Recording - April 2015 - 58

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

In October 2011 we took a look
Millennia Media's HV-35 500 Series
microphone preamp. The HV-35 was
based upon the design of the company's
legendary HV-3 mic preamp, now in its
22nd year of existence. For most of those
years, the HV-3 microphone preamp was
available in 2, 4 and 8-channel configurations, and could also be found in the
company's STT-1 Origin Channel strip and
the TD-1 Half Rack Recording Channel.
Since 2011, the HV-35 version has
spawned a whole series of related products. We reviewed the 2-channel 19"

Millennia Media HV-35P & HV-32P
rackmount HV-37 in July 2013, and
there's even a stripped-down miniature
version crafted for use in API's 200 Series
format, dubbed the HV-32. Today we are
looking at two new HV units that build
upon all of the above experience; they're
Millennia's most portable HV preamps to
date.
The HV-3: a brief history
The origins of the HV-3 date back to the
early 1990s, when most microphone preamps were typically found in large recording desks and the standalone/rackmount
mic pre as a "thing" was in its infancy. Most
desks of the time, from MCI, Neve, API, SSL,
and others, each offered a signature sound
that studios often built their reputations
around. By contrast, Millennia's founder
John LaGrou wanted a preamp that was as
transparent as possible and suited for use in
the location recording of classical and jazz
ensembles. Out of necessity, he built his
own. As his friends and other engineers
heard John's creation, both a company and
a product line were born.
As we pointed out in our HV-37 review,
Recording was lucky enough to be the very
first magazine to review John's original creation back in 1993, although at the time
we were still going by the name Home &
Studio Recording. Now, over 35,000 HV
channels later, the rest is history.
The sonic signature of Millennia's HV-3
preamp is well engrained in the recording
world. These were among the first in the
class of preamps described as "straight
wire with gain"-clean, open, pure, and
honest. They are designed with the philosophy that you will hear the tone of your
58

RECORDING April 2015

The clarity of Millenia preamplification-grab it and go
source and the microphone, rather than
the preamp. Having said that, however,
as this category has grown over the years,
the HV-3 has stood out with its own gentle
signature, most notably a crystalline top
end that is glassy, yet polished and hi-fi.
This helps it stand out among much of its
competition, which can often sound clinical by comparison.
Modular goes mobile
The new HV models are variants of the
500 Series HV-35 and the 200 Series HV32. Each unit's look, layout and functionality is similar to the modular versions, but
instead of requiring a 200/500 Series
enclosure, each unit is nestled in a rugged
but ultralight aluminum housing with its
own external 10-15V DC line lump power
supply.
Both models measure 1.69" high,
5.67" deep and 8.19" wide, and weigh
only 2 lbs. They have a protruding aluminum top and bottom plate that sticks out
on the front of each unit by 3/4" for the
purpose of protecting each unit's controls,
a design feature first popularized on
Radial Engineering's direct boxes. The top
and bottom plates are silver and the inner
unit is finished in black, in an anodized
bead-blast finish different than the brushed
finish of the HV-32/35/37.
Each unit is highly portable and can slip
easily into a backpack or computer case;
up to three units can be mounted side-byside on a standard Middle Atlantic rack
shelf, thanks to pre-drilled screw holes on
the bottom of each box.

Controls and functions
Functionally, each unit is identical to its
200/500 Series counterpart, with the same
black gain knob and backlit jewel-toned
push buttons. The HV-35P is a single channel
unit and offers the most features of the two. It
offers a -14 dB Pad, Polarity Flip, +48V
Phantom Power, a +10 dB Ribbon Switch, a
-3 dB @ 80 Hz High Pass Filter, and a
switchable Hi-Z Instrument input whose 1/4"
jack is located on the front. It also has a small
black knurled variable Gain knob with a
throw from 15 dB up to 60 dB, unmarked
except for small white dots which are essentially 4.5 dB steps. Lastly it has a front-panel
power switch with a red power LED, as well
as a pair of green and red signal/clip LEDs.
Around the back are a single XLR in and out.
The HV-32P is a 2-channel unit, a pair of
HV-32s in one box. It is a simpler box-
each channel has a Gain control, -14 dB
Pad, +48V Phantom Power switch, and
+10 dB Ribbon Switch. It also has a front
power switch, and it expands its input
metering with three marked signal/clip
LEDs: -30 dB green, +8 dB yellow and +20
dB red. The rear has two XLR ins and outs.
In use
This is essentially the third time I have
reviewed this preamp, and I must also disclose that I own and have been using an 8Channel HV-3D for well over 12 years now...
it's a sound I know well and really appreciate. Everything that I used to describe the HV3 sound above holds true to these new HV-P
models, and while there are some spec differences between the older HV-3 and these,

Recording - April 2015

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