Thermionic Culture The Rooster 2 is a two-channel, all-valve preamplifier featuring comprehensive equalisation and distortion controls. It is designed for a wide range of applications and delivers everything from subtle dynamic shaping to rich harmonic character.
Each channel’s preamplifier stage adds gain to microphone, line or direct-input signals via a double-triode input valve (12AX7) driving a balanced input transformer. Phantom power at forty-eight volts may be switched on for condenser microphones. The direct-input bypasses the transformer to provide a high-impedance unbalanced input.
The Attitude section controls the amount of distortion generated by the 5654 valve. At low Attitude settings the distortion remains well below 0.1 per cent; as the Attitude control is advanced, additional harmonics enrich the sound with warm valve character. In triode mode the unit produces predominantly second-order harmonics, while in pentode mode third-order harmonics become more prominent, offering creative tone and dynamic control.
The equaliser section of the Thermionic Culture The Rooster 2 provides powerful yet musical tone shaping. The bass-lift control uses a varislope curve peaking at sixty hertz to add low-end weight. The mid-and-high lift control offers a bell curve selectable at either 2.5 kilohertz or four kilohertz, or a varislope curve peaking at twelve kilohertz. The mid-cut control applies a bell curve centred at seven hundred hertz, while the bass-cut switch offers five positions that progress from high-pass filters into shelving curves, allowing complex interactions with the other equaliser controls. A low-pass filter switch attenuates harsh high-frequency artefacts when heavy distortion is applied.
The output level control of the Thermionic Culture The Rooster 2 drives a PCF 80 output valve before a custom Sowter transformer provides final balanced output. Three light-emitting diodes display the output level.
Features
- All valve signal path.
- Sowter Transformer balanced ins and outs.
- Unique 2 channel clean mic. amps with ‘Attitude’ control.
- Option of 2 settings to select type of introduced distortion.
- Versatile eq. with ‘varislope’ control of top and bass lift.
- 48v Phantom Power switchable to one or both.
- Phase invert switch on both channels.
- Mic./line and DI input.
- Low pass filter.
- High Pass filter.
- Low noise, High gain and High output level.
- Made in England
