API 550, 550a, 550b -Which one is the friggin' awesomest?!?-

[mizzle]

Differences, op-amps, opinions, extra band on the 550b.......
discuss

But ultimately-
Dudes, which one is the friggin' awesomest?

I will be using them on kick, snare and bass (of course).
-Craig

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by mizzle
But ultimately-
Dudes, which one is the friggin' awesomest?

I will be using them on kick, snare and bass (of course).
-Craig

How about all the above and neither.

[mizzle]

Hi Thrill,
Any suggestions on which one is more useful/ essential?
I know, I know, a real gearslut would have all by now, but poor ol' me has a modest budget.

-Craig

[chetatkinsdiet]

For kick, snare and bass......

Get the 560B....$550 all day long when you can find them used. Even new, not too much more. Absolutely amazing on drums and gtr. Really just about anything else as well.
later,
m

[mizzle]

I am picking up 560s as well, but my original question is about 550 models.

[wwittman]

The 550a probably sounds a bit better... there is something slightly CLEANER about the 550b (Paul Wolff admitted it to me once)

but they are awfully close and that 4th band is sometimes indispensible.

So if you can only have one, I'd recommend the 550b

now with 560s as well be certain you only get the all discrete (2520 opamp) ones.
Some had ics and sound lousy (one of only 2 bad sounding eq's API ever made, the other being the misbegotten "parametric" fiasco)
I seem to remember that it's the 560a you DON'T want but memory fails...

[mizzle]

Thanks for your advice. I was leaning toward the 550b for it's extra band.

[Dot]

The original 550 has two 2520 opamps - resulting in what I think is a much better sound. The 500A's have a single 2520. The original 550's - especially with handmade 2520's from Huntington, NY and Melville, NY - are just in a different league. And are one of the modules that established the API sound.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally posted by mizzle
Hi Thrill,
Any suggestions on which one is more useful/ essential?
I know, I know, a real gearslut would have all by now, but poor ol' me has a modest budget.

-Craig

I've always liked 560's on kicks and the 560 reissue makes me smile.

The 550 or 550A's sometimes works nicely on a bass(but its normally not my first choice)..

For snares, i've never really liked API's on them(once in a while though a 560 does the trick).

I've never liked the 550B on really anything.

[cgarges]

I totally agree with William's post.

The 550B sounds a bit cleaner than the 550A and the 4th band might be of some importance to you. But, it's a subtle difference. They all sound ****ing awesome.

My favorite is the 550A, but who am I, you know? Again, they all sound ****ing awesome.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[toolstudio]

Hi,

I have all of them and I would rate them in that order:

550A
550
550b

The 550A sounds absolutly great, especially the HIs on LOs.
The original 550 only has 3 band in the HI and sound a bit more smooth in the HI, my favourit from the three for overheads.
The 550b sound definatly cleaner, and for my ears a tad more on the harsh side in the highs, but the 20k is really usefull for some things.
The differences I said, are not world apart, but you would definatly recognice it in the soundscape.

So.... you really need all :-)


wolfgang

toolhouse studios, germany

[ray dsr]

mizzle,

The 550a is the most sought after version. API have re-issued them very recently, but are asking $1,695 retail, which is (IMO) about $500 too much.

You can find 550a's on ebay pretty often. They usually auction around $950. DON"T get the 550A-1!

For kick, snare and bass I think you'll love the 560!
For gtrs, keys & snare 550a rules.
The 550b is great also, but not as popular with most engineers.

[Fletcher]

My favorite of all the API EQ's is the 560... after that it would probably be the 550A followed by the 550b.

[rainsinvelvet]

I'm reading alot that everyone likes the 550a the best. Does that include the original 550 ? I've got 1 and it's been hard to find another.

ERic

[Ollie]

They are all great. Depends on what you want to do with them.
I like 550b's for kick and snare - this has four bands which makes it quite useful. The 550a's and 550's are silkier in the top end to my ear. The 560's are great on many things also; I use it on bass quite alot. Different tools for different purposes.

