Recording - September 2013 - 38

B Y PA U L V N U K J R .

Sontronics is British company known
for its line of British-designed and Asianbuilt microphones that are among some
of the most unique-looking in the industry,
with an art-deco meets sci-fi modern
appearance. In June 2010 we looked at
Sontronics’ multi-pattern Orpheus largediaphragm condenser and the active ribbon Sigma, and in our July 2013 issue
we reviewed its latest dynamic guitar
cabinet microphone, the Halo.

Sontronics Sonora 2 Solid State Microphone Preamp
A handy and versatile British preamp that blazes a trail of its own
The newest member of the Sontronics
family is the Sonora 2, a dual-channel,
solid-state microphone preamp which is
both designed and built in the UK.
Contrary to what the number 2 suggests,
this is Sontronics’ third microphone preamp. Along with the original Sonora, the
company also has the Chimera, a singlechannel valve/solid-state hybrid preamp.
Both of those models were designed in
the UK and built in Portugal.
Getting to know the Sonora 2
I am largely unfamiliar with the original
Sonora, which was released in 2008.
The new Sonora 2 is a dual-channel fully
discrete class A design with a 20 Hz to
20 kHz frequency response, capable of
66 dB of clean gain (the original Sonora
had 60 dB), and a maximum distortionfree output of +23 dBu. Company
founder and designer Trevor Coley calls it
a vintage circuit design, but it is not a
copy or clone of any previous British fare.
At 8" long, 23/4" tall, and 63/4" across,
the Sonora 2 is quite compact for a mic
pre, especially a 2-channel box. While it
can be placed on a generic rack shelf,
the Sonora 2 is portable and sits comfortably on a desktop alongside most standard computer interfaces.
Much of its size is made possible
because it uses an external power supply.
While you may be thinking “Oh, great—
another wall wart,” this is a full-on professional and robust external power supply like you would find on many boutique
preamp units. The SPS3 power supply
(also UK made) is about half the size of
38

RECORDING September 2013

the Sonora 2 (and weighs about as
much!). It attaches to the preamp with a
screw-on style 4-prong, 15' power cable.
The power supply is switchable between
115 and 230 V and attaches to your wall
jack with the country-appropriate cord of
your choice.
A big advantage to having an external
power supply is that it keeps its noise and
hum away from the preamp, which in
turn keeps it out of the unit’s signal path.
While you may find the big external box
inconvenient, the sonic advantage in my
opinion is well worth it.
A tour
The Sonora 2 is dressed in Sontronics
black, with a large white company logo
and lettering. It sports silver knobs and
switches and a bright blue power LED—I
am talking blindingly bright!
Inputs are on the front, outputs on the
rear. The front contains the identical channel controls, each channel taking up half
the real estate. The stepped rotary gain
switch goes from 0 to 66 dB in 6 dB

increments. Each switch is tight and solid
with a firm click. Next, a trio of LEDs indicate signal (green), clipping (red), and
48V phantom power (blue). They are not
quite as bright as the power LED, but
close. Did I mention these were bright?
Above the volume pot, each channel
has four toggle switches that engage a
75 Hz highpass filter, a –20 dB pad,
180-degree phase reverse, and 48 V of
phantom power. The inputs are Neutrik
Combo jacks for both XLR and 1/4" TRS
balanced connections.
Outputs on the rear of the unit are on
separate jacks for both XLR and balanced/unbalanced 1/4". This allows the
unit to easily connect with pretty much
any computer interface or mixer. A DI
Ground Lift switch on the back can be
used with instruments in a DI situation.
Sound and use
I used the Sonora 2 on everything from
drum overheads, snare drum, kick drum,
acoustic and electric guitars, to vocals
and voiceover work. It really plays no

Recording - September 2013

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