Warm Audio Built Several Grand’s Worth of Classic Pultec EQ into an Actually Affordable Package

Pultec EQs are the quintessential several-thousand-dollar pieces of studio gear that cause head scratches amongst the casual. The thought of dropping on an equalizer the kind of cash the could easily purchase a fairly legit used car, when a similar plug-in replica can be had for a couple hundred dollars? It’s not a rubicon that is easily crossed by any but the most picky of audiophiles.

But it’s not solely plug-ins that stretch out their arms to those of us with grandiose dreams and duct tape wallets. No, there is the ever bountiful wellspring of redemption for the analog-first crowd: replicas. Warm Audio, already makers of some very fine “inspired by the sound of” gear such as the WA76 compressor, have tried their hand at recreating a Pultec-style EQ at a sub-$1000 price point. Very sub, in fact, as the EQP-WA will list for $699 in the US.

Now if you’re unfamiliar with Pultec EQ you may be thinking, “wait, I’ve heard that these are passive.” And I think most of us can agree that it’s easier to work with a passive EQ (which can only cut and not boost the signal) if there’s makeup gain at the end. But don’t fret: there’s tube amp in the chain for just that purpose. Will Warm have one of these units at NAMM in a couple weeks so that we can hear one in person? Let’s hope.

•     Tube Equalizer based on the classic “Pultec” EQP-1A
•     CineMag input and output transformers – Made in U.S.A.
•     Premium high voltage 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes
•     CineMag inductor EQ section
•     EQ section can be bypassed – signal still passes through tubes and transformers for warming effect
•     No insertion loss – loss restored by tube amplifier
•     XLR and TRS transformer balanced inputs and Outputs
•     Flat frequency response from 20 Hz – 50 kHz
•     Boost and Cut controls can be used simultaneously for phase effect
•     Low frequency boost – 20, 30, 60, 100, 200, 400, 800 Hz – 12 db
•     Low frequency cut – 20, 30, 60, 100, 200, 400, 800 Hz – 18 db
•     High frequency boost – 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12, 16 kHz – 18 db
•     High frequency cut – 3, 4, 5, 10, 20 kHz – 14 db
•     5 added frequency points for greater flexibility
•     Internal Switchable 115/230 Volt IEC Power Connection

Warm Audio doesn’t have any product info on their page as of yet, but a company rep was going into detail on the specs and features of the EQP-WA on this Gearslutz thread, if you’d care to peruse it.

Source: Sound on Sound