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Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

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Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby waitup » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:17 pm

Thought I'd share my latest DIY exploit...

Just finished up this 4-channel API style mic pre set using PCB's from Whistle Rock Audio. Transformers are the Ed Anderson vintage recreations from Classic API. Op-amps are the GAR2520 kit from the same place. Knobs from CAPI also. Used an Altronics case and had the front panel laser marked.

Altronics toroidal coupled with a JLM Audio (thanks Joe!) powerstation is taking care of the juice.

They sound really good, as you would expect with all that iron and discrete op-amps. Some friends at work and I did a thorough comparison to the preamps in our SSL Duality and to be honest it's really splitting hairs on most sound sources. I don't know if I buy in to preamps making that much difference once you get to a certain level of quality. Needless to say I won't hesitate to use them on anything! Very happy.

Enjoy.

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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby Wiz » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:21 pm

Nick

They are beautiful mate... Just beautiful.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby waitup » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:23 pm

Thanks so much!

Wiz wrote:Nick

They are beautiful mate... Just beautiful.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby Wiz » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:25 pm

Just noticed... Channels 3 and 4 are missing something :)
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby waitup » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:27 pm

Wiz wrote:Just noticed... Channels 3 and 4 are missing something :)


Haha yeah I snapped the pics before I put the op-amps in those!
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby mylesgm » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:42 pm

Tag strip is a great idea.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby Manning » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:44 pm

Gorgeous stuff Nick.

If only I had the time... oh yeah, and the skill.
Last edited by Manning on Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby rick » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:49 pm

taking out your time and the time it took to learn how to take your time which i am not discounting or underestimating...

whats the ballpark.. parts cost of that project delivered in the mail box
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby waitup » Wed Jul 24, 2013 8:52 pm

Hey Rick,

I reckon it was about $900-$1000 all said and done.

rick wrote:taking out your time and the time it took to learn how to take your time which i am not discounting or underestimating...

whats the ballpark.. parts cost of that project delivered in the mail box
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby Ben M » Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:15 am

They look kick ass Nick.
I almost went there recently with some groupdiy boards...but alas not much time for diy lately.

Well done mate!
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby waitup » Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:20 am

Ben M wrote:but alas not much time for diy lately


Tell me about it... these took me months in the end!
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby Barney Loveland » Thu Jul 25, 2013 10:18 am

Nice build. I have similar box using cinemags and jlm ba boards that is in the pic on the vox chain thread.
Mine have surprised me in their versatility. From all the usual sources to live stereo one mic recording.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby waitup » Thu Jul 25, 2013 10:42 am

Nice one Barney! got a pic?

Barney Loveland wrote:Nice build. I have similar box using cinemags and jlm ba boards that is in the pic on the vox chain thread.
Mine have surprised me in their versatility. From all the usual sources to live stereo one mic recording.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby The Tasmanian » Thu Jul 25, 2013 12:32 pm

Well done Nick.
I'll bet they sound awesome.

Those 4 ch API single rack pre's that they make are amazingly average sounding - dont know what they put in them, but the only time I ever used one - was a huge disappointment.
Made me very wary of any modern API preamps.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby waitup » Thu Jul 25, 2013 12:41 pm

I've only ever used those modern API 4-channel rack things on one session and didn't have time to pay too much attention... The transformers and op-amps in this one I've built are supposedly reasonably close to the vintage spec's. Dunno what that means in real life terms but what they hell they sound good to me :)


The Tasmanian wrote:Well done Nick.
I'll bet they sound awesome.

Those 4 ch API single rack pre's that they make are amazingly average sounding - dont know what they put in them, but the only time I ever used one - was a huge disappointment.
Made me very wary of any modern API preamps.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby Barney Loveland » Thu Jul 25, 2013 2:35 pm

In the vox chain thread on page 3 I think. Its about in the middle of the rack, diyracked case.
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Re: Whistle Rock Audio API312 Preamp - Finished

Postby andygriffiths » Sat Aug 03, 2013 10:37 pm

Looks nice Nick
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