LaChapell Audio 583 (500 series Preamp & EQ)

[DISCERN]

I don't know if its been mentioned here yet, so I thought I'd bring it up after some web surfing. Looks like we are going to have some valve based products for the 500 series! LaChapell Audio announces 500-series 583 Tube Mic Preamp

Effective use of 2 spaces too.


Updated picture (as referred to by Scott Lechapell post #3):

[jamroom]

I'm a #1 fan of the incredible work that LaChapell .They are great people making unbeleivable products with flawless sevice and customer relations.I'll buy 2 of these sight unseen as long as I have the dough available.If not I'll be selling something.

[Scott LaChapell]

Originally Posted by DISCERN

I don't know if its been mentioned here yet, so I thought I'd bring it up after some web surfing. Looks like we are going to have some valve based products for the 500 series! LaChapell Audio announces 500-series 583 Tube Mic Preamp

Effective use of 2 spaces too.

Hello DISCERN, thank you for the posting of the 583! However, I really need to update the posted concept; I decided to depart from the concentric styled pots and added some functionality to the EQ section. I wasn't going to release the concept until the first beta-test units returned but there's been so much curiosity (accompanied by posted concept images) that I thought I'd better jump in ...

Added functionality:
1) The 583 (via a single toggle switch) will be able to separate the EQ from the tube preamp path and run as its own independant EQ; activating the corresponding rear input/output connectors. This effectively offers the user two completely isolated peices of gear. In this mode, the EQ runs fully transformer-less with a line input Z of 40kohm and output Z of <50ohm.

2) Each EQ cut/boost pot will have an embeded push button switch providing band specfic by-pass capability. I think this feature will be helpful in a lot of applications.

Also, the 583 will offer 70dB of internal gain as opposed to the 75db stated on some original documentation.

One last tid-bit, the first 25 units will ship with vintage premium ECC83 tubes (Telefunken, Mullard, Bugle Boy, etc ...)

PS, Jamroon, you're the man.

PSS, to those wondering if the tube will be running on a power 'diet'; we've got the tube operating reliably at >250volts stike

Thanks everyone for your interest!! Ramping the 583 into full production mode is the main effort here, everyday!!!

CHEERS,

new concept: products

-Scott LaChapell
Home page

[gm5k]

Originally Posted by Scott LaChapell

Added functionality:
1) The 583 (via a single toggle switch) will be able to separate the EQ from the tube preamp path and run as its own independant EQ; activating the corresponding rear input/output connectors. This effectively offers the user two completely isolated peices of gear. In this mode, the EQ runs fully transformer-less with a line input Z of 40kohm and output Z of <50ohm.

wow Scott this is VERY exciting!! i had heard this was not the case(being able to seperate the EQ from the preamp) and had been a little disappointed. what a great offering this is looking to be

could you possibly go into any detail on the sound/character of the preamp and the EQ? heard nothing but great things about your products but have never had the pleasure of using any of them in person myself.

[Brad McGowan]

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the info. This product looks really great. Should we be worried about long-term heating of neighboring modules due to the thermal dissipation of the tube? The packaging of a lot of modules can be really tight. Is the tube pressed up against the edge of the allowed envelope? I would hate to see my P1's roasted over the course of a couple years.

thanks,
Brad

[Scott LaChapell]

Originally Posted by Brad McGowan

Hi Scott,

Thanks for the info. This product looks really great. Should we be worried about long-term heating of neighboring modules due to the thermal dissipation of the tube? The packaging of a lot of modules can be really tight. Is the tube pressed up against the edge of the allowed envelope? I would hate to see my P1's roasted over the course of a couple years.

