Neumann.Berlin (a division of Sennheiser) just introduced the V 402, a microphone preamplifier with integrated headphone monitoring. The V 402 is Neumann’s first stand-alone microphone preamp — although the company has created several generations of preamp modules for its mixing consoles (such as the V 476 B of the 1980s).

The V 402 is a dual-channel microphone preamplifier designed to maintain the original signal’s sonic integrity with a transformer-less circuitry design, eliminating noise and distortion. While this is also often claimed for simple preamps such as those in audio interfaces, Neumann.Berlin says the V 402 is built to much higher standards. The V 402 is also equipped with a studio-grade headphone amplifier with independent volume controls for each channel that allows it to dial in a latency-free monitoring mix without affecting the recorded signal.

The V 402 comes in a 2U 19-inch rack enclosure that’s 89 millimeters x 483 millimeters x 242 millimeters. The list price is $2,899.00.