Description

About Jakob Erland

Jakob Erland is universally recognized as one of the leading experts in tube hardware design. He is also very popular in the DIY community where he provides free help. Gyraf Audio.

The Gyraf Audio GY 4.5 Inherit Cartridge

The Gyraf Audio GY 4.5 Inherit cartridge is, as its name implies, a single channel of the famous Gyraf Audio Gyratec 9 preamp. Faithful to the original in every detail, the GC Audio GY 4.5 is a genuine tube preamplifier. It comes with two ECC82 tubes running on high voltage, with no solid-state components in the signal path. The input and output are balanced by high-end Lundahl transformers.

Key Features

• Tube Design: Two ECC82 tubes running on high voltage.
• Signal Path: No solid-state components.
• Transformers: High-end Lundahl transformers for input and output balancing.
• Sound Control: Achieves everything from a completely clean to a very colorful sound imprint, all under the total control of the user.
• Sweet Spot: Very slow transition to overload, making it ideal for vocals where you can get a nice dense analog saturation without overloading your converters.

Technical Data

• PAD: -28dB
• Input Impedance: 1K Ohms
• EIN: Better than -124 dBu (150 Ohms source @ max gain – 22/22Khz)
• THD + N: 0.1% @ 1Khz
• Gain Step +/-1dB:
  1. 22 dB
  2. 26 dB
  3. 32 dB
  4. 37 dB
  5. 42 dB
  6. 46 dB
  7. 49 dB
  8. 52 dB
  9. 56 dB
  10. 59 dB
  11. 61 dB
  12. 63 dB

Overview by Jakob Erland

“The preamp-as-a-cartridge is simply a great idea: In this day and age where you can have clean and neutral preamps virtually for free with your converters, you don’t want a big stack of the same type preamp – you want variety, something that matches the individual microphones and sources you are working with. The inherit cartridge system gives you exactly this – the ease of trying out a variety of flavors – the possibility of finding that sonic imprint that’s just right for what you have at hand. The G9, which the GY 4.5 cartridge is based on, is an adaptation of the input circuit of the G36 tape recorder, that I have used and loved since I was a kid. Update includes transformer balancing in and outputs, phantom power, switchable high-pass filter, and switched gain settings.”

Performance Metrics Gyraf Audio

• Gain VS Frequency
• THD + N VS Frequency
• Phase
• Noise @ Gain Max

The Gyraf Audio GY 4.5 Inherit Cartridge is a versatile and high-quality preamp that offers a range of sound options, making it a valuable addition to any studio setup