thanks,
Brad

Hello Brad, I totally appreciate your concern. I can tell you with certainty that the 583 will be a good neighbor to your other 500 series units. The 583 dissipates roughly 3 watts, not enough to generate heat that would cause any worry, now or in the future. The tube itself is intentionally located in the center of the chassis with generous vent holes in the PCB, There is also a large cut-out on top of the chassis allowing additional ventilation (and access to swap out or play with different tubes). Also, the API lunch box itself has sufficient top ventilation. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
The tube in the 583 generates roughly the same amount of heat as any tube microphone would. The 583 benefits in cooling over tube mics due to its' larger housing verses a slender tubular body. The point here is that if you're not concerned about your mic over-heating, don't worry about the 583 over-heating either.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Knowing that this concern is appropriate and expected I've decided to display the 583 in a fully filled lunch box at our next trade show (New York AES this year). I'll have it powered up the entire time allowing anyone with concerns the chance to touch and measure the actual temp emanating from the 583. I would want this if I were in your position. FWIW, I consider it my responsibility to prove to potential customers that there is nothing to fear with the 583 being too hot.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Thanks for that question.<o:p></o:p>

[Brad McGowan]

Excellent! I wish all gear designers paid attention to this level of detail. I work in the aerospace industry so these are the kinds of things that bite you in the ass.

Thanks for your thorough response and thoughtful design!

Brad

[hakanai]

any idea of a street price? was that already posted? am i an idiot?

[matta]

Hi Scott,

Great 'little' (in footprint, not stature!) product you have there... I just wanted to add the following.

PSS, to those wondering if the tube will be running on a power 'diet'; we've got the tube operating reliably at >250volts

For those who may/may not know Scott is being a little modest here!!!!

His definition of 'diet' is vastly different from many other 'pro audio' manufacturers whose definition is a starved plate running on +48VDC off the Phantom Rail...

It also must have a taken some clever ingenuity to convert the bi-polar 500 series rails into a single ended HV line... great to see designers thinking outside of the box (so to speak) and not being limited to the bi-polar, lower voltages that the rack provides (nothing wrong with it, but NOT thinking outside the box can limit ones design approach/methodology).

I also thought Scott made reference to complying with the VPR Alliance specs, maybe my eyes are playing tricks because I don't see that reference anymore... that said it, if it does, it must have been tough to meet on a tube design where your heater(s) alone can pull the the current 'allowance' for both rails combined (which if I'm not mistake is 130ma per rail, 260ma combine ex the +48V rail)

Again, well done Scott thumbsup

I wish you all the best with getting it to market and I'm sure many happy customers.

(forgive the brackets... I have this internal monologue thing going, hah hah!)

Cheers

Matt

[Scott LaChapell]

Originally Posted by matta

Hi Scott,

Great 'little' (in footprint, not stature!) product you have there... I just wanted to add the following.



For those who may/may not know Scott is being a little modest here!!!!

... ...

Again, well done Scott thumbsup

I wish you all the best with getting it to market and I'm sure many happy customers.

(forgive the brackets... I have this internal monologue thing going, hah hah!)

Cheers

Matt

Well thank you Matt for your perspective here. Yes, the 583 has been the most difficult yet, rewarding development to date here at LaChapell Audio. Going from the 992 (with a rather large 15.5" x 17.5" chassis) to the 583 (2.9" x 5.5") has been ... ummm .... fun? One extreme to the other you might say. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
Seriously though, the 583, I hope, will meet VPR alliance rules. The current spec sheet that they provide to manufacturers seeking VPR certification suggests that we have in fact satisfied the criteria. They state a per bay budget of 130ma @ +/- 16v. Our integrated power supply (within the 583 unit) does not consume this amount. The maximum power consumption (with phantom engaged) of the 583 (all eight LED's on as well ... ) pulls 240ma @14.5v total. That's 10ma per bay to spare.
<o:p></o:p>
Anyways, thanks for chiming in Matt,<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
All the best to you as well,<o:p></o:p>

[matta]

Well thank you Matt for your perspective here. Yes, the 583 has been the most difficult yet, rewarding development to date here at LaChapell Audio. Going from the 992 (with a rather large 15.5" x 17.5" chassis) to the 583 (2.9" x 5.5") has been ... ummm .... fun? One extreme to the other you might say.

Hah Hah, like the old analogy of fitting an elephant into a mini?

