square state solid state EQUALIZER model one b

[square state]

Hello all!
My business partner and I have been longtime gearslutz readers and are excited to finally get on board, not only as engineers but as manufacturers. Following is the press release for our first product, an inductor based EQ. Your thoughts, questions and comments in general are much appreciated! Thanks!
Best regards,
Joe Turse



Square State Solid State Launches The EQUALIZER model one b
November 2009

Welcome to Square State Solid State

In the quest for a versatile, affordable EQ with the muscular yet graceful tone-shaping characteristics of the inductor-based units of yesteryear, newcomer Square State Solid State announces its EQUALIZER model one b.

Combining inductor-based topology with a modern, high-speed op amp design, the EQUALIZER model one b is unrivaled at its price. Boasting an intuitive, logical layout and the ability to connect to most any line level source (balanced, unbalanced, mixer inserts, etc.), the model one b promises great sounds and tones in any application — making it a valuable tool for tracking, mixing or live sound.

The EQUALIZER model one b’s low, mid, and high bands offer a substantial amount of cut/boost (nearly 20 dB) at useful frequencies (six per band), while still behaving musically when pushed to extremes — a revered characteristic of classic inductor-based equalizers. Furthermore, the switchable low and high frequency bands offer bell and shelf shapes for maximum versatility. And all of this functionality is wrapped up in a sturdy, all-metal rack-mountable chassis with a simple, yet elegant appearance.

Based in the foothills of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Square State Solid State was formed by a pair of music-industry veterans with a thirst for tone and a passion for pure sound. Longtime research & development engineer Byron Jacquot and studio owner / producer / engineer / guitarist Joe Turse have joined forces to bring years of experience to bear in producing the company’s first pro audio product.

“Having spent years seeking the most musical tones — first as a guitarist in just about every musical configuration imaginable, and later as owner of a studio where I record musicians of every stripe — I’ve dissected countless pieces of gear,” Turse says. “I have a gut feeling for the sweet spots of the iconic gear of the past, and those are the grails that guided us in producing our cost-effective approximation of their top-end performance.”

Adds Jacquot: “This unit was conceived as a more usable adjunct to the EQ found on most small mixers. The bell-shaped filters on the high and low bands allow for precision and flexibility usually only found on more upmarket EQs. I’ve returned to the fundamentals to build an EQ that musicians, engineers and sound-reinforcement teams can use to quickly and easily yield pleasing results in a variety of situations.”

Square State Solid State is also pleased to say that all units are assembled and tested in Colorado, “the square state” of the USA, using high-quality parts sourced from American companies wherever possible. The EQUALIZER model one b is available for purchase through ZenPro Audio (zenproaudio.com) starting November 2009.

Specs-
• Size – standard 1 unit rack enclosure: 19” wide, 1.75” tall, 6.375” deep overall (5.375” behind mounting rails).
• Weight – Approx 5 pounds.
• Connectors
o Audio on standard balanced ¼” TRS connectors.
• Electronically Balanced Input: 10K Ohm input impedance, each leg to ground.
• Impedance balanced output: 47 Ohm Output impedance.
o Power: 2.1 mm barrel connector for 15 VAC transformer.
• Controls
o Bypass switch with LED
o Low Frequency Band
• Filter selector switch offering
• 75 Hz and 150 Hz low shelving filters
• 50 Hz, 80 Hz, 100 Hz and 150 Hz bell filters
• Continuously variable cut/boost control, approximately +/- 20 dB range.
o Mid Frequency Band
• Filter selector switch offering
• 220 Hz, 350 Hz, 700 Hz, 1.5 KHz, 3 KHz and 6 KHz bells
• Continuously variable cut/boost control, approximately +/- 20 dB range.
o High Frequency Band
• Filter selector switch offering
• 7 KHz, 12 KHz and 17 KHz bells
• 7 KHz, 12 KHz and 17 KHz high shelving filters
• Continuously variable cut/boost control, approximately +/- 20 dB range.

[warhead]

Fellow slutz, I have also provided a dozen eq'd sources (single sources and a stereo buss mix) in mp3 and 24 bit wav on the product page as well:

Square State Solid State EQUALIZER Model One B Inductor Style EQ

Joe and Byron have a hit on their hands here.

Now shipping.

