The Thermionic Snow Petrel is a dual-channel high-gain valve mic preamp specifically designed with low-output microphones such as ribbon microphones in mind.

The Thermionic Snow Petrel boasts two Radio Technique RTC5654 pentode valve and high-gain Svetlana EF86 pentode both made to operate as triodes to drive the gain stage and Tung-Sol 6189 double triodes to drive the Sowter output transformer. This combination of these valves and a step-up input transformer allows the Snow Petrel to deliver up to 75dB of clean gain with very low noise floor and distortion.

Originally designed with the Coles 4038 in mind the Snow Petrel features higher input impedance to preserve clarity. It can be modified with the Hi/Lo and Pad switches to suit individual microphones. 

The Snow Petrel is extremely musical and offers progressive saturation that will please users looking for obvious colouration. An Air switch brings out clarity and sheen that will complement ribbon microphones particularly well while the high-pass filter will bring proximity effect under control.