Seriously though, the 583, I hope, will meet VPR alliance rules. The current spec sheet that they provide to manufacturers seeking VPR certification suggests that we have in fact satisfied the criteria. They state a per bay budget of 130ma @ +/- 16v. Our integrated power supply (within the 583 unit) does not consume this amount. The maximum power consumption (with phantom engaged) of the 583 (all eight LED's on as well ... ) pulls 240ma @14.5v total. That's 10ma per bay to spare.

Yeah, I thought the voltages were as much (I have the same docs from API as well as I've considered doing something in the 500 factor). You have done VERY well to be able to be conservative with your current draw, well you have just done very well overall! Hah hah!

Anyways, thanks for chiming in Matt

My pleasure!

I firmly believe you give credit where it is due and you have come up with something special.

While we can talk specs all day ultimately the market place will base their judgment on how it sounds (and so they should!) and I have to confess I've not actually heard any of your units, but they are spoken highly of and I've saw a few up close when I was out at Blackbird earlier this year. Very well built with unique styling/details.

Anyways I really just wanted to share with other Slutz that I think you are being VERY modest and have a done something great here.

All the best to you as well

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Cheers

Matt

[IMS]

Originally Posted by Scott LaChapell

Added functionality:
1) The 583 (via a single toggle switch) will be able to separate the EQ from the tube preamp path and run as its own independant EQ; activating the corresponding rear input/output connectors. This effectively offers the user two completely isolated peices of gear. In this mode, the EQ runs fully transformer-less with a line input Z of 40kohm and output Z of <50ohm.

That sounds terrific, Scott (guess I wasn't the only one who asked about that! ).

One other question--will the frequency range knobs be stepped or continuous? I assume the latter since they only show three frequencies.

Looking forward to this one.

Irwin

[pan60]

so like this is going to be sweet!
i was concerned about the voltage, draw, and heat as well.
sounds like their is nothing to worry about.
nice!!!!!!!!!!

[Isle of Weight]

Originally Posted by hakanai

any idea of a street price? was that already posted? am i an idiot?

I was thinking the same question...

AA

[reflexon]

Crap this looks sweet! This could make me jump on the 500 series bandwagon. I was saving for another unit from them but this looks awesome. Great job Scott!

I'll take two please.

[Scott LaChapell]

Originally Posted by IMS

That sounds terrific, Scott (guess I wasn't the only one who asked about that! ).

One other question--will the frequency range knobs be stepped or continuous? I assume the latter since they only show three frequencies.

Looking forward to this one.

Irwin

It's stepped via a three position toggle. Not much more is going to fit on this front panel!

[Scott LaChapell]

Originally Posted by Isle of Weight

I was thinking the same question...

AA

The plan is for street pricing to be in the 1.3~1.4k range, at least for the first initial 25 units.

[NathanEldred]

thumbsup thumbsup Can't wait to hear it Scott!!

[Berolzheimer]

Looks great, Scott, I look forward to this- I think you know how much I love the 992.

Great Scott!

[FNP123]

SHWOW!!!! I hadn't had the chance to log onto gearslutz in a while and i got sent to this link and this immediate warmth and happiness came over me, just made my day...NOICE!

[TAVD]

Originally Posted by Scott LaChapell

The plan is for street pricing to be in the 1.3~1.4k range, at least for the first initial 25 units.

Wow, that's less than I expected and perfectly reasonable for a preamp and EQ.

[Isle of Weight]

Originally Posted by Scott LaChapell

The plan is for street pricing to be in the 1.3~1.4k range, at least for the first initial 25 units.

wow thats a great price

AA

[Rolff]

I know I'm arriving late in this thread, but I have to once again sing some long overdue praise to Scott and his team for building some of the coolest new tube gear available.
Not only is it well designed and built, it arrives when he says it will and if there's a problem or question, it is effortlessy resolved in a timely manner, usually by Scott himself.

I've heard some negative comments about price on these products, but trust me, when we received the first demo and listend to it; saw how it was built; heard the feedback from customers, it was an easy item to pass around town. We now own an original 992 and are seriously considering the 992 EG demo we presently have.