War

[fragletrollet]

499 $? Good price, unit looks sexy. Hope it sounds good

[warhead]

Originally Posted by fragletrollet

Hope it sounds good

Not only is that why I sell it, but why I spent time posting eq'd files on the product page...so you can hear it...!

You can hear:

KICK
SNARE
OH
TOMS (3, rack and floor)
AC GTR
CELLO
BASS
MALE VOC
FEMALE VOC
STEREO 2 BUSS MIX

This EQ is...familiar sounding yet still unique...

War

[Proggm]

For that price, it's quite interesting. Do you ship intl?

[warhead]

Originally Posted by Proggm

For that price, it's quite interesting. Do you ship intl?

Yes.

These are exciting EQ's at any price.

That female vocal clip for example (Carmen Keigans from i-nine in my then untreated room on an omni mic...) I was pushing it fairly hard in the 7k bell (with plenty of left over gain) and it just saturates and excites so nicely. I could have gone a LOT further...! I did exaggerate it a bit. Cello is another example of getting a frequency to sing when pushed (6kHz boost).

You can also hear the "non-destructive" nature of them on the stereo buss clip.

If anybody wants to send me a clip to EQ via email, I would gladly do that for you if you have a little patience with me. I felt the clips used were pretty average and representative of what they might be used on.

War

[Silver Sonya]

I like the style.

- c

[flute player]

Can you suply them with XLR connectors ?
And are you planning to make a stereo unit also ?
Listened to some of the samples and yes, great result.

greetz,

Paul

[Stepwise Sound]

samples sound nice.

wish it had stepped knobs for easy recall but hey at this price i can overlook it

[Tomer1]

Great price, Could become a low-enders hit , like the FMR and CL stuff.

Now what about a stereo unit?

[warhead]

Originally Posted by Stepwise Sound

samples sound nice.

wish it had stepped knobs for easy recall but hey at this price i can overlook it

Well you get stepped frequencies...!

Originally Posted by Tomer1

Great price, Could become a low-enders hit , like the FMR and CL stuff.

Now what about a stereo unit?

2 units baby...! We have an introductory price on stereo pairs.

Also, "stereo" EQ's aren't linked units but rather two mono channels (like buying two of these).

War

[Coyoteous]

It needs tick marks, IMO... especially for stereo, but I might go for one.

I'd like to know more about the active section(s?).

It looks a good new product at a good price.

We need more of that!

[muddy]

if the clips are even half-way indicative of how this unit performs, i am WAY impressed! i couldn't find anything that didn't sound sweet, musical, & VERY usable, particularly considering the price. who makes the inductors?


ml

[Proggm]

Originally Posted by muddy

who makes the inductors?

I'm interested too.

[square state]

Originally Posted by flute player

Can you suply them with XLR connectors ?
And are you planning to make a stereo unit also ?
Listened to some of the samples and yes, great result.

greetz,

Paul

Paul,

These are both great questions, particularly the connector issue. We pondered on this for some time before we settled upon our final design for production.

The prototypes of the model one b spent a lot of time hanging off the unbalanced inserts of my board. However, it wasn’t long until we realized the EQ’s benefits in applications such as following a preamp when tracking or before or after a compressor during mix-down. The latter two examples most often necessitated a balanced connection.

Flash forward to our philosophy that high-quality audio and a low price point need not be mutually exclusive, we wanted to build a great sounding equalizer for a $500 street price. The connectors we chose and their electro-mechanical function in our EQ were a part of the pricing puzzle – XLR’s or combo connectors would have put us over the threshold. In addition, the ¼” TRS connectors allow users to more easily interface with an unbalanced load.

As far as stereo goes, we have certainly entertained the idea. Drum overheads, stem mixes, as well as stereo back-up vocals and keyboards come to mind. Not to mention two buss applications. So many applications are served well by the mono version that we decided this was a great place to start – but a stereo version is definitely on our radar for future development efforts.

Hope this answers your questions. Don't hesitate to ask more!

Joe Turse
Welcome to Square State Solid State

[baslotto]

The samples sound good to a point that once again I feel like the slut that I am...

[Farshad]

Congrats on the new product.

I am not sure if I can see the power switch on the front and power cable connector on the back ...

