Rupert Neve Designs 551 500 Series Inductor EQ

The Rupert Neve Designs 551 is the only equalizer for the 500 Series actually designed by Rupert Neve. Featuring 3 bands of EQ inspired by Mr. Neve’s most prized vintage designs, along with custom-wound inductors, transformers and Class A gain blocks, the 551 brings the thick, powerful lows and sweet highs of Rupert’s classics to the 500-Series format.

THE “BEST-OF” EQ

The 551’s 3-band, custom-tapped inductor EQ was inspired by the best elements of Rupert’s vintage EQ designs. The low frequency band is designed to produce a creamy, resonant bass response similar to a vintage 1064 – but unlike the vintage modules, the LF band on the 551 can be used as either a shelf or a peak filter, adding punch, dimension, and control to your low end.

The midrange band is based on that of the 1073, ideal for sweetening vocals and instruments while bringing them forward in a mix, and its proportional “Q” response makes it well-suited for minimizing problematic frequencies. The high frequency band is a hybrid vintage/modern design, blending inductor circuitry with capacitor-based topologies to achieve vintage tones with enhanced control. The High Pass filter is a 12dB/octave design with a fixed 80Hz frequency, and can be used in tandem with the low frequency EQ to add low-end presence without clouding the source material.

As with Rupert’s most prized classic designs, each EQ section uses low-feedback, Class A discrete electronics to prevent low-level artifacts and harshness from detracting from the tonal shaping. However, this new circuit is a decidedly modern design with updated techniques and components that were simply not available 50 years ago, and is definitely not a “clone”.

WHAT ARE INDUCTORS?

Inductors are wires wound around a coil that provide a form of frequency-dependent resistance. When they saturate, they bring out beautifully musical harmonics that give your tracks the smooth, polished sound that has made Rupert’s consoles and equipment so desirable for over fifty years. This is what makes them different from capacitor-based EQ designs, which do a great job at surgical equalization. But inductors provide the tone.

While it is certainly possible to create a functioning EQ using off-the-shelf inductors, we choose to use our own custom inductors for the 551. This attention to detail in controlling variables such as the winding and core materials in relation to the surrounding circuitry allows the 551 to capture the vitality and personality of Rupert’s classic designs.

CONTROLS:

EQ IN

Engages all bands of the equalizer except the high-pass filter.

8K/16K + HF LEVEL

With the switch out, the center or corner frequency of the high band is 8 kHz. With the button pressed, the center or corner frequency changes to 16 kHz. Between this switch and the HI PEAK switch, you have 4 different EQ curves to finesse the high frequency content. The HF knob adjusts up to 15 dB of boost or cut at the selected high frequency.

HI PEAK

When the button is out, the high frequency band operates in shelf mode, boosting or cutting above the corner frequency at approximately 6 dB/octave. Below the corner frequency the amount of boost or cut gradually diminishes. With the HI PEAK button pressed, the high frequency band changes to peak mode with a bell shaped boost or cut curve. The peak mode utilizes an inductor and capacitor circuit to create the bell-shaped curve.

MID FREQ + MID LEVEL

The MID FREQ rotary switch has 6 positions to select the center frequency of the mid band EQ stage. This circuit utilizes an inductor and capacitors to shape the EQ curve, in the same way as Rupert Neve’s console designs of the 70s. The frequencies chosen are 200 Hz, 350 Hz, 700 Hz, 1.5kHz, 3 kHz and 6 kHz. 200 Hz is especially useful for cuts on individual tracks within a dense mix. The MID knob adjusts up to 15 dB of boost or cut at the selected mid frequency.

MID HI Q

The resonance (or Q) of the mid band at maximum boost is typically 2 when the button is out. When the MID HI Q is pressed at maximum boost, the Q narrows to approximately 3.5. The Q widens nicely with less boost or cut, as is typical for passive EQ circuits.

HPF

Engages an 12 dB per octave High Pass Filter with an 80 Hz corner frequency.

LOW FREQ + LF LEVEL

The LOW FREQ rotary switch has 4 positions for selecting one of four corner or center frequencies for the low band EQ section. The frequencies are 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 100 Hz and 220 Hz. The LF knob adjusts up to 15 dB of boost or cut at the selected low frequency. Cut can be used as a variable (and perhaps more gentle) alternative to using the HPF.

LO PEAK

When the button is out, the low frequency band operates in shelf mode, boosting or cutting below the corner frequency. Above the corner frequency the amount of boost or cut gradually diminishes at approximately 6 dB/octave. With the LO PEAK button pressed the low frequency band changes to peak mode with a bell shaped boost or cut curve.