ANAHEIM, CA, January 22, 2026—Cloud Microphones will introduce its new TRUE BLUE CL-520 preamp at this year’s NAMM in booth #15716. Offering both exceptional musicality and sonic accuracy, the 500 Series device is the result of ongoing collaborative efforts between Cloud and Tim Spencer, the founder and designer behind TRUE Systems, a company known for its line of benchmark preamps.
On an evolutionary scale, the TRUE BLUE 520 represents the first among what promises to be a series of new products imbued with a level of depth, detail, and realism that ushers in a new generation of preamp performance. While the concept of preamp transparency can sometimes feel flat or lifeless, the TRUE BLUE 520 produces a three-dimensional soundstage within which every nuance, transient, and harmonic is captured with accurate resolution and stunning authenticity.
At the heart of the high-headroom design lies an architecture employing internal relay switching that drastically shortens the circuit path to minimize high-frequency phase shifts. Unlocking the TRUE BLUE 520’s potential is an intuitive task relying upon the patent-pending Cloud Touch Control user interface. A first for 500 Series preamps, this innovative capacitive touch-control system abstains from the use of typical mechanical switches in favor of a touch-sensitive, illuminated front panel providing high visibility in dark studios or stage environments.
Extending across its entire gain range with a consistent ultra-low noise floor, the unit’s performance is safeguarded by protective “Blink-Delay” circuitry on both its +48V phantom power and high-gain functions to prevent accidental damage to connected equipment. An automatic phantom power switch has also been thoughtfully provided that disengages +48V components and eliminates all capacitors at the input while in ribbon/dynamic mode. To engage or disengage phantom power, the phantom power button must be held for two seconds, preventing accidental damage to delicate ribbon and tube mics, as well as unintentionally disengaging the phantom power when a microphone is in use. As a further complement, a rail-to-rail protocol resident in the architecture ensures ultra-high internal headroom and maximum input/output levels.
To simplify interconnections, instrument DI IN and THRU jacks act as a “split,” with DI IN being routed to the preamp core while the THRU jack can pass the instrument signal along to either an external amp or an additional DI signal path.
Exceptional for voice microphones—especially in ribbons and larger diaphragm dynamic microphones where low frequency material can be overly prominent due to proximity effect—Cloud’s Continuously Variable HPF Adjustment offers fine control over LF signal content. With nuanced attenuation between 25 Hz and 420 Hz, it effectively removes low-mid frequency “mud” and plosives from vocals, and tames boomy frequencies when capturing bass and acoustic instruments.
Refined with the knowledge and experience gained from the development and use of TRUE Systems’ Precision 8 preamp in applications ranging from the Kennedy Center to remote trucks used at Coachella and Bonnaroo, the TRUE BLUE 520 preamp will have a price of $899 when it begins shipping later this year.