[Tomer1]

Also you may want to put an attenuator pot on the output,
I would imagine when doing a large amount of boosting you could clip the AD if your doing a Mic-Pre-Comp/EQ chain.
To avoid it you have to get a lower output signal which isnt exaclly an optimal situation.

[square state]

Originally Posted by Farshad

Congrats on the new product.

I am not sure if I can see the power switch on the front and power cable connector on the back ...

Farshad,
Thanks, we're really excited about this EQ! There is no "power switch" on the model one b. When you plug in the external power supply that comes with it, it's powered up. The LED beside the bypass button glows orange when powered, green when the button is depressed thus engaging the circuit. The rear of the unit has a 2.1mm power jack for interfacing with the wall mount power supply.
To keep the street price down we kept the switching and interconnects simple. The glory and mojo of this EQ is the inductor/capacitor filters contained within. Thanks for all the great comments, compliments and questions so far!
Joe

[Farshad]

Originally Posted by square state

Farshad,
Thanks, we're really excited about this EQ! There is no "power switch" on the model one b. When you plug in the external power supply that comes with it, it's powered up. The LED beside the bypass button glows orange when powered, green when the button is depressed thus engaging the circuit. The rear of the unit has a 2.1mm power jack for interfacing with the wall mount power supply.
To keep the street price down we kept the switching and interconnects simple. The glory and mojo of this EQ is the inductor/capacitor filters contained within. Thanks for all the great comments, compliments and questions so far!
Joe

Thanks for the explanation Joe!

Good luck

[fragletrollet]

Originally Posted by Tomer1

Also you may want to put an attenuator pot on the output,
I would imagine when doing a large amount of boosting you could clip the AD if your doing a Mic-Pre-Comp/EQ chain.
To avoid it you have to get a lower output signal which isnt exaclly an optimal situation.

Either you guys complain on the price, or you complain about lacking features What about just using a third party attenuator? Rather that than putting in an extra expense in the unit that not all people might need.

[fragletrollet]

Originally Posted by square state

Paul,
As far as stereo goes, we have certainly entertained the idea. Drum overheads, stem mixes, as well as stereo back-up vocals and keyboards come to mind. Not to mention two buss applications. So many applications are served well by the mono version that we decided this was a great place to start – but a stereo version is definitely on our radar for future development efforts.

Hope this answers your questions. Don't hesitate to ask more!

Joe Turse
Welcome to Square State Solid State

Whats the difference between a stereo unit contra 2 mono ones? Except for maybe 1 set of controls?

[warhead]

Originally Posted by fragletrollet

Whats the difference between a stereo unit contra 2 mono ones? Except for maybe 1 set of controls?

Actually just so not to confuse the issue, there are almost no "linked" analog equalizers on the planet. GML, Great River, API, Cranesong are all dual mono units in one chassis.

I know TL Audio at one point boasted a linkable stereo EQ but I never checked it out.

So asking for a linkable EQ is sort of like asking for something that doesn't really exist on any available level in analog world.

Two units in two rack spaces = all the stereo ya need!

War

[indie]

Looks and sounds great - but no xlr....ughh.

How about a version with xlr and stepped for recall? $700? thumbsup

[Stepwise Sound]

My vote is for .5 dB stepped cut/boost and 1/4 inch

[muddy]

and the inductors are made by whom?


ml

[Silver Sonya]

There are so many equalizers in the world, particularly when you move up the price scale a few hundred dollars from this point.

Can't we let this little $500 unit be what it is? I sense a cool, little econo, Tape Op hit.

I don't have the talent, technical knowledge or disposition to be a gear designer, but... I sympathize with them!

- c

[tapehiss]

well said sonya,

so many people wanting everything in a $500 unit...

too bad, add all those things and your looking at a $800 dollar unit and now all you who wanted this unit with all the upgrades no longer want it cause it costs more...

from the samples this piece sounds radical man!

[pan60]

another + on that sonya!

[minor_glitch]

Originally Posted by tapehiss

too bad, add all those things and your looking at a $800 dollar unit and now all you who wanted this unit with all the upgrades no longer want it cause it costs more...

Agreed.
As it is now, this unit is something I've been craving for a while!
A simple, low cost, great sounding eq. Nice
Jacking up the price for a few extra little features would push it right out of my budget and into a price range that already has a fair bit of competition.

At this price point they don't have a lot of competition aside from... Speck?