The 550A's and 550's sound exactly the same. The difference is that the 550a's have a couple more eq point choices.

[Richard]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Ollie
They are all great. Depends on what you want to do with them.
API will soon make a reissue 550a available.
It's Fantastic.
richard
thumbsup thumbsup

[mizzle]

Thank you all for your responses. It seems that the 550a is the favorite at this point. Well, I'm off to shop for a lunchbox w/560s, 550as, and 525s!
-Craig

[Tetness]

From what I've been told. 550a is the holy grail of the lot. The reissues aren't cheap. There's a pair of orig's on sale on eBay. Check it out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...308926078&rd=1

[Fletcher]

Originally Posted by Dot

The original 550 has two 2520 opamps - resulting in what I think is a much better sound. The 500A's have a single 2520. The original 550's - especially with handmade 2520's from Huntington, NY and Melville, NY - are just in a different league. And are one of the modules that established the API sound.

Dan... the more I read your stuff the more I'm starting to realize that what you don't know could fill a book...

The original 550 has 2x 2520 op-amps... the original 550A has 2x 2520 op-amps, there never was a "500A" that had a single op-amp... there was the "550A-1" that had a single 2520 op-amp with a 5534 taking care of the duties performed by the other 2520. That unit was made by the "Datatronix" version of API.

The original 550's, be they "Huntington" or "Melville" were the same as the 550A's. Just curious... is there something different about the water in Suffolk county that made those modules that much more special... Datatronix, except for the 550A-1 did a pretty damn good job with the rest of the line out of 'Long Island City'.

The difference between a 550 and a 550A is 4 frequencies. On the top band of a 550a you have the choice of 5 frequencies... 5, 7, 10, 12.5, and 15kHz. The bottom band on a 550a is 50 Hz, 100, 200, 300, and 400 Hz.

The 5 and the 15 kHz (the 5kHz being redundant to the top frequency found in the mid band), and the 50 and 400 Hz (the 400 Hz being redundant to the bottom frequency found in the mid band), were the additions that made the 550A different from the 550. No more, no less. 4 additional frequency selections. No voodoo, no smoke nor mirrors, no end of the earth... 4 additional frequency selection options.

The modern 550b is indeed "cleaner" sounding than the "original" 550A's [the other difference being 4 bands instead of 3, but you might have actually known that]... they also have things like fresh capacitors and "crap free" pots and switches that don't crackle... the "reissue" 550aAs are pretty damn close to the "original" 550A's... except for that minor detail of the switches and capacitors not being 20-30 years old.

The 560 is indeed my favorite module in the API EQ range but that's a personal choice... the 560b was pretty good IMO... not quite a 560, but close enough for rock and roll.

[brendondp]

Originally Posted by cgarges

but who am I, you know?

Chris, you're you and that's the best thing you could ever be. Don't go changing...

Cheers,

bdp

[brendondp]

API's...? What the f*** do I know?!

(It's very very late, and I'm very very tired)

bdp

[dreamaudio]

the 550b were my fav(Eq that is) on snare and kick when I mixed my last album..that's all i have to say about that. havn't used the 560s.

[audioez]

Originally Posted by Fletcher

Just curious... is there something different about the water in Suffolk county that made those modules that much more special...

it also yields the best tasting bagels in the world, no lie...

Long Islands water supply is an aquafer(natural well, spring like water). I know this cause it's where I grew up.

[mixerguy]

bump to an old thread....

[wrekdahouse]

bumpit !!

i am putting an 1608 and still have some days to decide how it will be fitted !

[AllAboutTone]

550b by far....just have to work for it a little longer but worth the time.

[FreshSkweez]

<--- thumbsup

[Adura]

Originally Posted by FreshSkweez

<--- thumbsup

good one...


I got them here... the 5500 is the more versatile for me... it's like the 550b...

I enjoy the 550's more for coloring and the 560 more for fixing.