Speakeasy Amplification

Speakeasy Amplification

The New & Improved Gig Rig

Speakeasy Vintage Music has been challenging the status quo in keyboard amplification for quite some time, and now Speakeasy is moving out of custom amplification and into the mainstream. The Speakeasy stlye challenges all accepted standards for keyboard amplification, resulting in something that keyboard players have never before been able to achieve: the power of a live rig that doesn't sacrifice clarity of tone.

How many times have you demo'd a new keyboard through a pair of nice headphones or studio monitors, been impressed enough to buy it, then got it home and plugged it into the keyboard amp and it sounds, well, not nearly as good? For decades, keyboard amp makers have been passing off the same solid-state keyboard amp concept, and people keep buying it because, frankly, there hasn't been any real alternative.

Now that Speakeasy is entering the fray, the rules have changed ...

You Haven't Heard Your Keyboard Yet ...

Pro players are very particular about the sound of their gear, and often spend years and thousands of dollats looking for that perfect piano, the ideal organ, or a synth that knocks their socks off. With all this great sound at their fingertips, though, players continue to run their gear through solid-state combo amps that stifle the sound of their gear.

Some have seen the light, and opted for powered PA speakers, which do cure the oft-flimsy sound of keyboard amps, but there's still something missing -- a third dimension that makes their keyboards speak. Strike that: you need your gear to yell "LISTEN TO ME!". What's that perfect piano or ideal organ worth if you can only hear half of it?

That third dimension is only achievable with the Speakeasy Vintage Tube Preamp. The Vintage Tube Preamp is a tube-driven two-channel preamp that boosts your signal and opens your ears to things you would only have heard theough expensive headphones. But instead of headphone, you're filling a room with your sound, and doing something that keyboard amps and even powered speakers can prevent: allow you to blend with a band without resorting to mere volume.

... Neither Has Your Audience

Getting three-dimensional tone doesn't stop with just a tube preamp. You need speakers that will release that tone at high volume. Enter the RB12P Speakers from Speakeasy.

Engineered with revolutionary and surprising technology, the RB12Ps provide that which only high-end studio monitors & headphones can offer - consistency of tone across a broad frequency spectrum. These are not mere two-way PA speakers with a set crossover that cuts your tone in half; the RB12s are three-way, and have fluid, overlapping crossovers.

It's studio-monitor-quality sound at 350 watts per speaker. No frequency "dead zones", no intrusive crossovers, no choking, and no need to get into volume contests to be heard. With the Speakeasy Gig Rig 2 -- the Vintage Tube Preamp and the RB12Ps -- you get a sound which fills the air with tone, not sheer decibels.

Why passive, though? Active PA speakers over 200 watts have an unacceptable rate due to components vibrating loose. Speakeasy doesn't design gear with potential service problems, though; in fact, all the connections in the RB12Ps are all soldered, meaning cables won't come loose on the inside.

It's not a cheap system, but how many players have spent thousands of dollars on keyboards chasing a great live tone, and haven't found it yet? It's time to look into the other side of the equation - your amplification - and it's time to stop compromising with keyboard amps that stifle your keyboards' sound.

It's time to get into a Speakeasy.

Ventura TX5 Sound Clips

A brief note on how these recordings were made: Each instrument was plugged into a Yamaha™ MG10/12 Mixer, then direct to an M-Audio™ Firewire 1814 sound card. The software used to record these was Apple™ Logic Pro. The Speakeasy Vintage Tube Preamp was connected to the mixer as an insert.

No other exterior effects were used, either from the instruments, aside from some light mastering compression in Logic. Note that the Vintage Tube Preamp does add some volume to the signal, accounting for all volume differences in the examples below.

Organ

This recording was made using a Ventura TX5 Classic Organ. Notice how the partials in the second part are clearer, including the mids. The Vintage Tube Preamp was set to flat EQ, adding just a little treble.

Drum Machine

Heard here is a Korg™ EMX-1 drum machine. (It's built-in tube drive was not used in this recording.) The Vintage Tube Pre really brings out the kick drum, makes the snare punchier, and gives dimension to the ride cymbal.

Synth

This example features a Novation™ X-Station preset synth pad. The Vintage Tube Pre livens up the fat sound of the pad, and brings its effects to life.

MP3 Player

A tube preamp is a great thing to have for any DJ tired of battling volume; the Preamp gives the average MP3 a third dimension, as if the musicians are in the room performing live. The examples here highlight how much depth and body the Tune Pre gives to music from an MP3 Player. (Thanks to Four Brothers Music for the music.)

Speakeasy Vintage Tube Preamp Images

Front

Top

Left

Right

Rear

Speakeasy RB12P Images

Front

On the Side

Side, Standing

Side & Rear

Stacked

Where to Buy

Gand Music
780 W Frontage Road
Northfield, IL 60093
847-446-4263

Gand Online

JRR Shop
2166 Michelson Dr
Irvine, CA 92612-1304
(949) 553-1022

JRR Shop Online

Main Drag Music
330 Wythe Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-388-6365

Main Drag Online

Sweetwater Sound
5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W
Fort Wayne, IN 46818
800-222-4700

Sweetwater Online

Summit Consutation
209 Fourth Avenue South
Suite 101A #1010
Edmonds, WA 98020
206-919-9466
Summit Online