My Retro Sta has been shipped!

[JMc]

Is it okay to start wetting myself now, or do I have to wait until I actually have it racked and in my audio chain?


I'm stoked. Thanks to Jeff @ Vintage King for the great service and to Phil Moore for the great product!

Did I say I was stoked?

[trakk]

Congrats! How long did you wait? I just ordered one last week.

[surflounge]

Glad to hear the good report. I am about to spend a fortune on gear, and I was wondering about those guys. Thank you for the honest news. So far it seems they are cool and trust-worthy. Looking forward to doing biz (at least for part of the funds).

aloha from Crazy Joe in Cayucos California

[JMc]

Originally Posted by trakk

Congrats! How long did you wait? I just ordered one last week.

I started the process somewhere around 5 weeks ago...

[RoundBadge]

I seem to be tracking everything through it.
Can't help myself.it just sounds great.
The La's & Tubetechs haven't been used much since this thing arrived




..

[piano]

Took 6-7 weeks to get mine from VK. Took much longer than VK anticipated.

I love the thing. It's the closest thing to perfect I've found.

[rainsinvelvet]

You can begin to wet yourself now if you like.
Just wait till you run vocals or bass through it.
Then, you will have a "movement " e

I LOVE mine and I really want another. someday...

ERic

[RoundBadge]

Originally Posted by RoundBadge

I seem to be tracking everything through it.
Can't help myself.it just sounds great.
The La's & Tubetechs haven't been used much since this thing arrived

Doh!oops ! It was late when I posted and i was exhausted
I thought you were talking about the 176b

Sta loves bass in the mix.Everything Phil makes rocks


..

[JMc]

Originally Posted by rainsinvelvet

You can begin to wet yourself now if you like.
Just wait till you run vocals or bass through it.
Then, you will have a "movement " e

I LOVE mine and I really want another. someday...

ERic

...a-ah-ah-aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... That's better.

Phil was very helpful in helping me decide between the Sta Level and the 176. My vocal chain will now be Pearlman TM-1 (E14) > Requisite PAL Plus MkIII > Retro Sta Level > DAW. I'm really looking forward to this... I've been using an LA-2A in place of the Sta for the last couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to hearing the difference.

[JMc]

Got here safe and sound this morning. Man, this thing is a work of art. Still had that "new paint" smell when I unwrapped it. Phil Moore does beautiful work!!!

And now, so will I!

I've tried this on both my pres and it sounds fantastic on either. I'm looking forward to experiimenting with the different modes and recovery times to see what I can come up with. Right now, it's Orson Welles mode; next, I'll see what the Barry White mode sounds like...

[peeder]

Originally Posted by JMc

I've been using an LA-2A in place of the Sta for the last couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to hearing the difference.

Let us know once the honeymoon/disillusionment phases subside for both.

Did you become friendly with the maker of the LA-2A reissue too?

[JMc]

Originally Posted by peeder

Let us know once the honeymoon/disillusionment phases subside for both.

Did you become friendly with the maker of the LA-2A reissue too?

Sure, you'll be the first to know. But I'd advise against holding your breath waiting for it to happen.

I bought the LA-2A secondhand and therefore had no interaction with Bill Putnam Jr. or whoever it is you're talking about at Universal Audio. What's your point?

[RoundBadge]

Originally Posted by peeder

Let us know once the honeymoon/disillusionment phases subside for both.

Did you become friendly with the maker of the LA-2A reissue too?

Honeymoon? the Sta is a great tool.lives on bass here.
If you met Phil you'd get it.He really has a passion for this stuff and is a super nice guy.
Aside from being a complete vintage compressor freak,He also mods gear.[he can make your cheapie solid statesman into a killer]
Super cool guy to chat with.
Easy to get a hold of..returns my calls/emails almost immediately.
Support is second to none.
I had a bad tube on my Sta[which i bought second hand from a fellow GS]and had a new one from him the next afternoon.
Had an switch issue w/ my 176,he not only turned it around in 2 days,but did some revisions & threw in some extra features to boot.
also he sent me a bunch of other NOS tubes to experiment with the 176.


..

[peeder]

Originally Posted by JMc

Sure, you'll be the first to know. But I'd advise against holding your breath waiting for it to happen.

I bought the LA-2A secondhand and therefore had no interaction with Bill Putnam Jr. or whoever it is you're talking about at Universal Audio. What's your point?

My point is it's hard to get a really level-headed, objective comparison between units that a) weren't purchased at the same time and b) involve personal interaction with the founder of one company and no personal interaction with the other company.

I prefer comparative reports; magazines are loath to make comparative reports because the manufacturers will either kill them or be killed by them; and so this site is really valuable when it provides comparative reports. The blind shootout is a good example, when done well.

A biased comparative report is basically a free attack ad.

[JMc]

Oh, I see. You think I'm going to give a "report" and you question my credibility because I've interacted with one of the builders, asked questions, and found him to be a terrific guy.

Well, you're wrong on both counts. My opinion would be just that - an opinion - which is subjective and I wasn't planning on posting an comparitive analysis between the two boxes.

The LA-2A and Sta Level are different devices and do different things. It would be like comparing a Sta Level to a CBS Audimax; an Audimax to an LA-2A. Or comparing an apple to a pear. I like them both, just in different ways.

This concludes my "report".

Take it with a grain of salt though, because I have no credibility since I'm friendly with builders who seek me out to answer my questions, appreciate good customer support and have a hidden agenda of some sort that I'm wanting to foist on everyone that must be nefarious in nature since I have absolutely nothing to profit or gain from pushing one device over the other.

HOURS LATER...

On second blush, I think I was a little too defensive and harsh in my reply, Peeder, and for that I apologize. I'm leaving my earlier comment intact to demonsrate my sincerity regarding the apology.

After messing about with the Sta-Level all day, I think I have a better analogy between it and the LA-2A. It's like comparing an apple to a peach. The LA-2A adds a nice, deep, crunchy "bite" to it, whereas the Sta is just rich, smooth and sweet. I haven't used my TLM-103 in a couple of years because I have better choices for what I do, but when I connected it up to the pre with the Sta-Level just for grins, the "lowly" TLM-103 sounds more like a U87, now. To say I was pleasantly shocked by this development is an understatement. If it makes my TLM-103 sound more like a U87, I can't wait to hear what it does for my Pearlman TM-1.

[Nrt]

I have a original GATES STA LEVEL that has magically intimate sound, LA2A is more transparent. They have different compression character but the STA can substitute for LA2A almost always. More I use the STA, I use LA2A less and less, so I finally sold my LA2A. Now I use UA LA2A plugin when LA2A thing is needed. If the RETRO STA has the same sound as the original, I would recommend the STA over LA2A. If you luckily get an original STA, perform RETRO attack/release mod. It's just great.