Fire-Eye Red-Eye Preamplifier / DI

The Red-Eye Instrument Preamp offers a simple direct-connect solution for musicians playing instruments with high-impedance piezoelectric pickups.

The Red-Eye Preamp works well with instruments having passive or active piezo pickups or those with magnetic pickups such as electric guitars and electric basses.

The Red-Eye Preamp’s impedance-matching field-effect transistor input circuit is designed especially to match and track the impedance of passive piezoelectric pickups. That results in a smooth, natural, balanced, acoustic instrument tone. Low distortion, low noise, and generous headroom mean that clear tone comes through even when an instrument is played percussively and loudly. Inputs & Outputs

1. Impedance-matching input; accepts up to 2V peak-to-peak without distortion
2. Low-impedance balanced XLR output (600 ohms) with ground-lift switch
3. ¼" output and input for an effects/accessory loop — works with stomp-tuners, effects pedals, or for output to on-stage amps or PAs

Controls

1. Boost button with volume control for amplifying solos
2. Treble control to boost or cut treble; response is flat when centered

Power

1. Typically powered by 48V phantom power via XLR
2. Alternatives: internal 9V battery, or a 9–18V center-negative/center-ground power jack
3. Long battery life (~200 hours); battery isn't used when other power is present
4. Plugging in an instrument or connecting external power turns the Red-Eye on
5. Power Check light illuminates for about a second at startup if power is good. On battery power, it appears only while the battery is in the first ¾ of its life

Other Features

1. Internal RF filtering to reject interference from neon lights and cell phones

Physical

1. Chassis: 1.25 × 2.25 × 4.25 inches
2. Weight: 10 ounces