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.

WE HAVE FOUR OF THESE. Buy one, or build a stack. Read on.

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
• Four units in stock, so a matched multi-unit stack is actually possible

STACK THEM: BUILD A BIGGER DESK

This is the part most people miss. The AX-300's sub-channel routing and its eight line outputs mean these units were built to gang together, and we have four from the same family. That opens up console configurations you simply cannot buy new at any sane price:

• One unit: 6 inputs into 4 channels. A transformer-balanced front end for a small rig.
• Two units: 12 inputs into 8 channels. Enough for a full band tracked live to a 4-track or straight into an interface, every channel through Class-A iron.
• Three units: 18 inputs into 12 channels, or cascade two slaves into the third for 18 inputs summed down to a single 4-channel master bus.
• All four: 24 transformer-balanced inputs. Run them as 24 into 16 for maximum routing flexibility, or cascade three slaves into the fourth as a master and land the whole thing at 24 into 4, which is exactly the architecture TEAC's own 4-channel decks were designed to receive.

Stacked, they also look the part: four slabs of brushed aluminium and black iron, which is why the photo of two of them piled up sells this better than any spec sheet.

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
• Building a large-format all-analogue front end on a modest budget

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. One only.

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
• Units available: four, sold individually
• Condition: vintage, used

Further reading: Two EQ Knobs and a Fader: How the Golden Age of Highlife Was Actually Recorded