Studer A779 / Revox C279

[Dzoing]

Does anybody know one of these small mixers? I've read that the preamps are the same as in Studer 169, but AFAIK the latter was build in the 70's and the A779 in the 80's so I'm a bit confused...
Plus who knows about the difference between Studer A779 and Revox C279?
Last but not least: How do they SOUND? Are they much better as A&H or Soudcraft? Do they get THE sound? (I'm recording mainly acoustic jazz)

Thx

[Ultrasonix]

Revox C279 is the same console as Studer A779, they looks identical and the only difference is probably the name. The A779s are standard equipment in professional broadcast studios. They have 6 stereo channels, great sounding mic preamps with phantom power, VCA faders and very flexible input configuration (mono/stereo lines). I bought nice Swiss made C279 and just going to try THE sound. Sure both consoles are excellent choice for spoken word, acoustic jazz or classical music recording (analog or digital). Forget Soundcraft and another crap :-)

[Schaap]

The Studer A779 has balanced I/O and was supposed to be a more pro broadcastmixer than the Revox C279 in terms of build quality and pro I/O. Rest is the same.

I have the C279 and a Studer 169 and the 169 sounds better than the C279 for me. Though the C279 isn't bad at all.

Henk

[massimo]

The Revox C279, which I have, has balanced XLR ins and outs as well.
I like its sound very much, but haven't compared with Studer

best regards
Massimo

[Schaap]

Sorry for confusing, off course revox C279 has Balanced I/O as well. A779 has additional balanced Aux and monitor I/O and longer faders and faderstart.
Here are some pics. STUDER und ReVox - Das Infoportal | Analoges Kleinmischpult - STUDER A779


Henk

[Dzoing]

Thank you guys to give your opinion 18 month later!!!
In between I bought a Studer 169 which I find fantastic! Real high end with that vintage yet clean sound, yep! It is less portable (25kg w/o flycase) than a c279 though...

[KSwan]

I have been checking out this mixer all day... it looks... perfect for me. I Have a 6 track tape machine that this would mate perfectly with. Sure, it would be nice to have a couple more channels for other things but I still think the board would be a useful purchase for me.

A couple things are still unclear to me, so can anyone with information help me out:

Can I use the 6 pres on the board to track into each one of my 6 tracks, or is this exclusively a 6 into 2 board?

Does anybody have a little clip or something that was recorded using this board?

Thanks!

[Schaap]

The C279 has on each input channel an unbalanced (RCA or cinch) pre- and after fader output. There under the unbalanced stereo input pair.

Henk

[KSwan]

Looking at the pictures, I see what you're saying now.

Do you use the Revox C279 in your main recording rig?

[owlmonkeys]

Does anybody know how the C279 sounds? I already have a desk that I like (TAC Scorpion) but am looking for good analog pres, Cheers.

[Nairobijones]

What is "fader start", and what type of plug goes into these holes anyway?

Originally Posted by Schaap

Sorry for confusing, off course revox C279 has Balanced I/O as well. A779 has additional balanced Aux and monitor I/O and longer faders and faderstart.
Here are some pics. STUDER und ReVox - Das Infoportal | Analoges Kleinmischpult - STUDER A779


Henk

[Schaap]

Originally Posted by Nairobijones

What is "fader start", and what type of plug goes into these holes anyway?

Faderstart gives a puls when you raise the corresponding fader in order to start a track of e.g. CD-player or to record. Mostly use in broadcasting and DJ's.
I have a C279 so the tiny 'holes' of the A779 I only know by the picture. It looks like mini-jacks to me but I'm not certain.

[Askin]

Originally Posted by owlmonkeys

Does anybody know how the C279 sounds? I already have a desk that I like (TAC Scorpion) but am looking for good analog pres, Cheers.

Hi there! I have a C279. The pres and the mixer itself sound very good. I would say clean and neutral.
I've used the pres (with their direct ins/outs) for classical strings and keyboards.

[Plush]

What would you like to know about the consoles?

i can tell you anything you want to know about them.

with thanks,

Plush

[radeng]

Originally Posted by Plush

What would you like to know about the consoles?

i can tell you anything you want to know about them.

with thanks,

Plush

Mr. Plush sir,

Not a A779/C279 question, but semi-related. I need a couple of what I have heard called "mickey bars" for my 961. These would be the plastic dealies used to bridge adjacent fader pairs, i.e. the masters or 2 of the inputs. Even before Harmon killed Studer, years ago the parts guy in Northridge (JBL campus) told me they were not available. I have seen them on a couple of eBay consoles over the years, but the sellers would not separate them. I have tried the ones for P & G's, they don't fit. Any ideas?

John

[mathologie]

Originally Posted by Plush

i can tell you anything you want to know about them.

So Plush, what about the sound of the 779 if one compares to a 169?

[Rolo 46]

Originally Posted by radeng

Mr. Plush sir,

Not a A779/C279 question, but semi-related. I need a couple of what I have heard called "mickey bars" for my 961. These would be the plastic dealies used to bridge adjacent fader pairs, i.e. the masters or 2 of the inputs. Even before Harmon killed Studer, years ago the parts guy in Northridge (JBL campus) told me they were not available. I have seen them on a couple of eBay consoles over the years, but the sellers would not separate them. I have tried the ones for P & G's, they don't fit. Any ideas?

John

Try Penny and Giles, OR

Use 20mm plumbing clips.

[Plush]

Originally Posted by mathologie

So Plush, what about the sound of the 779 if one compares to a 169?

The sound is quite comparable. This is evident once one knows that the mic pre-amp on the two are the same.

[Doc_]

Originally Posted by Plush

The sound is quite comparable. This is evident once one knows that the mic pre-amp on the two are the same.

the 069 I got from you has Germanium pres,some of the best...Bruce Breckenfeld really gave it a once over...

Happy Holidays

[Plush]

INCredible, Doc! You da mang.

I miss seeing you for sure.

That sound on that Studer console was PHAT, wasn't it? Niiiiiiiiiiisssche.

[massimo]

I no longer own the C279.
Absolutely excellent, gorgeous sounding mic preamps and musical, minimalist eq.
A wonderful piece of gear.
Only thing, stereo separation is its worst spec (I think -65dB or so). This is quite audible, depending on applications. The Studer 961, based on detailed info I gathered at the time, fares 15-20dB better!

best regards
Massimo

[radeng]

Originally Posted by Rolo 46

Use 20mm plumbing clips.

This must be a UK thing, I work in construction and have never seen these in the US.

[Doc_]

Originally Posted by Plush

INCredible, Doc! You da mang.

I miss seeing you for sure.

That sound on that Studer console was PHAT, wasn't it? Niiiiiiiiiiisssche.

it ain't wasn't it, it still is...the blue box on floor is a mod Bruce and I did for direct outs on four channels,a little tap job!

it rides along side a MCI 1 inch 8 track when "the sound" is dejour..

Happy Holidays!

[Plush]

Lovely! Thanks for posting. Merry Christmas to ALL.