• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

TELETRONIX LA-2A, UREI LA-3A, UREI LA-4

R

RADIO TRUTH

I own a pair of original LA-2As and LA-3As. There is a big difference between the originals and the new ones currently being sold by the rebirth of Universal Audio. The main difference is the transformers. The sound of the original LA-2A depended upon a UTC HA-100X transformer. The new versions don't have it. My engineer and I both
refurbished the LA-2As and LA-3As by recapping them with the best capacitors available. I also have a number of NOS 12AX-7As, 12BH-7As and 6AQ-5As. Both the LA-2As and LA-3As sound great. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The LA-2As sound a little smoother because they are tube units but, they will only give a max of 10dbs of gain reduction. The LA-3As are not quite as musical, even though they are very close, but, they will give you 20dbs of gain reduction so you can crush the audio if you should so desire.

I am curious to know other people's experiences and opinions of the LA-2A, LA-3A and LA-4. My opinion is that the LA-4 is the worst, most thin sounding compressor of the three. What do you think?
 
What do you think HA-100X transformer adds to the sound, that you don't hear in the revived UA models?


Regards,
Goran Tomas
 
I think that if you put the LA-2A on ebay with a frighteningly high reserve, you'll be scared bty what people will pay for them.
 
Teletronix originally made the LA-2A with the UTC HA-100X transformer. A few years down the line, they discontinued using the UTC HA-100X and replaced it with the UTC A-10. I had two LA-2As...one with the HA-100X and one with the A-10. There was a huge audio difference, especially with the bass. We replaced the A-10 with an HA-100X, in the unit with A-10. That change made a huge difference.

There is also a big enough audio difference between the revived UA LA-2As and the originals with the HA-100X that some people who bought the revived LA-2A are replacing the revived transformer with an original HA-100X transformer, if they can find one. The biggest audio difference is in the sound of the bass. The best sounding LA-2As, in my opinion, are originals with the HA-100X and new, current, high quality, quiet capacitors.
 
I've used the LA-3 and LA-4 on-air and in production, and have to say that they are two different animals (never had a chance to try an LA-2).

The LA-3 is a nice, smooth, punchy somewhat generic opto-compressor. Great for music or mixed programming.
The LA-4 does a nice job of limiting, but it's not a particularly smooth or 'musical' compressor, to my ears anyway. But it has more versatile settings than the LA-3.

For a DJ mic, I'd take an LA-4 any day (using 8:1, about 10 dB GR). The sound it adds is (once again, to my ears) appealing. Of all the myriad processing changes I made during my 8 years as CE at Z100, I never changed the mic processing: an LA-4 paired with a UREI graphic EQ.

Kind Regards,
David
 
I dont know what kind of LA-4's you are listening to but I upgraded my black face pair with modern op amps along with a recap and they sound awesome
 
I had Eddie Ciletti at Tangible Tech mod my LA-4 with the conversion board and new OPA and it sounds amazing. Previously, it got darker and darker the harder it was pushed. Now, it retains clarity and definition no matter how hard its driven. That said, I'll take an LA-3 for tracking bass or guitar any day of the week...
-D
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom