
Output Transformer: A-Designs proprietary alloy using the same massive design as the original Quad Eight.
72dB of quiet gain, great for use with ribbon mics.
Unique DI design sends signal through the input transformer for two transformers in the signal path.
Balanced XLR I/O
Phase reversal (each channel)
-20dB pad (each channel)
+48V phantom power (each channel)
Solid construction, handmade in the USA