Helios Type 69 Reissue #E221211-3 (Used)

These hand-built units have a Sowter input transformer based on the highly desirable Lustraphone (Olympic) transformer models. Discrete, with switchable lo/mid, fixed top, hi-pass.

The Helios Type 69 is unlike anything you have ever used. If you are stuck in API-Neve land, you will find the Type 69 a unique departure. The mids are woody and sweet - guitars and snare drums from heaven! - with 700 to 2k to die for. Lows and highs reminiscent of Pultecs. An extremely open mic pre. In mic shootouts, these are as open as the king daddy Telefunken V76m.

The Helios Type 69 Mic Pre/EQ Module Born Again!

The legendary Helios Electronics Ltd has resurrected, with much anticipation and patience, the Olympic Type69 Series EQ as used by the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, Led Zeppelin and so many others. In its heyday, Helios became known as the musician's choice of recording consoles.

Brought in line with modern expectations, these units are built to military specifications with supervision of gear fanatic and music producer Tony Arnold. Endorsed by the late Dick Swettenham of the original Helios Electronics Ltd, to maintain and service all of the original consoles, Tony later purchased the original company, including all of its circuits and parts.

The Olympic Series is a classic 3-band EQ-Pre module, available in a dual mono 1U rack mount or a mono vertical module. The modern circuit is similar to the original, aside from one vast improvement - the build quality and reliability. The openness and clarity has been upheld with the addition of EQ frequency selections. Tony Arnold explains, "We asked many of the original users of the Helios desks what they felt was missing, and could we make any improvements. Most wanted the 30 Hz added to the Lo-EQ. In order to meet today's CD standards; some wanted a tight high frequency around 16 k, which has been added without changing the original Helios sound whatsoever."

"WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN was recorded on the Stones mobile using 69s. These modules are the ones that re-create the sound I remember. On acoustic guitar a little 10k and 2.4, and a slight bass cut with a Neumann U87 and there is Glyn Johns 1970. Straight out of the box. It's spooky."
Pete Townshend