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elysia karacter 500 Series Saturation/Distortion Certified Open Box , $899.10 - Add to Cart Skip to Product Information

elysia karacter 500 Series Saturation/Distortion Certified Open Box

2-channel Tonal-color Generator 500 Series Module with Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Distortion, Turbo Boost, Color Filter, and Stereo, Dual-mono, and M/S Operation
elysia karacter 500 Series Saturation/Distortion
elysia karacter 500 Series Saturation/Distortion

Certified Open Box Savings!

Save $99.90 What is Certified Open Box?

The price below reflects your savings.

Savings: $99.90 New for $999.00

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elysia karacter 500 Series Saturation/Distortion Certified Open Box

Certified Open Box Savings!

Save $99.90 What is Certified Open Box?

The price below reflects your savings.

Savings: $99.90 New for $999.00

High-end Signal Coloration

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

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The elysia karacter 500 is a discrete Class A 500 Series distortion module that gives you a staggering range of sonic options, from mastering-grade saturation to tube-style distortion and merciless waveform annihilation. The karacter 500 sports two channels you can use in dual mono, linked stereo, or even a mid/side configuration, making it a supremely versatile tool for any studio or live situation. Use a gentle touch with THD generation and season to taste, or unleash sonic mayhem with asymmetrical clipping. Parallel process with the integrated mix control to achieve the ideal amount of grit. Fine-tune harmonics with the Color Filter network. Tweak away — the elysia karacter 500’s stepped potentiometers let you recall your settings precisely.

Infuse your tracks with rich character

Wish you had racks full of outboard gear to achieve the perfect tonal coloration? At Sweetwater, we’ve discovered you no longer need them — thanks to the elysia karacter 500. An ideal all-in-one solution, the karacter 500 delivers a broad palette of colors, and they all sound lovely, no matter how mildly or aggressively you process. The karacter 500 is designed and built in the company’s factory in Nettetal, Germany, using only top-shelf components, gold-plated PCBs, a robust 4mm aluminum front panel, and solid aluminum knobs. Bottom line, the elysia karacter 500 will be infusing your tracks with rich character for many years to come.

Painting with sound

To expand on this concept of “painting with sound,” it’s instructive to consider the well-established relationship between music and the visual arts. When you’re recording music, you are (hopefully) forming a mental picture of your mix. With each overdub, each brushstroke of EQ, in essence, you’re painting with sound. Mid-century Dutch-American abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning famously wrote, “Miles Davis bends the notes . . . I bend the paint.” The elysia karacter 500 is a tool for bending the sound. You’ll actually have to use it to fully understand the practical implications of what it can do. Trust us: you just have to hear it for yourself.

elysia karacter 500 Saturation/Distortion 500 Series Module Features:

  • Discrete Class A Topology running in constant Class A mode
  • Mastering-Grade Saturation generates soft-curve THD for musical symmetrical clipping
  • FET Shred mode, for a broad range of tube-like asymmetrical distortion
  • Turbo Boost shifts the operating point of the distortion circuit in FET shred mode
  • Color Filter changes the harmonics-frequency relation for even more tonal-color variation
  • Integrated M/S matrix lets you process the mid and side signals
  • Dual Mono/Stereo Link gives you true dual-mono and linked-stereo operation
  • Stepped potentiometers let you recall your settings precisely
  • Designed and built in elysia’s factory in Nettetal, Germany
What is Certified Open Box Gear?

At Sweetwater, we're so picky that what we call "Certified Open Box" is actually better than what most music retailers sell as "new" gear! Our gear hasn't endured hundreds of people a week plunking away at all the keyboards, fumbling through Stairway to Heaven on every guitar or playing with every fader and knob on a mixer or control surface.

Certified Open Box (also known as a demo) means we’ve had it out of the box for our YouTube channel, displayed at events, tested in our studio, or maybe it was in a customer’s hands for a few days and isn’t ‘factory fresh’ as a result. Every Certified Open Box item we sell has Sweetwater’s 2-year Total Confidence Coverage™ warranty and has been tested and verified up to ‘new’ specs by our factory-authorized technicians to make sure it’s in perfect working order before we ship it to you.

When you buy a Certified Open Box item at Sweetwater, you get:
  • 2-year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty™!
  • Products inspected and tested by our factory-authorized techs, guaranteed to function like new (or better)!
  • FREE shipping on most items
  • Equipment that will MEET or EXCEED your expectations!

Click HERE to browse our current inventory of Certified Open Box equipment. Purchasing Certified Open Box gear from Sweetwater is a smart and safe way to save!

Warranty Info

Sweetwater's FREE 2-Year Total Confidence Coverage Warranty

Extra peace of mind at no extra cost.

  • Save money with FREE parts and labor
  • Get back to making music with the industry's fastest turnaround time
  • Fix it the first time with our award-winning, factory-certified Service Department
Learn More about Total Confidence Coverage

Offer applies only to single-receipt qualifying purchases. Select manufacturers may require that only the manufacturer’s products qualify towards the minimum purchase amount needed to be eligible for promotional financing. Otherwise, an invoice that meets the minimum purchase amount and contains at least one qualifying manufacturer product is eligible for promotional financing. No interest will be charged on promo purchase balance, and equal monthly payments are required on promo purchase until it is paid in full. The payments equal the amount financed divided by the number of months in the promo period, rounded up to the next whole dollar. These payments may be higher than the payments that would be required if this purchase was a non-promo purchase. During the last month(s) of the promo period the required monthly payment may be reduced due to the prior months’ rounding. Regular account terms apply to non-promo purchases. New Accounts as of 07/31/2025: Purchase APR is 34.99%. Penalty APR is 39.99%. Min Interest Charge is $2. Existing cardholders: See your credit card agreement terms. Subject to credit approval.

Offer applies only to single-receipt qualifying purchases. No interest will be charged on the promo balance if you pay it off, in full, within the promo period. If you do not, interest will be charged on the promo balance from the purchase date. The required minimum monthly payments may or may not pay off the promo balance before the end of the promo period, depending on purchase amount, promo length and payment allocation. Regular account terms apply to non-promo purchases and, after promo period ends, to the promo balance. New Accounts as of 07/31/2025: Purchase APR is 34.99%. Penalty APR is 39.99%. Min Interest Charge is $2. Existing cardholders: See your credit card agreement terms. Subject to credit approval.

The estimated required monthly payment shown which excludes taxes and delivery equals the amount financed divided by the number of months in the promo period, rounded up to the next cent. During the last month(s) of the promo period the required monthly payment may be reduced due to this rounding. These payments apply only with the financing offer shown. If you make these payments by the due date each month, you should pay off this amount financed within the promo period, if it is the only balance you are paying off. If you have other balances on your account, this payment will be added to any other minimum monthly payments.

Applies only to select items from this manufacturer. Ask your Sweetwater Sales Engineer for more details.