The new Mercury M72s (Mk. III)
is Mercury's flagship, valve studio microphone amplifier. The M72s is
based on the most sought after vintage amplifier module, the
‘Telefunken/ Siemens V72s.’ Which is most famous for being used in
REDD.37 consoles, which was used on all the early Beatle recordings by
George Martin at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.
The Mercury M72s (MK. III) has a new look but same stellar tone and
craftsmanship and still proudly built in the USA. We only simplified the
look of the front panel by deleting a few vintage inspired, aesthetic
extras of the MK II, which is still available as the M72s-CSV (custom
shop version), but is still loaded with the same exact tone and warmth
utilizing the same exact circuit, same quality parts and same
transformers we have used since we started building the first M72s at
Mercury Recording Equipment.
The Mercury M72s is based on the very rare V72s module used in consoles
due to a minimal amount made. The more common V72 amplifier modules (not
marked with lower case s, ie V72s) were later modified and have been
sold for many years as outboard preamplifiers all over the world.
Neither of these amplifier modules have been available new for more than
50 years. So, working units have become extremely rare, very expensive
and, in some cases are now in need of much repair. Regardless of cost,
the uniquely musical tonal characteristics of these amplifiers has made
them the prized possession of many engineers lucky enough to get the
vintage modules, and a "secret weapon" for many studio musicians.
Mercury Recording Equipment is proud to have a faithful reproduction in
the M72s. We have nearly 20 years experience with the amplifiers and
feel we have captured not only of how the units behave, but of how they
sound overall. We are confident, with the addition of modern features,
making the M72s much more versatile, without sacrificing the most
important feature: Musicality.
Mercury M72s Features
The Gain of the Mercury M72s is variable from 28dB to 58dB, in 3dB
increments, controlled with a high quality rotary switch. Also, there is
an option of a selectable Input Pad of -16dB or -28dB for even more
control. Additionally, when the -28dB pad is engaged and it is set at
the lowest gain setting (28dB) you can run signal through the M72s to
add warmth and tonality to any tracks, mixes, keyboards, drum machines,
samples etc... There are also all the modern features we expect on a new
piece of equipment: Phantom Power (on/off) , Phase (Polarity) Reversal,
and our amazing sounding F.D.I. (FET Direct Input) circuit per channel.
The Mercury FDI (FET Direct Input), a proprietary J-Fet circuit, based
on a class-A tube topology. The Mercury FDI is designed to reproduce
every nuance of a direct recording, while the circuit lets the tube or
solid-state character of the amplifier determine the overall tone. The
instrument DI signal is sent through the entire microphone pre-amp
circuitry, including Mercury’s custom, massive input transformers, so
that the individual character of each pre-amp comes through.
The Mercury M72s has the rich lows and punchy mids giving you that
‘instant’ vocal tone, a realistic acoustic guitar tone, or add punch to a
bass guitar. The same reaction to instruments or source as the vintage
module but with slightly more open high end and openness. The Mercury
M72s Studio Microphone Amplifier has the ‘vintage’ tone and break up
like the original circuit but it is a bit more musical over all (not
cleaner, more musical, there is a huge difference).
"After building 100's of Vintage V72 packages at Marquette Audio Labs it
is nice to know we can continue a tradition that we have been providing
for over 10 years now. We are very proud of the Mercury M72s Studio
Microphone Amplifiers at M.A.L. and I am personally very pleased with
this product which has exceeded my expectations". - David Marquette
(Marquette Audio Labs / Mercury Recording Equipment Co. ) "The M72
brings the vocal up in your face in a mix. Not only that, when you're
singing, you can distinguish every little nuance." - Ricky Skaggs
“Having used the Mercury M72s I now see no need to scour Eastern Europe
to search for the last of the original units.” - Joe Chiccarelli "The
M72s sounds every bit as good as an original V72s, imparting that nice
pillowy softness that is so difficult to get..." - Pete Weiss, TapeOp Magazine
Specifications
Mic Input Impedance: Approx. 2k
Suggested Source Impedance: Approx. 200 ohms
Input Impedance with -28dB Pad: Approx. 4k
DI Input Impedance: 2M ohms
Internal Output impedance: 30-50 ohms (depends on gain setting)
Suggested Minimum Load: 500 ohms
Max. Mic Signal Input Level (@ 20 Hz): +34dBu with -28dB Pad engaged / +6dBu with
Pad not engaged
Max. Output Level: +22dBu
Frequency response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz +/- 0.5dB
Harmonic Distortion: All musically related low orders of harmonics, with no
significant order above 5th.
Tubes: 2x EF806s, per channel
Rack Size: 2U
FAQ: Mercury M72s vs. M76m, Whats the difference?
Both are multipurpose tools for making music. But they do sound very different.
Tone
The Mercury M72s is warm and punchy. The M72s has a thick bottom end, a
great push in the mid range and a open airy top end. The M72s
performance is great on Vocals, Bass, Drums, Acoustic and Electric
Guitars as well as room and Over head applications. The M76m is warm,
yet open and airy. Compared to the M72s the M76m is overall more evenly
"EQ'd". Meaning there is not a push in the low or mids. The M76m shines
on Vocals, Bass, Piano and Guitars giving you an amazing of control to
shape the amplifier's tone. As well the M76m opens up your room and over
head mics. With 70dB (+/-) of total gain and the choice High and Low
Input Impedance, so ribbon mics love the the M76m.
Gain
The M72s has 28dB to 58dB with -16 and -28dB Input Pad and the M76m has
nearly 70dB, with the 60dB input gain, and Level Control and the Low
impedance selected (+6dB).
Original Manufacturers Description
Technical Documents
Specifications
Brochure
Product Manual
Recall Sheet
User Testimonials
"The M-72 brings the vocal up in your face in a mix. Not only that, when you're singing, you can distinguish every little nuance. A lot of mic pres are just plain vanilla - they don't do anything but give you level." Ricky Skaggs, Mix Magazine
"Having used the Mercury M72s I now see no need to scour Eastern Europe to search for the last of the original units." Joe Chiccarelli
Grammy Award Winning Producer/Engineer Joe Chiccarelli has worked with Elton John, The White Stripes, Bon Jovi, Rufus Wainwright, U2 and Beck to name a few.
