La-2a Universal Audio Reissue

Im curious to hear the Comp2A.

If the Sowter LA2A transformer and the CM2810 fit in there it may be a sweet mod waiting to happen. Short of labor the 2A and trafos is circa $740.

I really like the high gain input of the LA2A. Input trafo has an obvious character to it and the input section, sidechain and makeup are fed healthy signal level from that 1:10 ratio beauty. Its really a tube mic pre with a compressor.
Regarding the UA, the output supposedly is a Cinemag CM2810, input is Magnetika. That high ratio input iron is part of the legacy sound. Whoever nails that is ahead of the curve.

Thanks
-L

Don't forget, you can always change the tubes in the WARM to match the LA2A, and then, you'd really know how they compare. I can't imaging the tubes would cost more than $150, and they're probably less.

Yeah I don't think there's much 'consensus'. A couple loyal Stam fans here ('not that there's anything wrong with that') tend to imply that it's superior. I've only read a couple impressions of people who've actually put the Warm and Stam side by side. One thought the Stam had a slight edge, the other thought the Warm did. Both thought they sounded very similar.

I couldn't care less. I know the Warm sounds fantastic and I bet the Stam does too. Grab one and get to work.

Or if you've got the coin and consider the UA worth all that extra money, go for it.  

No I'm curious too.  I really liked the pair of COMP-3a's I had.  I liked the COMP-54 too.  I feel like I can hear the sound of their transformers.  Could be imagining it but there is some commonality from the Pre73 to the COMP-54 and COMP-3a.  

I bet all of them benefit from xformer upgrades.  

Not sure if you're referring to me or not. I'm not sure I'd consider myself a loyal Stam fan since I sold my 4000, but I do like his 2a. Mark and I compared his Warm and my Stam directly in a demo session and both preferred the Stam overall in that instance. That said, there were certain phrases that the Warm had the edge. Both are good units and would be contenders for making records.

IMO, the Warm is a bit of a safer bet. Large dealer network to help you get problems sorted out. Don't need to ship your unit half way across the world if something goes wrong. The brand has a strong reputation and will probably be around for a while. Stam might too, but could very well be a flash in the pan.

Anyway, the Stam is the only LA-2A style compressor that I own. The first time I slapped it on a vocal I thought, "yeah, that sounds fat, that's what I wanted". I've owned some other compressors that I thought would give me that sound (Brute, Doublewide) and fell short. Both good, but not that instant wow factor.

Anyway, after hearing both of these units, I don't have any desire to get the UA reissue. My needs would be met with either of these.

I sent out a reworked Universal/Teletronix LA-2A last week. I used the usual upgrades, quality film coupling caps (much larger to extend the low end below 20 hz) Dale metal film resistors in place of the carbon composition, huge power supply caps, fast recovery rectifiers, a reworked opto drive section and a rebuilt output section with increased current drive.

It is silent in operation, the tube hiss exceeds any hum/ripple. The re-issue UTC transformers are still weak, not much bandwidth and air. Usually I try to fit the Jensens but that layout was tight to fit the output transformer. Rebuilt ADL's with those Jensens sound better to my ears.

Ok, so a little story on transformers. When bringing the SA-2A to life I had seven prototypes made by Cinemag until we found the specs and models we liked the most which were very close sounding to the originals. After a year and on the constant search of improving my units I sent two SA-2A's to reputed producer Greg Wells (I am sure everybody knows who he is) and to Bill Jones from Kenettek who is one of the engineers I most respect and admire for his work.

After running some tests Bill concluded that the Sowter's made a significant improvement and that they sounded much closer to a Vintage LA-2A, I was also told by Drip Electronics that the Sowters were identical to the UTC's a long time ago. The input transformer made the larger difference while the output made a slight improvement. All of this improvements were recorded and measured to make sure they were real.

I then sent both compressors to Greg, who has 50k speakers, a bunch of vintage compressors and overall golden ears to see if he could hear what the specs said on papper. One of the SA-2A's had the Cinemags and the other Sowters, I did not tell him which had which. Greg came back to me and kept one, he said both sounded good but one was more 3D sounding and had quickly become his favorite compressor among so many vintage and expensive units, the one with the Sowters.

