Wunder Audio PEQTube module for console or rack

Wunder Audio PEQTube — Module for Console or Rack

The PEQTube is a tube microphone preamplifier with a two-band switchable shelving EQ in console module format — designed for installation in Wunderbar consoles or any slot compatible with the Neve 1073 standard. It is the only tube module in the Wunder Audio lineup, introducing a distinct class of sound alongside the discrete PEQ2 and PEQ4: dense, saturated midrange, a natural compression behavior at higher signal levels, and smooth high-frequency response characteristic of Western Electric tube topology. It installs in the same console slot as a PEQ2 or PEQ1 with no hardware modification required.

Western Electric Tube Architecture Restored

The PEQTube is Wunder Audio's direct reintroduction of the Western Electric tube mic preamp circuit — the same architecture that powered Capitol Records' Studio during the classic Frank Sinatra sessions and Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio. The signal path is all-discrete through-hole topology with large Mu-Metal input and output transformers. Those transformers are Wunder Audio's own NICO Western Electric 618B-style (Ni/Fe/Co) — identical to those specified in the PEQ2 and PEQ4 modules, ensuring tonal consistency with the rest of the Wunder Audio signal chain. The two-band EQ offers switchable shelving with a global bypass pulling the entire EQ stage out of circuit, plus per-band bypass for each band independently. Discrete active high-pass filter, phase switch, and LED metering with separate signal and clip indicators complete the control layout. All pushbuttons use Grayhill switches with light-pipe illumination — the same specification as the Wunderbar console itself.

Installation Flexibility: Console and Rack

In console format, the PEQTube installs into any Wunderbar slot without modification — rear connections and supply voltages are identical to the Neve 1073 standard, making it fully interchangeable within any 80-series compatible frame. It can sit in any channel position alongside PEQ2 and PEQ1 modules in the same console, giving the engineer per-channel choice between tube and discrete character within a single desk. For standalone rack use, the same electronics are available in 19" 1U format as the PEQTubeR, powered by a Blue Box or Black Box PSU via the standard 5' DC Main Cable. Both versions share identical circuitry and transformer specifications — the format is the only variable.

KEY FEATURES

• Tube mic preamp with 2-band EQ in console module format
• Western Electric all-discrete through-hole topology with large Mu-Metal transformers
• NICO Western Electric 618B-style (Ni/Fe/Co) input and output transformers
• 2-band switchable shelving EQ — global bypass and individual per-band bypass
• Discrete active high-pass filter
• Phase switch
• LED metering: green (signal) / red (clip)
• Light-pipe pushbuttons and Grayhill switches with high gold-contact surface area
• Compatible with Neve 80-series and Wunderbar console slots (same rear connections and voltages as 1073)
• Installs alongside PEQ2 and PEQ1 modules in the same console without modification
• Also available as PEQTubeR in 19" 1U rack format

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Type: tube mic preamp module with EQ, console / rack format
• Signal path: tube, all-discrete through-hole
• Transformers: NICO Western Electric 618B-style (Ni/Fe/Co), large Mu-Metal enclosures
• EQ: 2-band switchable shelving, global bypass, per-band bypass
• High-pass filter: discrete active
• Phase switch: yes
• Metering: LED green (signal) / red (clip)
• Switches: Grayhill custom, light-pipe pushbuttons
• Console compatibility: Neve 80-series / Wunderbar (same connectors and voltages as 1073)
• Rack version: PEQTubeR 19" 1U (sold separately)