Amels Audio Osetra: A Tube DI in a Caviar Tin
A 20-unit tube DI in a caviar tin, with a practical catch: Osetra needs both its external filament supply and 48 V phantom power.
A caviar tin is an unlikely piece of guitar-recording equipment. Amels Audio’s Osetra makes it one: the company’s debut product is an all-tube instrument DI, with its first 20 numbered units housed in laser-cut tins carrying sturgeon artwork.
Announced on September 9 following the company’s September 7 launch, Osetra is the first release from audio designer Dave Amels’ new independent venture. Its intended job is straightforward: connecting an instrument to a recording or mixing setup through a tube signal path.
A direct route for electric and acoustic guitar
Osetra is intended for electric guitar, bass and pickup-equipped acoustic guitar. The manufacturer specifies a 1 MΩ instrument input, a quarter-inch thru connection and an XLR output feeding a microphone input. Its circuit is Class-A and transformerless, with no loop feedback.
For a guitarist, the useful question is how it fits the recording chain. Osetra takes the instrument connection to a suitable microphone preamp; the manufacturer specifies a minimum receiving input impedance of 1.2 kΩ. That requirement matters more than the unusual enclosure when deciding whether it fits an existing setup.
Two power sources—not either/or
The unit needs both the included 12 VDC supply for the tube filament and 48 V phantom power from the receiving microphone input. Phantom power alone is not enough, and the external adapter does not replace phantom power.
Amels Audio’s instructions call for lowered channel and monitor gains, with phantom power switched off before connection, the filament supply to be connected, and approximately 30 seconds of warm-up. The XLR output then connects to a microphone input—not a line input—with phantom power enabled afterward.
A small first edition
The Founder’s Tin Edition is listed at $425 USD, including the filament adapter and a one-year parts-and-labor warranty. Initial sales are limited to the United States; shipping and applicable tax are additional. The maker currently describes it as finished, available hardware rather than a preorder, although availability can change.
The enclosure supplies the visual joke. The practical proposition is a compact tube DI with clearly specified connection requirements—and those are worth checking before making room for it beside a guitar and interface.
Osetra Founder’s Tin Edition all-tube instrument DI, three-quarter top view. Credit: Courtesy of Amels Audio.