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Few EQs enjoy as much respect and admiration as the 550A API. Designed by the now legendary Saul Walker in the late 1960s, the low-profile 550A was first used as an on-board module (OEM). As the industry quickly acclaimed the sonic qualities of the 550A, it quickly found itself integrated into numerous “home” consoles by cutting-edge engineers such as Franck DeMedio. Many of these consoles are still in use today.
Forty years later, the 550A remains the standard by which other equalizers are compared and has played a major role in the recording industry for decades. Always copied but never duplicated, the 550A became the standard API equalization module when the company began manufacturing consoles in 1971. With all units already reserved, popular demand for this equalization led API to resume production in 2004.
The 550A provides 15-point reciprocal equalization in 5 step increments up to a maximum of 12dB of gain at each point. The 15 equalization points are divided into three overlapping bands. The treble and bass bands are individually selectable in bell or shelving and a bandpass filter can be inserted independently of any other selected EQ settings. Frequency ranges and gain up-down are adjusted by means of three double rotary knobs and an 'in' pushbutton allows EQ to be silently inserted into the signal path. A small push button is used to insert the bandpass filter into the 550A.
Features:
- API 500 EQ module
- Discreet 3-band EQ from the 500 series
- 7 frequency choices per band
- Bands 1 and 3 with shelf filter
- Increase/decrease range of ±12 dB
- Traditional API design with discrete circuits
- Headroom of +30 dB before clipping
- Requires an API Lunchbox 500-6B or 500VPR 10 Slot Rack for installation
