Camden EC1 Preamp, Signal Processor, & Headphone Amplifier
  • Discrete mic/line/hi-z preamp featuring the award-winning ‘Camden’ topology from the Camden 500 Preamp and Signal Processor for 500 series

  • Audio performance at the near-theoretical limits of noise, distortion, and phase/frequency linearity at all gain settings
    • EIN: <-129.5dBu, 150 Ohm source, unweighted, <-135.5dBu, Inputs common, unweighted
    • THD+N: <0.00025% (1kHz, 35dB gain, +24dBu out)
    • Intermodulation Distortion: <0.0006% (50Hz and 7kHz, 35dB gain, +20dBu out)
    • Phase Shift: <2.75° (20Hz to 20kHz, 40dB gain), <6° (20Hz to 20kHz, Max Gain)
    • Freq. Response: ±0.7dB (<1 Hz to >1000 kHz, 35dB gain), ±1dB (<5 Hz to >200 kHz, Max Gain)

  •  Unique 48v status LED
    • 48v LED Lights Orange to indicate voltage charging or dissipating to prevent damage to ribbon microphones and to ensure voltage is fully charged before use
    • 48v LED lights RED when voltage is fully charged and ready to use

  • ‘Mojo’ analogue saturation circuits with variable control, true bypass, and 2 discrete styles - Thump and Cream
    • Thump excites low-end content by boosting lower odd/even harmonics from a range of 160Hz to 20Hz and below
    • Cream boosts odd/even harmonics whilst also reducing the amplitude of the fundamental frequencies and applying typical transformer-style transient taming
  • Discrete headphone mixers with independant CH 1, Ext Input, and Aux Input level controls
    • Monitor the Camden preamp directly with headphones during mic placement to find the sweet spot of the instrument/source
    • Create zero-latency artist mixes by combining the Camden preamp with external playback from Aux Input 1/4” jacks on Camden EC1’s rear panel
    • Use the reference grade headphone amplifier for critical listening by sending stereo mixes from the interface into the Aux input and monitoring directly using Camden EC1’s headphone output
  • Reference-quality, high-powered headphone amplifier
    • Freq. Response: <±1dB, <1 Hz to >100 kHz
    • Output Impedance: 0.33 Ohms
    • THD: 0.0003%, 1kHz
    • Output Wattage: 2x250mW @ 600 Ohm, 2x450mW @ 220 Ohm, 2x250mW @ 100 Ohm
  • Balanced XLR output and impedance balanced 1/4” jack outputs for maximum connectivity into audio interfaces and other downstream equipment
    • -10dB PAD to attenuate preamp output for lowheadroom audio interfaces
  • Dedicated Impedance balanced 1/4" jack Link output for true instrument DI functionality and splitting instrument inputs to balanced or unbalanced amplifiers and effects
  • C.A.S.T. OUT port for connecting into 500R8/500ADAT
    • Transmit Camden EC1’s preamp and Ext Input directly into 500R8 and 500ADAT’s 500 series modules inputs for recording/processing
    • Receive a stereo mix generated from 500R8/500ADAT and monitor using Camden EC1’s headphone mixer
    • All managed and distributed via a single shielded Cat 5e, Cat 6, or Cat 7 cable
  • External high-current 24v, 1.25a power supply with latching connector

All specifications are typical performance unless otherwise noted. All specifications are subject to change at any time. Tested with Audio Precision APx555.

Preamp

Test Signal Path

APx555 (Line Out) - Input 1 - Line Output - APx555 (Line In)

Input Impedance

Mic= 8.9 kOhms 48v Off, 5.4 kOhms 48v ON,

Line = 24.3 kOhms,

Hi-Z= 1.5 MOhm Unbalanced, 3 MOhm Balanced

Max Input Level

Mic = +17.6dBu (<0.003% THD),

Line = +26.5dBu (<0.02% THD),

Hi-Z = +24dBu (<0.02% THD)

Minimum Gain

Mic= 8dB, Line = 0dB, Hi-Z = 3dB

Maximum Gain

Mic = 68dB, Line = 60dB, Hi-Z = 63dB

Equivalent Input Noise (EIN)

<-129.5dBu (150 Ohm source, unweighted), 

<-131dBu (150 Ohm source, A-weighted), 

<-135.5dBu (Inputs common, unweighted)

Frequency Response

±0.7dB (<1 Hz to >1000 kHz, Min Gain),

±0.7dB (<1 Hz to >1000 kHz, 35dB Gain),

±1dB (<1.5 Hz to 900 kHz, 63dB Gain),

±1dB (<5 Hz to >200 kHz, Max Gain)

