European Audio Interface manufacturer “Heritage Audio” released the new i73 PRO family in January 2024.
It is the first USB-C interface with Class A 73-style preamps and gives the analog warmth of the 70s in computer-based recording.
I will review Heritage Audio i73 PRO family audio interfaces in this blog post. This new desktop audio interface series has three audio interfaces, i73 PRO ONE, i73 PRO 2, and the flagship i73 PRO EDGE.
All of them are equipped with 73-style preamps built-in so you will get the same analog feel of the “golden era”.
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Let’s dive into the review.
Table of Contents
Heritage Audio i73 PRO Series
Heritage Audio i73 PROseries interfaces come with 73-style preamps with a three-way input design.
This gives you up to 70dB of gain and crystal clear line input. A dynamic JEFT DI input for electric guitar and bass is located at the front of the interface.
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these interfaces are equipped with high-quality AD/DA conversion suitable for recording, mixing, and playback upto 24-bit/192kHz.
In the bundle, you will also get a bundle of premium plug-ins in AAX/AU/VST3 formats.
i73 PRO One
The first interface in this series i73 PRO ONE is an entry-level interface that comes with 2-in/4-out with 1 Class A 73-style preamp in XLR format.
Another input has a phono format suitable for guitar. However, you will get another dedicated phono input for the guitar at the front of the audio interface.
Along with the preamp and guitar input you will get an analog stereo monitor output and a Stereo headphone output that you can control independently via Heritage Audio’s MIXER.
i73 PRO 2
i73 PRO 2 features 2-in / 4-out connectivity options with two Class A 73-style preamps with gain boost up to 70dB. Just like i73PRO One you will get microphone/line input in this interface, however, you will get a combo XLR input at the back side of the panel.
The dedicated JFET DI input for Hi-Z instruments is really impressive when you record guitar and bass.
You will also get analog stereo monitor output and stereo headphone output that you can control via the independent Heritage Audio’s MIXER.
i73 PRO EDGE
i73 PRO EDGE is a real professional audio interface with 12-in / 16-out connectivity. You can easily use this interface on any small recording studio.
However, you will get only two Class A 73-style preamps. HTye should increase the amount of preamps at least for this interface.
Other features like microphone/line input, two dedicated JFET DI input for Hi-Z instruments, two Extra line inputs, analog stereo monitor output, and two Independent stereo headphone outputs are common features like other tow interfaces.
One extra feature you will get in this interface is the 8-channel ADAT input and output so you can connect a digital mixer or other devices with this interface.
Plugins Included with i73 PRO Series
- BritStrip (Channel Strip): This plug-in combines an expanded 73-style equalizer along with the diode bridge compressor.
- HA 240 Gold Foil Verb (Reverb): This reverb is modeled after the original unit from Heritage Audio’s private collection.
- HA 1200 TapeSat (Tape saturator plugin): This tape saturator plugin is modeled from original tape machine (Serial # 0232)
- HA15Pro: This legendary bass amp is the result of Heritage Audio’s partnership with Mark Gallo a very experienced designer, programmer, and engineer.
- Heritage TAPEoPLEX: Modeled from the original unit (Serial # 34553)
- Small Recording Amp (Amp plugin): Modeld from original bass amp unit (SERIAL # C 17744)
Key Features
here are some key features of Heritage Audio i73 PRO series audio interfaces that you can consider before making your decision to buy.
Heritage Audio 73-Style Preamp
The main feature of this audio interface series is the Class A 73-style preamp. This preamp gives it the power to bring the analog warmth of the “Golden Era”.
As I have described above, all the interfaces in this series have this preamp with 70dB gain boost which is really awesome.
This preamp circuitry has been used in the recording since the early seventies. These audio interfaces come with the same Class A transformer-balanced circuitry.
That’s why you will get the analog feel of the golden era in a USB-C interface. Even a dynamic JEFT DI circuit is used in line inputs for guitar and bass that adds analog warmth to the audio signal that every computer recording engineer dreams about.
Realtime Processing
These audio interfaces process your tracks in real-time with the dedicated Heritage Audio’s MIXER. A set of modeled plug-ins power up this mixer to get awesome sound quality in the mixing.
You can record both DRY and WET in real time with the mixer and DAW. You can also insert 3rd part plugins in the Heritage Audio’s MIXER.
Inputs and Outputs
All three audio instruments have different input and output counts.
- Heritage Audio i73 PRO One – 2-in / 4-out and MIDI / 1 preamp
- Heritage Audio i73 PRO 2 – 2-in / 4-out / 2 preamps
- Heritage Audio i73 EDGE – 12-in / 16-out / 2 preamps
Other Features
- Class-A transformer-coupled 73-style preamp with up to 70 dB of gain
- Combo-XLR for mic and JFET DI input for Hi-Z instruments.
- Additional line inputs
- Analog stereo monitor output
- Stereo headphone output
- Direct monitoring with zero latency
- 24-bit / 192 kHz audio processing
- Heritage Audio plug-in effects collection included
- WET and DRY sou d streams at the same time
- +48V phantom power, PAD, and PHASE switches
- MONO, MUTE, and DIM switches
- Combo MIDI in/out connector
Pros
- DSP mixer with modeled effects
- Low latency real-time monitoring
- Class A 73 style preamp with 70dB gain boost
- USB-C interface
- Class A transformer-balanced circuit feels like Golden Era recordings
Cons
- Limited inputs and outputs in i73 PRO One and i73 PRO 2
- Price is high compared to other same-level interfaces
My verdict
Heritage Audio is not a new name in the audio recording industry. This company was founded in 2011 by Peter Rodriguez who always wanted to get vintage sound for the modern studios.
i73 PRO Series audio interfaces are the milestone in the products introduced by Heritage Audio after its establishment.
Especially, the i73 PRO EDGE is considered the flagship audio interface for this company. This series is the first USB-C audio interface series capable of producing the analog warmth of the “Golden Era”.
However, I think i73 PRO EDGE should have more than 2 preamps as common in the small scale recording studios.
But, overall this series is good to go for recording engineers, songwriters, and producers.
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