The recent launch of the Electrodyne 501 discrete two-stage studio preamp and 511 two-band inductor EQ are the first results of a joint venture between Orphan Audio, owner of the Electrodyne name and its intellectual property, and Pete’s Place Audio, which will manufacture, market and sell the products.
“Electrodyne was one of the most significant console brands from the ‘60s and ‘70s, used by everyone from Capitol and Motown to the major broadcast networks, so we’re very pleased to have a hand in its return,” says Pete’s Place Audio President Lisa Montessi.
“This, of course, is only possible due to Ken Hirsch’s (Orphan Audio founder and designer) passion for the brand and meticulous dedication to preserving the sonic authenticity of the original products.”
The Electrodyne 501 is a two-stage, discrete transistor, transformer-coupled preamp with active DI based primarily on the modules found in the classic 1608 console.
Each amp stage is individually optimized for peak performance using detailed Electrodyne factory engineering notes and select high performance components identical to the originals.
In fact, the 501’s transformers are made by Electrodyne’s original supplier to exacting factory specifications.
The new preamp’s active DI circuit presents an almost immeasurable load (over six megohms) to sensitive musical instrument outputs allowing incredibly accurate capture of the instrument’s true tone.
Further, the output of the DI circuit is designed to directly connect and interact with the mic input transformer to permit an extremely broad spectrum of tonal options.
The faceplate of the Electrodyne 501 features a large rotary gain control offering up to 68 dB of gain – adjustable over 50 dB in 2 dB steps with two ranges via a 20 dB pad switch – and a smaller output level pot infinitely adjustable from 0 (off) to +6 dB over unity.
Additional switches for impedance selection (50 or 200 ohms), phase reverse, +48-volt phantom power and DI (with 1/4-inch input jack) are also present.
A clip LED that monitors all three amp stages and illuminates when any stage is 3 dB from clipping.