Phase Shift

<2.75° (20Hz to 20kHz, 40dB Gain),

<4° (20Hz to 20kHz, 63dB Gain),

<6° (20Hz to 20kHz, Max Gain)

THD+N

<0.00025% (1kHz, 35dB Gain, +24dBu out)

Intermodulation Distortion

<0.0006% (50Hz and 7kHz, 35dB gain, +20dBu out),

<0.0005% (50Hz and 7kHz, 35dB gain, +15dBu out)

Hi-Pass Filter (HPF)

80Hz, -3dB, 12dB/Oct

CMRR

>70dB, typ >85dB, 35dB gain, 10-20kHz, 100mV Common mode

Slew Rate

20V/uS, 35dB gain, +25dBu out

48v LED Thresholds

Off = 48v Off, voltage fully discharged

Amber = 48v voltage charging/discharging

Red = 48v fully charged

Signal LED Meter Thresholds

Blue = -20dBu

Green = -12dBu

Amber = +21dBu

Red = +24dBu

Max Output Level

Balanced XLR = +27.5dBu (<0.002% THD, 30dB Gain) 

Impedance Balanced ¼” Jack = +21.5dBu (<0.002% THD, 30dB Gain)

Output Impedance

Balanced XLR = 150 Ohm

Impedance Balanced 1/4” Jack = 150Ohm Balanced, 75 Ohm Unbalanced

Link Max Output Level

Impedance Balanced 1/4” Jack = +21.8dBu (<0.006% THD)

Link Output Impedance

Impedance Balanced 1/4” Jack = 75 Ohm Unbalanced, 150 Ohm Balanced (Buffered Output)

Headphone Amplifier

Test Signal Path

APx555 (Line Out) - AUX Input - Headphone Output - APx555 (Line In)

Frequency Response

-1dB, <1Hz to >70kHz

THD

<0.0006% (-104.4dB) @ +20dBu, 1kHz, A-weighted, 300 Ohm load

THD+N

<0.00085% (-101.4dB) @ +20dBu, 1kHz, A-weighted, 300 Ohm load

Output Impedance

0.33 Ohms

Output Wattage

250mW x 2 @ 600 Ohms, 1kHz

 

650mW x 2 @ 220 Ohms, 1kHz

 

1.21W x 2 @ 100 Ohms, 1kHz

 

500mW x 2 @ 32 Ohms, 1kHz

Dynamic Range

114.5dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz, 300 Ohm load

Noise Floor

-93.5dBu A-weighted, 20Hz - 20kHz, 300 Ohm load

Power

AC Requirements

100V – 240V AC, 50 – 60 Hz

Total Power Consumption

24v, 1.25A DC, 30W

Environmental

Operating Temperature

+1 to 35 degrees Celsius

Storage Conditions

-20 to 50 degrees Celsius

Dims/Weights

Unit

 

Width

220mm (8.6") (Rackmount Kit Available)

Height

44.45mm (1.75") (1u)

Depth

240mm (9.5")

Unit Weight

1.8kg (3.9lb)

Shipping Carton

 

Width

360mm (14.2")

Height

120mm (4.7")

Depth

340mm (13.4")

Carton Weight

2.6kg (5.7lb)

The Ultimate Performer’s Front End

Camden EC1 is an award-winning Camden preamp with Mojo analogue saturation, and a reference-quality headphone amplifier with a discrete line mixer built-in to a desktop-friendly, half-rack chassis.

Award-winning Preamp Performance

Connect Camden EC1 to your audio interface and experience the award-winning sound of the Camden preamp design. Providing up to 68.5dB of pristine, clean gain, Camden EC1 is the perfect preamp to pair with low-gain dynamic microphones and ribbon mics.
Powerful Headphone Monitoring
Featuring a reference-grade, high-powered headphone amp with a dedicated line mixer, Camden EC1 gives you TRUE, zero latency, mastering-quality monitoring of your preamp that is effortlessly mixed with playback from your DAW.
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3 World-Class Preamps In 1

Thanks to its custom 'Mojo' harmonic saturation control, Camden EC1 offers 3 flavours of preamp tone that can be dialled to taste.

With Mojo bypassed, you can experience Camden EC1's award-winning transparency for capturing mic, line, and instruments with elite-level detail and non-existent noise/distortion. 

But engage the Mojo control and you can effortlessly dial-in vintage vibe to taste:

THUMP
Transformer-Style Saturation

Thump

CREAM
Tube-Style Saturation

Cream

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Perfect For Musicians, Engineers, Podcasters, Voice Over Artists

Modern pristine or vintage saturated preamp performance combined with a comprehensive feature set makes Camden EC1 one of the most versatile preamps on the market and perfectly at home in any application you can throw at it.

