AMEK Angela Console, any comment and opinion? Thanks!

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I worked my first remixes on Angela in 1998 and I believe that is one of best sounding desks for electronic music ever.....I Love that desk
 
We stock pots, switches, faders etc for the Angela;

www.audiomaintenance.com/pdf/a10.pdf
www.audiomaintenance.com/pdf/a20.pdf
www.audiomaintenance.com/pdf/a30.pdf
www.audiomaintenance.com/pdf/muteswitches.pdf
www.audiomaintenance.com/pdf/angela_extender_set.pdf

We have re-capped a couple of these and the clients said that they sound fabulous afterwards.

The general concensus seems to be that this is the best sounding AMEK (along with the M2500). I have not yet heard from an owner who is disattisfied with the sound of their Angela.

Those without automation will sound better than those with automation.

Regards,
Colin Adshead
[email protected]
 
I have a channel strip from an AMEK Classic desk, that I dream of putting ina 19" rack and adding an ADC to...

Realistic? Worth it? Or should I give up and go home?

Cheers

R
 
Adky,

I have a great deal of experience from the Angela consoles, back to the 1980`s when the first blue version come out on the market. (very nice colour on the module panel and knobs)
Then I have also built together two 24 inputs console to one big 48 input console, with new cable system (total 2000 meters), ground and power system, patchbay, Edac multi connectors.

You can see some pictures here:
Angela console under work
Angela console finished

Amek Angela are a great sounding console thanks to the microphone amp and equaliser that have a very good design, otherwise it have a usual design similar to the mostly of British consoles from this time, with op-amps as NE5532/34, TL071/72/74, configurated as active balanced inputs and un-balanced outputs with out buffer etc.

As says earlier here, you get a lot of better sound, if you remove all VCA`s, and connect the faders in the normal audio patch.
And of course, there are thousands of bad electrolytic capasitor that is a must to replace, to get a tight bottom and open mid/high end, it is a hell of work, but it is difinite worth all this "blood sweat & tears"

Regarding maintenance.
A good thing is that the console have a mother board and modules have card connectors, (not ribbon cables)
and also the underside of the motherboard are easy to reach from the underside of the console.
But a bad thing is that a lot of potentiometers and swithes hide the soldering for each other, so it is a lot of work when you must replace a pot or a switch. (or some other components)

Besides the Amek 2500, I think Angela and the (TAC) Magnum are the best consoles comparision quality/money from Amek through the years.

--Bo
 
The Amek is sitting in my warehouse are waiting for restoration , I have been looking for a schematic for it.  ;)
 
Nobody has mentioned it yet, but there was more than one Angela.

One has transformer mic pres, is blue and the other is transformerless and a later sandy-grey colour.

They are VERY different animals. (the earlier -blue- one is generally held to be superior)

Keith
 
So, the sandy grey one is no good then? I better off let it set in the warehouse at the moment then, I was planning the replace it with my DDA DMR12  originally. 8)
 
I had better interject here.... this is often misunderstood.

There are no transformer input Angelas (I think Keith was thinking of the M2500)....  all the mic pres are electronic on the Angela.... and it doesn't have transformer outputs either.
[Maybe there may be an odd one or two "specials" with transformers ....]

There are 2 versions of the Angela.... a blue one and a grey/brown one..... the blue one has round switch caps and the brown one has rectangular switch caps....

.... they but have identical circuit boards fitted with the same components.....

So the question is why do the "blue ones sound better".....  the blue ones came first and at the start there was no automation.... as time progressed VCA automation systems were fitted to some of them as an option.... the take up of the VCA option became more common as time progresses.... the colour was then changed to brown. .... and by the time they finished making them VCA automation was practically fitted to all of them.

It is these old VCA systems which are the problem with the sound..... and statistically, VCAs are more common on brown ones..... but a brown one without automation will sound better than a blue one with....

Most Angelas seem to have had the VCA systems removed by now.

[Schematics are in the manual AML-13-002; http://www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/manuals.html ]

Colin
www.audiomaintenance.com
 
My friend has a gray Ameke anngela in the studio, beautiful desk, fantastic sound, I think that has a complete service manual, so if you need it i can ask him
bpucekov

www.akaj.hr
 
Ask Slenderchap on this forum, he is a very nice person who helped me out with service manuals, components AND knowledge for my Einstein  :)
 
Sounds like it's going to cost me more then 40 english pound ............... :mad: or else I will need to trace it out ?
 
even if you would copy this from someone else it will cost you about the same?
There's a lot of large printwork involved.
My manual looks as good as the original one and it saved me hours of work.
 
really really apperciated it, but i am in the other side of the world, it's gonna be hard for me to paid the bills........
 

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