Sinvertek SRAA N5 MGAT-5

The Sinvertek SRAA N5 MGAT-5 is an analog preamp pedal from Sinvertek, listed on RockBoard's PedalPedia as a "PREAMP". RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as "a rip-roaringly savage overdrive effect which has the same crunch as a real tube amp", placing it in the same territory as overdrive pedals and distortion pedals while acting as a preamp stage rather than a simple drive box.¹

RockBoard's PedalPedia says the circuit "was forged by Sinvertek after years of research in the field of tube amp overdrive", so the design intent is an amp-like gain structure rather than a conventional pedal distortion.¹

Power and setup

The MGAT-5 runs on a 9V DC supply with center-negative polarity and draws 100 mA. That current draw is higher than many compact pedals, so it is worth checking what your supply can deliver before adding it to a daisy chain with other pedals. Sinvertek publishes an English user manual for the pedal on its own site.¹

Where it sits in Sinvertek's range

The MGAT-5 belongs to Sinvertek's N5 series of preamp pedals, a line the company has developed across several iterations. Players comparing it with the earlier Marshall-focused models in the series can read about the Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1, the Sinvertek N5 MGAT-1 Hyper Preamp and the Sinvertek MGAT-1 GE Golden Era.¹