Musicians

  • Develop your own signature sound using Mojo analogue saturation and take it on the road or from studio to studio with you.

  • Record natural, and forgiving-feeling instrument DI's that perfectly capture the character of your pickups and instrument.

  • Split the Hi-z signal using the Link Output to record both the DI and a processed amp'd signal - perfect for reamping workflows.

Engineers

  • Critique your mix or master using a true, reference-grade headphone amp with clean power, and enough volume to make your headphones shine.
     
  • Offer TRUE zero latency mixes to your clients that can be controlled using 2 simple controls directly on the front panel for Preamp, Aux in/DAW level.

  • Comprehensive connectivity including balanced XLR and 1/4" impedance balanced preamp outputs and a 10dB pad to prevent clipping your converters.

VO Artists

  • Monitor your vocal channel directly using headphone connected to the preamp itself. 

  • Use Mojo to apply different characters to your voice - use Thump for intimacy or use Cream excitement. Record using the Mojo settings for a streamlined workflow.

Podcasters

  • Apply 68.5dB of gain to low-sensitivity microphones (Shure SM7b. EV RE20) without adding noise or colouration.

  • Monitor your own voice in ZERO latency as well as your Program Output using the reference-grade headphone amp built-in to its front panel.

Camden EC1 By The Numbers

If you prefer numbers, we have you covered. Camden EC1, statistically, is one of the cleanest, most linear, and transparent preamps on the market. Our ‘Camden’ preamp topology allows us to push the boundaries of Frequency Response, Phase Shift, Noise, and THD performance; and we have all the specs to back that up.

 

Equivalent Input Noise (EIN): <-129.5dBu (150 Ohm source, unweighted)

Frequency Response: ±0.7dB (<1 Hz to >1000 kHz, 35dB Gain)

Phase Shift: <4° (20Hz to 20kHz, 63dB Gain)

THD+N: <0.00025% (1kHz, 35dB Gain, +24dBu out)

 

For a comprehensive list of technical specs, check out the Tech Specs tab at the top of the page.

EC1 reference grade headphone amp

Immersive Headphone Amp With Zero Latency Mixing

The reference-grade headphone amplifier built-in to Camden EC1 is as impressive as its Preamp, but the way it has been tightly integrated with the preamp makes it even more special.

Zero Latency Tracking
Monitor the Camden preamp in true, zero latency using headphones connected directly to its front panel and mix it in
with external DAW playback using the stereo 1/4" Aux Input jacks on Camden EC1’s rear panel.

Mixing And Mastering
With the same reference-grade design developed for the 500R8 audio interface, Camden EC1's headphone amps deliver up to 1.2watts of clean power per ear and a flat frequency response from 5Hz to 70kHz - perfect to power any set of headphones with clean power.

Headphone Amp By The Numbers

If you prefer to look at the numbers, we have you covered again! Camden EC1's headphone amp is quite something. Statistically, it stands up against some of the most reputable headphone amps ion the market. Here are the specs to back that up.

 

Frequency Response: ±1dB, <1 Hz to >70 kHz

THD: 0.0006% (-104.4dB) @ +20dBu, 1kHz, A-weighted, 300 Ohm load

THD+N: <0.00085% (-101.4dB) @ +20dBu, 1kHz, A-weighted, 300 Ohm load

Output Impedance: 0.33 Ohms

Output Wattage: 250mW x 2 @ 600 Ohms, 1kHz | 650mW x 2 @ 220 Ohms, 1kHz | 1.21W x 2 @ 100 Ohms, 1kHz | 500mW x 2 @ 32 Ohms, 1kHz

Dynamic Range: 114.5dB A-weighted, AES17 method, 20Hz - 20kHz, 300 Ohm load

 

For a comprehensive list of technical specs, check out the Tech Specs tab at the top of the page.

EC1 best portable interface

A Preamp That Goes With You

Portability And Power
Housed in a half-rack, desktop format, you can take Camden EC1 with you studio to studio, or on stage. Dial in your sonic signature and control your own headphone monitoring consistent and pristine.

Timeless Analogue
Devoid of software updates and USB standards, Camden EC1 is with you for the long haul. Even when you upgrade your surrounding studio, Camden EC1 will always provide your tonal benchmark. 

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Customer Reviews

"I think these will become a classic. This is the most versatile preamp I have ever used. I tried to beat it with plugins and just couldn't come close."
Vintage King Customer
Camden User
"Extremely transparent, low noise preamp with the option to add character via the two “Mojo” circuits “Cream” and “Thump”. I bought these to replace some more expensive ”clean” preamps and the added bonus of the mojo feels like I got an upgrade in doing so. Ended up going back for more Mojo and now I have 4 of these!"
Vintage King Customer
Camden User

"To summarize: This is the best preamp in 500 series and one of the best in the world in general, and it's from a very fair company that has fair prices and which has a true focus on high sound quality above all."

