Buzz Audio "Elixir" 500-Series Preamp Modules

[jdjustice]

Does anyone here know where you can get one of these... I checked Vintage King but they are not there yet.... and what the price is?

thanx,

j.d.

[NathanEldred]

Hi J.D.

The first 50 Elixir units are exclusively available through Atlas Pro Audio (we helped Buzz Audio bring the product to market a year or more early by financing the entire undertaking). This is a 'pre-release' and they will not be available to the rest of the dealer network until these first 50 units are gone. The price is going to be $695 USD per preamp on the first 50 units, with a possibility of a small price increase after the first 50 units are sold due to a price increase on the the Lundahl transformers. Thank you.

Here is the link to the Elixir on our website.

http://www.atlasproaudio.com/elixir.html

[jdjustice]

Originally Posted by NathanEldred

Hi J.D.

The first 50 units are exclusive through Atlas Pro Audio. The price is $695 USD per preamp. Thank you. Here is the link.

http://www.atlasproaudio.com/elixir.html

Thanks Nathan!

[Tim Farrant]

We have had a small delay in getting the first shipment out to Nathan at Atlas due to late arrival of some circuit boards, but, they are being assembled and tested right now. Atlas Pro Audio has exclusive on the first 50 units due to their help with this project, as Nathan mentioned.

Vintageking and our other US dealers should have stock as soon as those 50 are sold.

Thanks for your interest in this product JD!

Tim.

[AdamJay]

Any info on the "Essence" 500 series compressor?

[Tim Farrant]

Hi Adam

The Essence is an optical LDR type compressor. It uses our differential drive sidechain circuit as used in the SOC1.1. It has switchable shelving sidechain EQ which allows you to boost/cut the bass/treble at about 8dB at 100Hz and 10kHz respectively.

It will be useful for bass/vocal tracking where you want something that does not impart too much of it's own "sound" but renders the track "under control" and ready for further coloured compression if desired.

The audio path is all True Class A with a Lundahl 1517 output transformer.

Cheers
Tim.

[gm5k]

had to bring this thread back to life to say that the elixir is AMAZING! i know its getting a lot of hype for acoustic guitar (which yes it is phenomenal on) but my friend and i were using it as a DI for bass and man...blew us away. great warmth and smoothness to it. ive got a feeling this elixir is going to be all over mixes im making for a long time

[Acko]

Originally Posted by gm5k

had to bring this thread back to life to say that the elixir is AMAZING! i know its getting a lot of hype for acoustic guitar (which yes it is phenomenal on) but my friend and i were using it as a DI for bass and man...blew us away. great warmth and smoothness to it. ive got a feeling this elixir is going to be all over mixes im making for a long time

I was tracking bass today for an album, a Sadowsky bass with a direct signal + an SM7 on the amp, both into my buzz ma2.2tx, man those tracks have serious stature, punch and balls. I'm diggin that pre on all sources and getting different colours just by using a variety of good mics: dynamics, ribbons and tube condensers....I'm wondering if the elixir sounds much different to the ma2.2tx in that the lundahl tranny is frequency specific on the elixir vs the sowter tranny effecting the full spectrum.

[murp]

Originally Posted by Acko

I'm wondering if the elixir sounds much different to the ma2.2tx in that the lundahl tranny is frequency specific on the elixir vs the sowter tranny effecting the full spectrum.

wha?

[Acko]

I may be wrong but I thought that the transformer on the elixir was set up in a way that it only effects the lower end of the frequency spectrum while the highs remain transparent and fast. With the ma2.2 it's either or i.e. output transformer or no output transformer. And I was wondering if this difference translates into a noticably different tone between the two units or are they pretty much in the same ballpark. Am i making sense yet?

[Acko]

Just Checked the buzz website, I was wrong. Same deal i think just a different transformer. I'd still like to know how the sound of these two units compare.

[Tim Farrant]

I'll try and explain some of the technical differences.

The Elixir uses the same discrete amplifier modules as the MA (BE40 modules). The input is transformerless in both, but we could not fit the kick ass Wima input capacitors onto the Elixir board. The MA has a variable gain balanced input stage feeding a bal to unbal convertor then straight out. (The Sowter transformer can be used to balance the output if desired).

The Elixir has a similar variable gain balanced input stage but instead of feeding another amplifier, it feeds directly onto the output transformer via two high current buffer amps (BE50 modules).

The MA2.2 has power rails of +/-24 volts, the 500 Series racks have +/-15V. Headroom in the 500 Series format can therefore be an issue (especially in the digital era where analog levels are much higher than they used to be). For this reason, the Elixir output transformer is used in step up 1:2 configuration, and the BE50 buffers ensure there is enough drive for this mode of operation (hence the rather high 150mA current draw of the module).

So essentially, the Lundahl output transformer is an integral part of the Elixir circuit, whereas the Sowter transformer in the MA is simply an add on, and not necessary for operation.

The Sowter exhibits a pretty smooth low distortion transfer out to 120kHz. The Lundahl running in step up mode exhibits more distortion at very low frequencies but has an extended high frequency response out to 300kHz.

The Elixir is therefore more coloured in the bass frequencies than the MA2.2, which was always intended to be an "accurate" preamplifier.

Hope this is of some help!
Cheers
Tim.

[Acko]

Thanks for the detailed explanation Tim. I'm always interested in what you are producing. My ma2.2 is in daily use here, myself and everybody I work with are enamoured with the sound of that unit. Rest assured it's contributing to the production of alot of great music.

Jay