RECORDING October 2022 - 52

REVIEW
AEA TRP500
A classy, clean tone does not need to be boring
REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.
I
n 2006 Audio Engineering Associates
(AEA) introduced a microphone preamp
purposely designed to bring out the
detail, character and nuance found in the
company's acclaimed line of passive ribbon
mics. It was dubbed The Ribbon Pre (TRP).
Over 16 years, the TRP would evolve and
expand into 500 Series and EQ-equipped
variations, including the RPQ500, RPQ2
and TRP2. Today we are looking at the latest
evolution, the TRP500.
The 411 On the TRP
The basic form, function and purpose
of the TRP has not changed since its introduction-to
offer an extreme level of
clean gain for passive ribbon mics and,
more importantly, to offer said mics the
proper impedance level to exploit every
nuance of their sound. Of course,
the TRP series also works with passive
dynamic mics, as well as your favorite
condensers since the introduction of
phantom power with the RPQ in 2008.
TRP500
The TRP500 is the fourth member of the
current TRP family and the second one designed
for use in an API 500 Series style enclosure.
Unlike the EQ-equipped RPQ500,
the TRP500 is a mic preamp only. This
makes it akin to a single channel of the
TRP2 with some evolutionary upgrades
and an expanded high-pass filter section.
TRP Tour
The TRP500 starts with a 12-position
Grayhill switch that ranges from +7dB to
+65dB of preamp gain. This is followed
by a variable output control that adds an
additional +20dB of signal. Note that
this differs from previous models, some
of which offered +63dB of preamp
52 RECORDING October 2022
A Pair of TRP500 on top of a
TRP2 and an original TRP
gain, followed by a variable output ranging
from minus infinity (muted) to +19
or +22dB, depending on the model.
The TRP500 offers the option of +48
phantom power and polarity (phase) reverse.
Previous models offered a single 12dB
per octave 100 Hz high-pass filter, but the
TRP500 offers 115 Hz or 230 Hz options at
a gentler 6dB per octave slope. While these
may seem a tad extreme, they do a great
job taming the major proximity effect found
on most classic-style large ribbon mics.
The TRP500 is rounded out with a
three-stage LED level meter (-20, 0 and
+20dB), which I found to be even more
responsive than previous models.
On the Inside
The TRP500 is a discrete transformerless
design based around a Fred Forssell-designed
JFET circuit and modern Op
Amp technology. Speaking with AEA founder
Wes Dooley and AEA lead engineer
Joey Krieger, the TRP500 circuit is not so
much a redesign of the initial AEA offerings.
Rather, it is the beneficiary of JFETs,
ICs and other components improving
over the last 16 years. Joey points out that
there were lots of under-the-hood common
mode tweaks for improved performance,
and yet each component was chosen by
listening to what sounded the best, rather
than simply specs and numbers.
Specs and Numbers
Speaking of specs and numbers, the
TRP500 has a total of 85dB of gain and
offers two input impedances. Moving coil
dynamic and ribbon mics can take advantage
of a high 66kΩ load (the TRP2
is 63kΩ), while engaging the phantom
power employs a set of resisters that
bring the impedance down to 11kΩ for
use with active condenser mics.
In Use
This is my third time using and reviewing
a member of the TRP family. I
reviewed the RPQ500 in August 2012,
followed by the RPQ2 in July 2017-
both still in the line. Along with a pair of
TRP500 units for this review, Wes was
kind enough to send along an original
first-generation TRP and a current TRP2.
In a side-by-side comparison, all three
iterations are nearly indistinguishable. Having
said that, the TRP500 is just a hair
smoother and natural sounding in focused,
close listening. Used for its namesake
task, the TRP500 is gorgeous on passive ribbon
mics. I am not sure I have ever heard
my Royer R-121 or AEA R44C sound
RECORDING October 2022

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