Pultec MEQ-5-SS Midrange Equalizer

Pultec MEQ-5-SS Midrange Equalizer is the solid-state version of the MEQ-5 midrange equalizer. Its input transformer and passive equalization network are identical to the tube variant, with level restored by an API 2520 opamp driving a Triad output transformer. The working range is unchanged: roughly 300 Hz to 5 kHz, the band holding most of the energy in program material and the one where hearing picks up even small resonances from a room, a microphone or a monitor.

Three sections on one panel instead of a plugin chain

The sections are independent and act simultaneously, so you can boost a peak curve between 200 and 1000 Hz, boost a second between 1.5 and 5 kHz, and dip anywhere from 200 Hz to 7 kHz. Jack Douglas, who worked with John Lennon, Aerosmith and Alice Cooper, named the MEQ-5 as his go-to equalizer for guitars of any kind. The same reasoning covers vocals, horns, strings, keyboards, snare and toms, material that needs body added below, presence added above and a resonance removed in between, all in one move.

Headroom for hot signals

Maximum output level is +21 dBm with noise below -80 dBm, so the unit handles hot signals without careful gain staging at the input. That matters on a console insert and on post-compression signals, where headroom is often in short supply. The solid-state stage is described as punchier than the tube one, with a tighter low end, which on snare and toms means the attack stays clearer under a large low-midrange lift. The control ranges remain deliberately limited: 10 dB in the low midrange, 8 dB in the high midrange and 10 dB of dip.

KEY FEATURES

• Passive midrange equalizer with a solid-state gain stage
• Genuine API 2520 opamp with a Triad output transformer
• Three independent sections operating simultaneously
• Low-midrange peak boost across 200 to 1000 Hz
• High-midrange peak boost across 1.5 to 5 kHz
• Dip attenuation from 200 Hz to 7 kHz
• Output level to +21 dBm and noise below -80 dBm
• The same passive equalization network as the tube variant

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Type: passive midrange equalizer with solid-state line amplifier
• Gain stage: API 2520 with Triad output transformer
• Low-midrange peak boost: 200, 300, 500, 700, 1000 Hz, 0-10 dB
• High-midrange peak boost: 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5 kHz, 0-8 dB
• Dip attenuation: 200, 300, 500, 700 Hz and 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 kHz, 0-10 dB
• Input impedance: approx. 600 Ohms
• Output impedance: approx. 50 Ohms
• Noise: below -80 dBm
• Distortion: 0.15% max at 10 dBm into 600 Ohms
• Amplifier response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +0 / -1 dB ref 1 kHz, transformers included
• Maximum output level: +21 dBm