When 500 series racks first came out they took the audio world by storm. Now you could load your favorite modules inside a small lunchbox-sized rack and take them with you wherever you worked. The problem is, the 500 series modules didn’t always sound as good the standard rack version of the same module due to power supply limitations. Stam Audio, who make close recreations of classic audio devices like the 1176 and LA-2A, has introduced a way around the previous limitations with its new 600 series rack.
The problem with the standard 500 series rack is that there wasn’t enough room for the high voltage power rails and original transformers that some modules require for optimum performance. As a result, the audio performance was good, but not as good as what the standard 19″ rack units offered, and engineers noticed.
Stam Audio got around this by adding 1U of extra space to the 600 series rack, so it’s larger, but not my that much, according to its announcement on Instagram.
While a 600 series rack is a great idea, it still needs other manufacturers to sign on so it can accept modules other than the company’s own. The company says that it will be an open standard, so that will help encourage other module manufacturers to jump in. It also said that it will be compatible with all existing 500 series modules, which is almost a must since there are so many out there.
The fact of the matter is that the 600 series rack isn’t released yet, there’s currently no info on its website, and we have no idea of the price.
This is something to keep your eye on though, so check back on the Stam site for updates. Take a look around while you’re there. They make some very interesting gear.
