Pultec EQP-500A

Pack Your Rack with a Pultec EQP-500A

Pultec took their venerable 2U EQP-1A3-SS equalizer and scaled it down - way down - so it fits in your 500 Series rack! Spec'd just like the classic, the Pultec EQP-500A delivers killer bass, sweet highs, and that signature Pultec punch and warmth you've heard on countless recordings. In the 1970s, Pulse Techniques launched a solid-state line-amp version of their EQP-1A3. Based on the coveted API 2520 op-amp, this was, for many engineers, the go-to equalizer for kick, bass, and other instruments that needed to be tight. Now, the 500 Series EQP-500A gives you that inimitable Pultec sound, with the control you need to sculpt superior-sounding tracks.

• Boost, cut, or both - it all sounds great
• Vintage solid-state classics
• Nourish your tracks with the stuff of legend

Take a look at the Pultec EQP-500A and you'll see it's not designed like your typical equalizer. The 2-band design basically gives you flexible low shelving, along with broad-bandwidth midrange peak control. Because the boost and attenuate controls work independently, you can use an old trick to add weight to the bass region while also notching a bit above the cutoff point, by boosting and attenuating at the same time (try it on your kick drum and you'll never look back). On the high-frequency side, you can set separate ranges for the boost and attenuation. Said another way, you can boost at 12kHz and cut at 5kHz, adding air to a track without increasing presence.

There were solid-state Pultecs? There were, indeed. Introduced in the 1970s, these equalizers sported tighter bass than their tube counterparts and surprisingly sweet-sounding highs. Today's solid-state Pultecs, like their ancestors, employ API 2520 op-amps (rather than vacuum tubes) to drive their make-up gain stages. Otherwise, they're functionally identical to their tubular brethren. If you love the Pultec sound, but the characteristic low-end bloom of the tube units is a bit much, the solid-state models - including Pultec's 500 Series modules - will serve you well.

At Sweetwater, the name Pultec commands reverence. Magical tools revered for their ability to improve the sound of audio simply by passing signal through them, Pultec equalizers are the stuff of legend. They're all over many of your favorite records. Rare vintage units cost a pretty penny - if you can find one in good working order. So naturally, there have been many hardware and software re-creations over the years. Well, now you can grace your recordings with the sweet sound of a genuine Pultec EQ - conveniently located in your 500 Series rack!

• Single-channel, 2-band equalizer built to 500 Series specifications
• The vintage character of original Pultecs, the reliability of modern design
• Incredibly low noise floor for a pure sound
• Bandwidth control lets you decide how wide a range you're sculpting
• Separate boost and cut controls provide additional creative potential
• 20, 30, 60, 100Hz shelf boost, 0-13.5dB
• 20, 30, 60, 100Hz shelf attenuate, 0-17.5dB
• 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 16kHz peak boost, 0-18dB
• 5, 10, 20kHz shelf attenuate, 0-16dB
• Amplifier: 20Hz-20kHz; +0, -1dB (ref: 1kHz, including input/output transformers)
• Input transformer: 600 ohms; output transformer: 600 ohms
• Noise: below -80dBm; output level:+21dBm maximum
• Distortion: 0.15% at 10dBm into 600 ohms