The new SA/2A comes with a Sowter input transformer and a Cinemag output, this is the only way to maintain the same price but improve on the existing product, adding a Sowter output would push the price to 990 on pre/orders and 1.090 in stock. I also added NOS carbon resistors on the audio path on the new SA2A for a more vintage tone. The toroidal transformer has also been upgraded.

So, long story short, I recommend moding the SA2A and replacing the input transformer, C9 must be replaced by a 270pf cap.

This will make a far great difference than tubes. I am now using Sowter transformers in almost all products (SA87, 1176, 1073 and 312). They are more expensive and my margins have decreased but sound comes before money too me.

I have never heard the WA-2A and it is not my place to say which one sounds the best even if I had, all I can say is that the new SA-2A sounds superior to the previous SA-2A which already sounded extremely good to me, so I am happy!.

I will upload some documments to the website soon with all the information required to upgrade your units. The Sowter 1449f can be purchased from www.sowter.co.uk, the wiring and details will be uploaded to their website as well.

Thanks!

I was very disappointed by the excessive coloration I hear in the reissues that I don't remember from the originals.

Why would I want my la2a freq response to go below 20hz when I eq that out anyway for the sake of loudness? Does the caps make the comp react ( compress ) the low into the freq range? How does this affect the overall compression circuit and action of the comp? I am trying to learn thanks.... jimwilliams jsteiger

I think the important thing to consider is what one is looking for in an LA2A. As in, why are you reaching for this particular piece of gear? I've built several and have experimented quite a bit with various components, everything from all-original parts to some of the best modern offerings. The compression characteristic isn't hard to get right if you have a decent T4 (thank you Bill at Kenetek). And, FWIW, I don't think LA2As are even great as compressors. They don't handle much GR without choking and offer little control. Most people I know use them because of the polish, the finished, "radio-ready" feel they add. That's where they're absolutely brilliant, IMO. It's common to use them with little to no gain reduction just for "that sound" of running through the circuit. That's my fascination with the LA2A, getting that sweetness and gloss to come through.

Some build theirs to sound clean. Which is respectable, but I personally don't get much out of that as I think there are better clean sounding compressors out there. What I look for is what influence the components have on the tonal balance, dynamics, harmonic overtones, etc. I haven't found any modern options to sound a whole lot like the UTCs (relatively speaking), and even the UTCs vary from each other depending whether you're using the HA-100x (and which era), A10, older black-can versions of the A10, etc, etc. But, the Sowters are very nice in their own regard. Your output cap is another area of tonal influence (the original choice can be improved upon, IMO), amplifier section tubes, and so on. I'm always skeptical when things are claimed to be "just like the original", because they're usually not. However, that doesn't mean they can't be as good or better. I don't build mine to sound just like the originals because I feel there are positive ways to change the sound, in one direction or the other. Some of those old parts sound glorious, others not so much.

I think, what people should should be asking is not so much what the "best" ones is, because there are a lot of different, yet correct answers to that question. But rather, is this particular LA-2A version doing what I want an LA2A to do? Every time I've built one I've made it sound different from the last, yet I've liked them all in their own ways. I've talked to many people who have bought or even BUILT them without even knowing exactly what an LA-2A sounds like before hand. Find out which clone one does what you're looking for.  I had a partner who LOVED it on snare because of the way it missed the transient and bloomed on the room reflections.  Everyone has their own idea of what sounds good to them.

The character starts to change past 6db GR.  I've heard many describe it as being darker but to me it's something more.  It's a bit "pinched" and smaller than if I were using an 1176, StaLevel, etc at something like 15dB GR.  I get the impression that's why a lot of engineers use an 1176 and LA2A together. The 1176 to handle the heavy gain reduction and shave peaks, followed by an LA2A for the tonal enhancements, and to massage just a little more gain reduction onto the source.
Not discrediting your opinions at all, just explaining my previous post.