Samar AL Active

The AL Active is an in-line 48V phantom-powered preamp designed for studios, artists, and engineers who demand the highest level of sound purity and clarity. It provides increased gain, lower distortion, and reduced noise for virtually any ribbon or dynamic microphone, making it an ideal companion for high-end passive ribbon microphones such as the MF65, VL37, and AL95.

Its circuit design is based on the original schematics developed by Dr. Mark Fouxman, founder of Samar Audio Design, and draws from the technology used in the company’s flagship active microphones. Staying true to the philosophy “life is in iron,” all gain is achieved through a premium toroidal transformer, the same signature component found in Samar’s ribbon microphones.

Unlike conventional solid-state microphone boosters, the AL Active generates all gain directly within the transformer itself, adding virtually no noise to the signal. A transparent and neutral buffer stage follows, ensuring proper signal decoupling from cables and preamp inputs while preserving the microphone’s natural 3D depth and clarity.

With an optimal load impedance of 10kOhm, the AL Active allows passive microphones to perform at their best, delivering open and natural sound characteristics. This ensures consistent performance across a wide range of recording setups.

Its custom-designed housing, manufactured in-house using advanced CNC machining, allows the unit to connect directly to the microphone’s XLR output without requiring additional cables. This eliminates issues related to cable resistance, capacitance, and signal degradation, effectively making the AL Active a seamless extension of the microphone for a clean, transparent, and reliable signal path.