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AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Sun Jul 02, 2017 1:07 pm
by seanolyte
Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone is familiar with AML gear (http://www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/kits.html) and their sound. They are DIY clones of the Neve 1073, Pultec EQP-1A, Pultec MEQ-5, Neve 2254 etc at a surprisingly cheap cost. Can also pay to have them assembled for you. Apparently the guy who makes these is a former Neve employee. YouTube samples sound good but hard to judge via that medium.

Cheers

AV

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 10:09 am
by waitup
Can't speak of the projects themselves because I've never built any of them. But what I can say is Colin has been an active, helpful and very well respected member of the online diy communities for a long time. I think you'd be pretty safe!

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 12:36 pm
by The Tasmanian
Looks like really good kits - but I wonder about the sound of them?

For eg : I looked into the DIY Pultec HLF3, which I just happen to have out of a rack beside me, and was surprised there was missing the massive transformers on the back?

So - I imagine they would sound very unlike a Pultec - those transformers would be adding a hell of a lot to the sound.
But they may still sound ok for a filter set.

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 1:40 pm
by Wiz
I only recently bought the 500 series AML off a fellow T Rocker.

I think it's really good.

I have a BAE 1073 here, the DMP version...no EQ...it sounds different to it... (which is a good thing)

Up until I got the chance to grab the 500 version I was planning on building the kit

Cheers


Wiz

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 2:56 pm
by mylesgm
The Tasmanian wrote:Looks like really good kits - but I wonder about the sound of them?

For eg : I looked into the DIY Pultec HLF3, which I just happen to have out of a rack beside me, and was surprised there was missing the massive transformers on the back?

So - I imagine they would sound very unlike a Pultec - those transformers would be adding a hell of a lot to the sound.
But they may still sound ok for a filter set.


Is that picture your HLF? That doesn't seem to be missing any transformers and it looks like a trimax transformer there yeah? Or did I misunderstand you?

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 5:36 pm
by The Tasmanian
Maybe my wording is confusing?
Look at the difference: where are the massive transformers?
My one weighs over 10kg! - and that would be about 8kgs worth of transformers I reckon
DIY Pultec.png
Pultec HLF 3.png


Unless Pultec made a transformerless version?

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 5:44 pm
by The Tasmanian
They do amazing things to bass drums - puts a funky bump on where the LF is set.
And things just sound nice going through all that metal!

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 6:18 pm
by mylesgm
Ah, got you now Chris. The thing with transformers is they are an easy swap out (depending on the needed ratio) and so can be great to explore. I've got quite a few and most are genetic ratios but a variety of sizes, cores, vintages etc. one of my all time favourite DIs is a trimax transformer, I think it's 50k:600 and massive (about the size of two fists and weighs about 1kg). I've been meaning to make a few more DIs because I've got more tx, but you can replace loads of modern simple ratio txs with readily available vintage units (eBay!). If I was building rack sized eqs that's what I'd be doing.

Also, on your eq chris, there will probably be only two tx, the rest will be inductors. Which are similar but not as easily replaced with random vintage units.

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 7:12 pm
by The Tasmanian
That's what I thought Myles - but why 3 inductors for only 2 EQ controls?
Like you, If I was to do a DIY unit, I would find big ol trannies on Ebay and have them added

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 7:45 pm
by Text_Edifice
Just looking at the DIY + yours I reckon it's

1 input xformer
1 output xformer
1 inductor for lf
2 inductors for hf

Someone else can probably explain the circuit better.

The diy looks like carnhill and cinemag xformers in / out. I know bigger / heavier is generally better but I have an astor solid-state inductor eq that sounds magic and has small, heavy-ish transformers.

For the price of diy though the warm copies are probably pretty good.

Re: AML gear (ez1073, ezP-1a...)

PostPosted: Mon Jul 03, 2017 8:40 pm
by mylesgm
Yep, I think two tx and two inductors would be all that was needed for hi/low filters. I also have a killer Astor 3 band inductor we with smallish tx, as they size isn't everything... the smaller cores probably have less linear responses especially at lower frequencies, saturate earlier too and contribute to the "tone" of such units.