Scott is also promising us a stab at an early 583! We had been wondering when someone would do this tube pre in a 500 series piece and I think LaChapell has another winner!

Very impressive!
Rock on!
Rolff

[Rolff]

Just spoke with Scott and he's saying it won't be long. They are tweaking a few things.
He was here at the shop around the 4th and I actually held the first full on model in my sweaty palms. There was no time to plug it in and play but we'll have one soon enough. It's certainly a beauty!
As always, hats off to Scott for going beyond the nay sayers. The talk of excessive heat is nothing to worry about. His comparison was to how much heat a U47 puts out. Certainly touching the outside of a vintage tube mic has never hurt anyone, unless there was someting terribly wrong with the unit. Not to worry people!
I promise an update here when the unit arrives!
Rock on!
Rolff

[Jamz]

Scott, looks great! Any street date yet or do you plan on launching at AES 10/07?

[Scott LaChapell]

I've been a little absent from this thread for a while; had my head deep in 583 details.

This next Monday marks the beginning of full production of 583's; 30 initial units. However, these will all be without the EQ section and will have a model designation of 583s. Details aside, the EQ section requires a special internal component that has an extremely long lead time which introduced a sizable delay during beta testing. I'm considering a design revision that does not require this component as I don't want to get stuck in this situation again later ... But, I didn’t want this to delay the 583 preamp!

The preamp's been performing wonderfully in many studio trials for months; naturally, a non-EQ variant was the way to go in the mean time. After AES I will be able to get back into the EQ section. And yes, I will have the 583s at the show with the 992's.

Another cool thing about the 583s is that I'm installing vintage Telefunken or Mullard tubes in all of the first 30 units for free.

The first one is off to the photographer (I PROMISE I'll be able to supply something other than the cheesy concepts ). Then, Rolff gets the second unit. PAN60, you're next my friend!

Thanks guys for being so interested in this project!!! It's an interesting reality; having to allow somethign in my lunch box time to warm up ...

[Jamz]

Scott, would this make it a single slot module or will it remain 2 slots?

Originally Posted by Scott LaChapell

I've been a little absent from this thread for a while; had my head deep in 583 details.

This next Monday marks the beginning of full production of 583's; 30 initial units. However, these will all be without the EQ section and will have a model designation of 583s. Details aside, the EQ section requires a special internal component that has an extremely long lead time which introduced a sizable delay during beta testing. I'm considering a design revision that does not require this component as I don't want to get stuck in this situation again later ... But, I didn’t want this to delay the 583 preamp!

The preamp's been performing wonderfully in many studio trials for months; naturally, a non-EQ variant was the way to go in the mean time. After AES I will be able to get back into the EQ section. And yes, I will have the 583s at the show with the 992's.

Another cool thing about the 583s is that I'm installing vintage Telefunken or Mullard tubes in all of the first 30 units for free.

The first one is off to the photographer (I PROMISE I'll be able to supply something other than the cheesy concepts ). Then, Rolff gets the second unit. PAN60, you're next my friend!

Thanks guys for being so interested in this project!!! It's an interesting reality; having to allow somethign in my lunch box time to warm up ...

[Scott LaChapell]

Originally Posted by Jamz

Scott, would this make it a single slot module or will it remain 2 slots?

Unfortunately, there's no way to mount a tube and acquire enough power in a single bay. Like the GR, It's still going to be a 2-bay unit. It's also wise to keep it 2-bay to assist in heat dissipation.

[Jamz]

Originally Posted by Scott LaChapell

Unfortunately, there's no way to mount a tube and acquire enough power in a single bay. Like the GR, It's still going to be a 2-bay unit. It's also wise to keep it 2-bay to assist in heat dissipation.

Makes sense. Thanks.

[pan60]

Originally Posted by Scott LaChapell

The first one is off to the photographer (I PROMISE I'll be able to supply something other than the cheesy concepts ). Then, Rolff gets the second unit. PAN60, you're next my friend!

Thanks guys for being so interested in this project!!! It's an interesting reality; having to allow somethign in my lunch box time to warm up ...