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Cloud Microphones
Cloud Microphones True Blue CL-520 Preamp
Low noise microphone preamp
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Want to Click and Collect or try items at our Guildford Store?
The store is open 10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday and 11am - 5pm Sunday and bank holidays.
The stock information shows the quantity of units that are available to purchase at the Guildford store and the quantity of units that are available at our off-site Guildford warehouse. These stock levels are updated in real time.
Our Click and Collect service is available at our Guildford store from 10am - 6pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am - 5pm on Sunday. You can either choose Click and Collect as your delivery option online or, during store opening hours, call our sales team on 01483 456777 for assistance with placing your order.
If you have placed your order online, you will receive a confirmation email of your order and a separate follow-up text or email to confirm when your item is ready for collection.
Please do not come to the store before you have received the follow-up message, as your order may not yet be ready at the store.
If the only available stock is in our off-site warehouse it can be brought to the store location for you to try - you just need to contact the store within opening hours. Please note any requests received after 3.30pm will not arrive at the store until the following morning.
Please be aware that stock availability can change quickly both online and in-store, so we would always recommend placing your Click and Collect order as soon as possible to reserve your item.
SKU: CL-520
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Product Description
The Cloud Microphones TRUE BLUE CL-520 is a precision microphone preamp designed to deliver ultra-clean, record-ready sound with stunning musical accuracy. Offering up to 76 dB of gain, a fully balanced topology and the innovative Cloud Touch Interface, it captures every nuance of your performance with exceptional depth, clarity and dimensionality, without adding unwanted colour.
Developed in collaboration with True Systems, the CL-520 brings together decades of experience in high-end studio, live and post-production environments. Its low-noise, high-headroom design ensures that what you hear in the room is exactly what you capture, whether you are working with delicate ribbons, classic dynamics or modern condensers. From intimate vocals to detailed acoustic instruments, the CL-520 keeps the focus firmly on the source.
Ultra-Clean Gain for Any Microphone
With an extended gain range from 6 dB right up to 76 dB, the TRUE BLUE 520 is built to handle everything from hot condensers to the quietest ribbon and dynamic microphones. The additional +16 dB touch-activated gain stage lets you bring low-output mics into the sweet spot of your converters without resorting to extra boosters, preserving signal integrity and keeping your chain simple and transparent.
Cloud Touch Interface
The patent pending Cloud Touch Interface replaces traditional mechanical switches with capacitive touch controls that activate high-grade telecom relays. This gives you precise, reliable switching for phase, high-pass filtering, gain extension and phantom power, while keeping the audio path short and pristine. The result is a modern, intuitive front panel that feels fast and fluid in use, yet maintains uncompromising analogue performance under the hood.
Dynamic and Ribbon Optimisation
When phantom power is disengaged, the CL-520 automatically enters Dynamic Ribbon Mode, removing input capacitors and increasing the input impedance from 5 kΩ to 10 kΩ. This optimised signal path lets passive dynamic and ribbon microphones breathe, improving transient response, openness and low-level detail. It is an ideal partner for premium ribbons and classic dynamics where every nuance matters.
Musically Tuned High-Pass Filter
A variable 6 dB/octave high-pass filter, adjustable from 25 Hz to 420 Hz, allows you to gently remove rumble, handling noise and unwanted low-end build-up at the source. Because it is musically tuned and continuously variable, you can dial in exactly the right amount of low-frequency control for vocals, acoustic instruments, drums and more, helping your recordings sit in the mix with less corrective EQ later on.
Features
- Up to 76 dB of Ultra-Clean Gain - The extended 6 dB to 76 dB gain range ensures optimal level for any microphone, from low-output ribbons to hot condensers, delivering a strong, noise-free signal into your interface or recorder.
- Cloud Touch Interface - Capacitive touch controls engage precision telecom relays for phase, gain boost, high-pass filter and phantom power, giving you accurate, repeatable settings while preserving a short, clean analogue signal path.
- Dedicated Dynamic and Ribbon Mode - When phantom power is off, Dynamic Ribbon Mode automatically removes input capacitors and raises input impedance to 10 kΩ, optimising tone, transient response and sensitivity for passive dynamic and ribbon microphones.
- Variable High-Pass Filter - The 6 dB/octave high-pass filter, adjustable from 25 Hz to 420 Hz, lets you tame low-end rumble and proximity effect at the preamp stage, helping your tracks sound more focused and mix-ready from the moment of capture.
Specifications
Performance
- Gain Range: 6 dB to 76 dB
- Maximum Output Level: +26 dBu
- Bandwidth: 5 Hz to >200 kHz (< −0.25 dB @ 200 kHz)
- THD+N: <0.0003% at +26 dBu output
- Intermodulation Distortion: <0.0006% at 40 dB gain
- Equivalent Input Noise (EIN): 134 dBu (input shorted)
- Equivalent Input Noise (EIN): 132 dBu (150 Ω source)
- CMRR: >90 dB (10 Hz to 5 kHz)
- CMRR: >85 dB (5 kHz to 20 kHz)
Input & Impedance
- Input Impedance: 5 kΩ with +48 V engaged
- Input Impedance: 10 kΩ with Dynamic/Ribbon Mode engaged
Controls & Functions
- +16: Touch control adds +16 dB of gain (extends maximum gain from 60 dB to 76 dB)
- Phase: Touch control inverts signal polarity by 180°
- HPF: Touch control engages variable 6 dB/octave high-pass filter (25 Hz to 420 Hz)
- 48 V / Dyn RIB: Touch control engages 48 V phantom power; when disabled, Dynamic Ribbon Mode is automatically enabled