Vintage King Customer
Camden User

"I bought these to replace some more expensive ”clean” preamps and the added bonus of the mojo feels like I got an upgrade in doing so. Ended up going back for more Mojo and now I have 4 of these!"

Vintage King Customer
Camden User

"How they are doing this at this price point is straight up voodoo. Sound amazing with my solid state mics and my tube mics. Balanced across all frequencies, the clean setting is flat out amazing and punches WAY above where it should be punching.

Pretty blown away. Would be very happy with a large lunchbox full or nothing but these."

Sweetwater Customer
Camden User

"I got one, then immediately another - I've used them to track drums. In one instance I was short 1 pre and had to use this on the extra floor tom along side the RND 511's on rack 1 and floor 1. Wow. Nothing lacking at all amongst the 3 pres. I've been also using them extensively in tracking and mixing and the mojo is infinitely useful. Zero'd out with line level material run back through- they are invisible. For a modular, hybrid, systems where it's useful to have tools with many uses ... this earns its place straight away and rivals 500 dollar price point preamps."

Sweetwater Customer
Camden User

"Have had a pair of these fabulous preamps in my rack for about a year and my Neve and UA preamps are pretty much gathering dust. Fabulous clean but not sterile sound with extremely low noise floor. I pair them with my Sphere L22 and the combination is unbeatable. Transparency coupled with ultra low noise, a very natural and warm sound."

Sweetwater Customer
Camden User
"Have only recorded violin so far but it sounds really great on this instrument when a lot of other, and expensive, preamps sound harsher. And the mojo coloration adds a nice versatility. Love the headphone amps."
Sweetwater Customer
Camden User

"Warm, smooth, rich, punchy or whatever adjectives you are grasping for trying to produce the sound from your imagination, the EC2 has versatility in spades. The cream & thump switch and the mojo knob on the interface is intuitive which makes the learning curve quick and experimentation fun.

I'm excited by the energy the Cranborne team has for their products and wish them many years of success!"

Sweetwater Customer
Camden User
"beautiful flavored pre by CA. The thump circuit is just beautiful. This is stellar on voice, and guitar/bass"
Thomann Customer
Camden User
I think these will become a classic. This is the most versatile preamp I have ever used. I tried to beat it with plugins and just couldn't come close.
Vintage King Customer
Camden User

I recently transitioned my studio from an Apogee interface to 500 series setup with the help of my excellent engineer George Deng. We arrived at the Cranborne 500r8, it was an excellent reset. I recently looked at this piece as an expansion. George asked all the appropriate questions, as I'm overlapping headphone amps at a potential unnecessary cost. That's why George is a "Deng good" rep, and I rely on him for all my gear choices.

Ultimately, I concluded that the headphone amp is both extraneous and a bonus, what I really wanted was two extra pre amps that are crisp and beautiful and expand my input sources via one cable without having to switch out my processing modules.

These Camden pres are indeed, crisp and beautiful!

They connect in behind positions 3 and 4 via CAT 7 cable behind my 500r8. Elliot at Cranborne assisted with connection inquiries and troubleshooting, he is very responsive and helpful. Cool guy! Now I can expand breakout boxes via N22's to the Portico 517's in my 500r8 and my EC2 pres. The studio just expanded to wherever a CAT cables will take me.

Bottom line: Sweetwater and Cranborne are first class organizations. This CAST system tech is next level s#!t. Check it out.

Sweetwater Customer
Camden User
I got it set up, and started testing it with simple spoken word. Even then, I could immediately hear an insane improvement in clarity, dynamics, and total transparency or coloration, when desired (shout-out to that "Mojo" knob, and the "Cream" and "Thump" settings). My in-line signal booster is no longer in my signal chain, and the SM7B is plugged directly into the EC-2, with phenomenal results. The notched gain knob is an incredible idea when it comes to stereo matching the channels too, I can't wait to try that!

I got the pair of headphone amps set up by sending a stereo AUX Out of my interface into the left and right inputs on the EC-2. When I first hit "play" in my session, I truly could not believe my ears. The stereo imaging and overall clarity are astounding, and I feel more confident than ever when doing some mixing with only headphones. 
Sweetwater Customer
Camden User

Cranborne Audio Authorised Dealers

Not based in US? Contact Us

 

Buy Cranborne Audio From Sweetwater

Buy Cranborne Audio From Vintage King

Buy Cranborne Audio at Alto Music

 

Buy Cranborne Audio at Front End Audio

 

Cranborne Audio at Zen Pro Audio

 

Cranborne Audio at Pro Audio LA

 

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