RUPERT NEVE DESIGNS 551 Inductor EQ

RND 551 induction EQ - The first and only 500 series EQ designed by Rupert Neve!

551 Inductor EQ - for 500 series

551 Inductor EQ is the only 500 series equalizer actually designed by Rupert Neve. 3-band EQ inspired by Mr. Neve's most popular historical projects, with custom components made by hand, such as inductors, transformers and gain stages in class A. Finally available for the System 500 standard, the real Neve sound, with present bass and harmonious highs.

The “Best-Of” EQ
551's 3 hand-wrapped custom component induction bands are crafted with the distinctive sound of Rupert Neve's vintage EQs in mind. The LOW FREQ band has a dense and resonant response and can be used (unlike the project from which it was filmed) both as a Shelf and as a Peak filter, to add punch, dimensionality and control to the low range. The 551's midrange (inductor) band is ideal for softening vocal or instrumental tracks, making them more present in the mix, and the proportional “Q” factor response is effective in reducing the effect of problematic frequencies. The HF band has a hybrid design between vintage and modern, blending together the best of inductor and condenser circuitry for a vintage sound, but with greater control. The High Pass filter is a 12dB per octave with a fixed cut at 80Hz and is perfect in conjunction with the LOW FREQ band to add presence to the bass without loading them too low.
As in the most popular classic Neve projects, each section of the EQ uses discrete low-feedback class A electronics, to prevent unwanted colors during source processing.
However, the new circuit cannot be properly defined as a “clone” because it also includes components that were not yet available at the time of the original EQs it was inspired by!
The extreme HF and LF bands are usable as both Peack and Shelving with 15 dB of boost or cut. The HF band works at 8 kHz or 16 kHz, and the LF at 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 100 Hz or 220 Hz. The inductor Mid Band offers 6 central intervention frequencies: 200 Hz, 350 Hz, 700 Hz, 1.5 kHz, 3 kHz and 6 kHz and also has the “Mid Hi Q” option to tighten the amplitude of the intervention camber (increases the Q factor) of the filter.

Why Inductors?

What are inductors? They are wires wrapped around a coil that produces a sort of resistance proportional to the frequency. Once an inductor saturates, it adds “musically pleasing” harmonics that can give your tracks the soft and refined sound that has made Rupert Neve consoles and products so desirable for over 50 years.
Although it is possible to build an equalizer using commercially available inductors, it is precisely the attention to detail used in custom components and assembly, that makes the sound of Rupert Neve Design products unique.
Unlike equalizers based on condenser circuitry (such as the 5033), which are great for surgically sculpting the sound of a track, RND 551 Inductor EQ is perfect for adding punch, liveliness and personality to your audio material.

Designed for Series 500
Rupert Neve: “It's relatively simple to create well-sounding modules for Series 500, it's much harder to recreate modules that have the same tonal characteristics as the 'non-500' version, taking into account the limitations of this particular format, such as limited current, voltage and space. We have experimented with a large number of different components and materials to revive the tonal soul of the Portico series, so our 500 series modules, apart from a slightly lower headroom, sound exactly like the related rack models and have an indisputable quality, the one sought in the equipment of top-level studios” Class A

circuitry and input and output stages balanced by custom transformers make 551 the ideal tool to raise the audio quality of your recordings, especially if you type them. The tonal imprint is really close to that of EQ RuPert Neve 35-40 years ago. This is an EQ with a real vintage 'soul'.
Power and audio connections are provided by the 500 series rack used.