Lindell Audio LiNTEC

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1 Band Equaliser

Reinterpretation of a classic EQ
Solid state design for faster transients and less noise
OPA 1731 operational amplifier
5-Stage switchable LF EQ with boost and attenuation: 20, 30, 60, 100, 150 Hz (+/- 10%)
11-Stage switchable HF EQ with boost and attenuation: 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 14 and 16 kHz (+/- 10%)
5-Stage switchable HF EQ attenuation: 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20kHz (+/- 10%)
Adjustable bandwidth (Q)
Gridded potentiometers
Gain: up to 40db (± 1db)
6.3 mm jack line input (balanced)
6.3 mm jack line output (balanced)
Adjustable output level for stereo operation of two devices
VU meter calibration
Vintage-style VU meter
Bypass switch
On/Off switch
Steel housing
Voltage: 115 / 230VAC (switchable at the rear)
Type: 19" 2 U
Dimensions (W x H x D): 438 x 88 x 250 mm
Weight: 3.5 kg

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3-Year Thomann Warranty

Available since April 2024

Item number 590183

Sales Unit 1 piece(s)

Channels 1

Frequency Bands 2

Tube(s) No

Height units 2 U

Connectors Jack

6.222 kr

Free shipping incl. VAT

Sales Rank

in Parametric Equalizers

New Swede on the block

The Swedish manufacturer Lindell Audio has earned a first-class reputation as a "reinventor" of legendary outboard classics and, thanks to a whole raft of technological updates, the company manages to combine vintage mojo with the reliability of modern circuit concepts. Here, the classic Pultec has been remodelled, giving us the LiNTEC. The first thing everybody asks: Just how much "Pultec" can there be in an EQ that doesn't have a tube booster amplifier? An awful lot, is the surprising answer: Its combination of a high-quality op-amp and transformer is more than capable of delivering a very nicely "rounded" sound with convincingly vintage charm – it even feels right to the touch. And the occasionally troublesome downsides of the original are gone: There will be no follow-up costs due to burnt-out tubes, every unit produces the exact same sound, and of course it is significantly less expensive than an original Pultec or a tube clone.

The mother of programme EQs

The LiNTEC EQ is a passive mono EQ with two bands, and it is operated via eight rotary switches, or more specifically potentiometers with detents. The low end has adjustment options for frequency and – the quintessential feature of the Pultec – for boosting and cutting that frequency. The high end works in a similar way, but here cut and boost have separate frequency settings. Bandwidth is in turn used to determine the breadth of the two filter bands. A full-size VU meter, a bypass, and a power switch round off the setup; connections are made at the rear via balanced jack sockets. Internally, a combination of an OPA 1731 op-amp and a transformer replaces the tubes of the original booster amplifier. All this means that the LiNTEC delivers improved transient transmission, less noise, and straightforward stereo matching for two devices.

Pultec style on a budget

Thanks to its unusual sonic characteristics, the LiNTEC is ideal for adding "vibe" and "character" to soundscapes in an appealingly simple way. One of the most agreeable characteristics of an EQ based on the Pultec principle is that it is fundamentally good-natured – users can't really get anything "wrong" here, and in this respect even less experienced sound designers stand to benefit fully from the LiNTEC. While most (hardware) EQs that function on these principles are the preserve of professionals – due to their exorbitant list price – the LiNTEC is also a realistic option for those on tighter budgets, for example for project studios or self-producing musicians. Some users might even be able to afford a pair of them for full stereo...

About Lindell Audio

Lindell Audio was founded in 2010 by Swedish producer Thomas Lindell, who as resident producer at Göteborg's illustrious Bohus Studios has collaborated on numerous hit albums. The company's products are designed to match Thomas's personal demands in terms of sound quality, features, and user-friendliness, true to his motto of "Recording equipment by producers for producers". After initially offering modules for the API-500 rack – based loosely on various pieces of classic gear – Lindell Audio began to manufacture 19" devices that are unmistakably inspired by legendary vintage equipment. Alongside a high level of quality, Lindell Audio's philosophy also includes a commitment to affordability, and for this reason the company's products are developed in Sweden and manufactured in China.

A specialist colour scheme

The sound of a Pultec EQ is often described as being extremely "musical", part of which is down to the typical and distinctive colouring of the signal – that being said, users do have to genuinely want a sound like this, as it doesn't always suit every tonal context. In this respect, an EQ with these characteristics is always something of a specialist – for certain instruments and sounds on which it can quite deliberately leave its unmistakable mark. In most cases, the LiNTEC will cheerfully add both colour and character to more neutral-sounding setups, if required. It is simple to do this both during recording – as part of the recording signal chain – and in the mix. Thanks to its updated circuit technology, the LiNTEC EQ can easily be operated as a stereo pair and as such can also be used when working with a mix bus. It is also easy to imagine the LiNTEC being used as the only analogue device (or pair of devices) in a computer-based setup.

ln the spotlight: The Pultec principle

The original Pultec EQP-1 from 1951 is considered the first programme EQ in music history. As a passive EQ, it generates frequency boosts exclusively by attenuating other frequency ranges. The inevitable loss of level that this causes is compensated for by a tube-based boost amplifier – hence the (technically incorrect) term tube EQ. For technical reasons, the cut and boost controls for the low-end band can be applied to the same frequency. When the Pultec was released, the manual warned against simultaneous use – only for it to be immediately tried out by curious engineers! The resulting "frequency bending" and phase cancellations – which can be applied in a similar way to the treble band – create the unique and yet familiar "musical" Pultec sound that is still so popular today. In fact, rotating the cut and boost controls in a two-handed fashion is an approach so widely used in the industry that it is almost universally referred to as the "Pultec trick".

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