Another SCA thread

[Revson]

Now they're making OneShot 1/4 rack chassis that will fit any of their existing preamps. Annnnnd they're making it so each preamp will have a DI and a pad, which I've been dying for on my modules. Annnnnnd 4 modules will fit together into a Raxxess something or other rack. I'm not 100% sure on the PSU situation for multiple units yet, but 1 unit will come with an external supply. The long and short of this is you can build your own API 3124 for $1600 and space it out to when you have the cash.

I'm more than a little excited after stumbling upon this.

SCA Website

 

[sprack]

Oh that's nice. Having to build a 500 chassis has been one of the reasons I've held off on trying their stuff. Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[JeffTD]

Oh that's nice. Having to build a 500 chassis has been one of the reasons I've held off on trying their stuff. Thanks for the heads-up.

If they fit in a 500 series chassis they'd sell a lot more modules. They only fit in a proprietary chassis that up until a year ago was designed like shit.

I really like the SCA preamps but there's nothing in them you can't get out of the 500-series for the same price if not cheaper.

 

[MatrixClaw]

If they fit in a 500 series chassis they'd sell a lot more modules. They only fit in a proprietary chassis that up until a year ago was designed like shit.

I really like the SCA preamps but there's nothing in them you can't get out of the 500-series for the same price if not cheaper.

How so? You can get the most expensive API pre w/ SC25 Op Amp from SCA for $329 and the same for the Neve clone. The API equivalent 500 series rack module is selling for about twice that USED, and most other Neve clones of its quality are significantly higher than the APIs. The chassis for the SCA rack is only $374 (with the harness + PSU) and that gives you 8 slots. The cheapest 500 series chassis that I've seen is the Tonelux V4 Roadster which is $300 for 4 slots + the 4 channel expander for $180. That's $106 more than the SCA already.

SCA is actually the only preamp I've actually seen go up in value (over buying it new) with a complete build (how, I have no idea...). I'm honestly not sure they'd sell more if they sold it in a 500 series chassis, because there's already so many competitors. The thing with the 500 series is that there's so many chassis out there that nearly none of them draw the same amounts of power, which makes designing for them hard. Either you've got to cater to the high end market, or the lower end. There's not really an in-between. I guess they could release their own 500 series chassis, but I don't think that SCA is really competing with people who want 500 series in the first place. They're competing with people who don't already own a modular system.

 

[JeffTD]

How so? You can get the most expensive API pre w/ SC25 Op Amp from SCA for $329 and the same for the Neve clone. The API equivalent 500 series rack module is selling for about twice that USED, and most other Neve clones of its quality are significantly higher than the APIs. The chassis for the SCA rack is only $374 (with the harness + PSU) and that gives you 8 slots. The cheapest 500 series chassis that I've seen is the Tonelux V4 Roadster which is $300 for 4 slots + the 4 channel expander for $180. That's $106 more than the SCA already.

SCA is actually the only preamp I've actually seen go up in value (over buying it new) with a complete build (how, I have no idea...). I'm honestly not sure they'd sell more if they sold it in a 500 series chassis, because there's already so many competitors. The thing with the 500 series is that there's so many chassis out there that nearly none of them draw the same amounts of power, which makes designing for them hard. Either you've got to cater to the high end market, or the lower end. There's not really an in-between. I guess they could release their own 500 series chassis, but I don't think that SCA is really competing with people who want 500 series in the first place. They're competing with people who don't already own a modular system.

ClassicAPI kits are less than 300 for a kit w/opamp that IMO sounds better than the A12 module (which is amazing in it's own right), and they sell good kits for chassis as well. The real savings kicks in with 2 chassis off one PSU, but part of what you're paying extra for is the ability to put in more than just 5 preamps, a DI, or a meter-less compressor.

I love Tim's products for the most part but the first chassis design (pre-modular faceplate) was crap and the fact that he hasn't even mentioned whether an EQ or simple filter bank is in the works is incredibly frustrating. The new faceplate modules allow for more than 2-knob, 2-switch configurations, but limiting yourself to that in the first place is stupid IMO.

 

[MatrixClaw]

ClassicAPI kits are less than 300 for a kit w/opamp that IMO sounds better than the A12 module (which is amazing in it's own right), and they sell good kits for chassis as well. The real savings kicks in with 2 chassis off one PSU, but part of what you're paying extra for is the ability to put in more than just 5 preamps, a DI, or a meter-less compressor.

I love Tim's products for the most part but the first chassis design (pre-modular faceplate) was crap and the fact that he hasn't even mentioned whether an EQ or simple filter bank is in the works is incredibly frustrating. The new faceplate modules allow for more than 2-knob, 2-switch configurations, but limiting yourself to that in the first place is stupid IMO.

Interesting. I didn't realize you could power two of their chassis off a single PSU. Pretty cool...

Still, they only make API style clones, don't they (obviously the name suggests it )? The real reason I like the idea of the SCA is I can do half API and half Neve for a great price, or even throw in some Hardy or Millennium pres in there. Plus, when you buy the chassis, harness and PSU with the modules, you get a pretty big price break. I haven't really seen any DIY Neve clones of SCA quality for a similar price. Are there any out there?


I do find the Classic API website fucking impossible to make sense of on half of it, though. Seriously, could they make that site anymore frantic??

 

[guitarguru777]

If they fit in a 500 series chassis they'd sell a lot more modules. They only fit in a proprietary chassis that up until a year ago was designed like shit.

I really like the SCA preamps but there's nothing in them you can't get out of the 500-series for the same price if not cheaper.

+100000000

 

[JeffTD]

Interesting. I didn't realize you could power two of their chassis off a single PSU. Pretty cool...

Still, they only make API style clones, don't they (obviously the name suggests it )? The real reason I like the idea of the SCA is I can do half API and half Neve for a great price, or even throw in some Hardy or Millennium pres in there. Plus, when you buy the chassis, harness and PSU with the modules, you get a pretty big price break. I haven't really seen any DIY Neve clones of SCA quality for a similar price. Are there any out there?


I do find the Classic API website fucking impossible to make sense of on half of it, though. Seriously, could they make that site anymore frantic??

It's rough navigating it, but they make a few different modules and opamp choices. VP312 is an API 312 circuit clone, different opamps can warm it up though. The VP26 is modeled after an ancient API desk so it's warmer/fatter than your typical API pre, and the VP28 adds a second opamp to the same circuit and a channel fader control, whole thing is pretty warm/gooey/"Neve-y" overall.

Not to mention you get access to other stuff like the Hairball LOLA, AEA Juggernaut, Shadow Hills GAMA, Avedis MA5... tons of other INSANELY good pres, some of which aren't available as anything but 500 modules, not even standalone.

 

[egan.]

If they fit in a 500 series chassis they'd sell a lot more modules. They only fit in a proprietary chassis that up until a year ago was designed like shit.

I really like the SCA preamps but there's nothing in them you can't get out of the 500-series for the same price if not cheaper.

+1 to this. A few years ago it was a different story but 500 series is so ubiquitous that it's tough to rationalize to marrying yourself to a proprietary system.