SPL PASSEQ Passive Mastering Equaliser

Everything’s handled by a single passive filter in this setup. You’ve got three frequency ranges on the SPL PASSEQ:

• Low Frequency / Mid Frequency / High Frequency.
• Each one sports a cut control on the left and a boost control on the right.
• Right in the center, you’ll find the output control.

A passive filter has no amplification stages. It can therefore only be lowered. If one frequency is to be boosted, all the others must be lowered. Behind the filter there is a stage that makes up for the lowered overall level. Since low noise is particularly important here, since up to 20 dB can be made up for, the 120V technology comes into its own.

The entire passive filter (variable resistor, capacitor and coil) provides a very nice sound characteristic. Besides the choice of components, the charging behaviour of the capacitors and the saturation behaviour of the coils play a major role in this. The resulting relative inertia compared to potentially very fast active filters is the reason for a pleasant, musically advantageous sound characteristic. We would choose smoothness and transparency as well as strikingly silky highs and pithy basses as a description that suits our perception.

During fine-tuning, through component selection, in countless listening sessions, the emphasis was on achieving the most musical sounding curves possible, which, for example, need fear no comparison with a Pultec EQ from the 1950/60s. Only without all the disadvantages of a 60 year old original, such as the very high background noise, but above all the very limited frequency selection.

Another highlight of the SPL PASSEQ is the HF+ band, which has been extended by the frequencies 25 kHz and 35 kHz and sounds so incredibly good that you don’t want to switch it off.

The 120V technology is our reference technology. The 120V technology is unique in the world. It operates at a DC voltage of 120 volts. This is four times that of IC-based semiconductor op-amps.