Gearank

Fishman continues to be the most popular supplier of built-in electronics for acoustic guitar manufacturers, and as such, they have the know how and experience to build good acoustic preamps like the Aura Spectrum DI.

Instead of going for basic pre-amplification and tone shaping, Fishman decided to take it further by injecting this unit with their Aura Acoustic Imaging technolgy, which applies amp modeling technology to recreate the sound of popular acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments.

It also comes with extras like compression effects and a built-in tuner.

Lisa Loeb is one of the notable artists who uses the Aura Spectrum.

Features:

• Fishman Aura Acoustic Imaging technology
• 128 pre-loaded acoustic instrument images
• Instrument preamp with balanced XLR D.I. output
• Volume, Blend, and Image Select controls
• 3-band EQ
• One-knob compressor
• Phase switch and automatic anti-feedback
• Built-in chromatic tuner with bypass/mute
• 16 user-configurable Image locations
• Input Impedance 10 M Ohm
• USB interface for downloading Aura images.
• Weight: 1.7 lbs.

Pros

Reviews are generally positive and welcoming, with many reporting that the preamp actually improved their sound. Many also loved the Aura imaging feature, which breathed new life into their old acoustics, some even thanking Fishman because the unit scratched their itch to buy another acoustic instrument. The anti-feedback feature got a lot of mention among reviewers, saying that it works really well even in loud band settings. Another positive trait is the pedal's reliability and longevity, as attested to by users who gave the pedal five star ratings, after having used the pedal for years.

Cons

As expected, there are some who are not too happy with the Aura imaging feature, saying that many of the images did not meet their expectations. But like amp modeling, this could very well be due to lack of patience in tweaking the parameters - some users recommend that lowering the blend knob worked for them. Other minor gripes include the slide selector being fragile, and the lack of images for nylon string guitars and other acoustic instruments. It's noticeable how majority of the reviews come from steel-string guitarists, even though it is supposed to also work for other instruments.

Overall

Although we used to recommend this Aura Spectrum it is not longer on our current recommendation list due to other options now having higher ratings - you can see our current recommendations at: Best Acoustic Preamp Guide.