Rupert Neve Designs Shelford 5053 Mic Preamp/Inductor EQ Module

Building upon the massive success of both the vertical Shelford 5052 Penthouse module and the rack-mount Shelford Channel, the Shelford 5053 Penthouse module provides 5088 clients with a sonic imprint that more closely resembles Rupert Neve's iconic, vintage consoles.

By incorporating an additional custom Rupert Neve Designs transformer - which specifically provides the first 15dB of mic pre gain - into the input stage, the 5053 input section is now virtually identical to the wildly popular Shelford Channel, allowing the 5088 to achieve new levels of rich, vintage-style coloration.

Designed to the same +/- 24V power spec as the 5051 and 5052 Penthouse Modules, the 5053 can populate an entire 5088 console or be mixed and matched with other Penthouse Modules to provide a versatile combination of flavors suitable for literally any source.

The Shelford mic pre was designed using Rupert's classic direct-coupled transformer gain topology, where the first 15 dB of gain is provided by the custom RND transformer. This, in combination with fully class-A amplifiers, creates the 5053's bold and instantly recognizable character.

The mic pre section also includes a sweepable 20-250Hz high-pass filter, Mic/Line selection, 48V phantom power, and polarity reverse.

The 3-band inductor EQ on the Shelford 5053 was inspired by our favorite aspects of Rupert’s vintage EQ designs. Each EQ band uses low-feedback, class-A electronics to maintain a sweet, musical sound with virtually any setting. 

As with Rupert’s most prized classic designs, each EQ section uses low-feedback, class-A discrete electronics to prevent low-level artifacts and harshness from detracting from the tonal shaping. However, this new circuit is a decidedly modern design with updated techniques and components that were simply not available 50 years ago, and is definitely not a "clone".

The custom RND output transformer in the 5053 features the Silk Red/Blue and Texture controls to precisely tailor the harmonic content and tonality of the output stage. Pushing the Silk button cycles the Silk modes from Red to Blue to OFF. The SILK Texture control adds harmonic content as the texture value is increased. Red Silk accentuates the musical harmonic saturation in the mid and high frequencies, while Blue Silk accentuates harmonics in the low and low-mid frequencies. 

By manipulating the Texture control, the amount of Silk can be changed from essentially absent, to roughly 4-5% THD (mostly second order) depending on how hard the output transformer is being driven. This gives 5053 users total control over dialing in a classic, vintage or modern sound.

The 5053 receives +/- 24V rails from an external 25-way 2U rack-mount power supply, and can be mounted within a 5088's penthouse section.