Released in the early 1970s, the TEAC AX-300 is a 6:4 analog mixer built for the golden age of home multitrack. Conceived as the mixing companion to TEAC's legendary 4-channel simul-sync decks (the 2340 and 3340), it routes six inputs into four channels through discrete Class-A circuitry and Tamura input transformers, the same iron that gives so much 1970s Japanese gear its warm, silky midrange. Channels 3 and 6 are XLR only, every channel carries switchable 20dB or 40dB attenuation, and a genuinely useful low-cut switch keeps vocals natural without thinning them out. Add an exceptionally low noise floor and flexible sub-channel routing, and you have a transformer-balanced front end that punches well above its modest size. Rare now and quietly treasured by analog purists, it is a piece of recording history that still earns its place in a working studio.

FEATURES

• 6:4 analog architecture, six inputs mixed down to four channels
• Discrete Class-A signal path with Tamura transformer-balanced inputs
• Six XLR inputs (channels 3 and 6 are XLR only) plus four line inputs
• Eight line outputs (two pairs) for flexible monitoring and routing
• Switchable 20dB or 40dB attenuation on every channel
• Low-cut switch for natural, uncoloured vocals
• Unusual routing that assigns individual channels to other sub-channels
• Exceptionally low noise floor

PROS

• The warm, silky transformer character prized in vintage Japanese gear
• Designed to pair with TEAC's 2340 and 3340 decks and the AN-300 noise reduction unit
• Rare and increasingly collectible, actively sought by analog purists
• Compact desktop build that drops neatly into a modern hybrid setup

GENRE / USE

• Adding real transformer colour to digital stems and mixes
• A front end for tape based and hybrid multitrack setups
• Tracking vocals and instruments through Class-A iron
• Creative sub-channel routing and re-amping

THE WORD: Vintage dealers and the analog community hold the AX-300 in high regard, describing it as a rare, discrete, transformer-balanced mixer with warm Class-A preamps, unusually flexible routing and a remarkably quiet noise floor, the kind of early TEAC engineering that collectors actively hunt down. See the listing on Reverb.

PAIRS WITH: The matching TEAC AN-300 noise reduction unit from the same set is available separately.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Era: 1970s (1972 model)
• Type: 6:4 analog mixer
• Inputs: six XLR (channels 3 and 6 XLR only) plus four line
• Outputs: eight line outputs (two pairs)
• Attenuation: switchable 20dB or 40dB per channel
• Filters: low-cut switch
• Circuitry: discrete Class-A with Tamura transformer-balanced inputs
• Companion units: TEAC 2340 and 3340 decks, AN-300 noise reduction
• Condition: vintage, used