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VT N95 Equalizer
VTN95 PE and ME equalizers – a legend returns.
Clicking on the images below opens the complete review from Studiomagazin 08/2025 as a PDF, including the measurement results. In today’s world, you can easily translate it with tools like ChatGPT or similar services.
With the VTN95 PE, vintagetools introduces its first fully self-developed unit – built entirely from new components and without any compromises in quality.
What makes the VTN95 PE unique? German broadcast technology produced some of the finest cassette-format equalizers ever made – and among the most legendary is the Neumann W495 STB / PEa. This cassette module was used not only in mixing consoles but also in vinyl mastering. In fact, almost every professional vinyl production from the 1970s through the 1990s passed through this equalizer.
Since vintagetools was founded, this EQ has been the single most requested danner cassette module – yet originals are nearly impossible to find. And even when they appear, they often come with limitations in usability. Many customers, for example, have long wished for finer gain steps of 1 dB or even 0.5 dB, especially for mastering applications. The idea of faithfully cloning this equalizer has been around for years. But instead of a reproduction that cuts corners with cheaper components or by leaving out the expensive transformers – as is often the case – our goal was a no-compromise recreation that preserves the quality of early broadcast technology.
The challenge was clear: how to reproduce the equalizer at the same quality level, improve its measurable performance, and add meaningful features – all without altering its sound and character, and at a justifiable price.
After more than two years of development, we found the answer. With the VTN95 PE Program Equalizer and the VTN95 ME Mastering Equalizer, the original now returns in two enhanced versions, built in the 19-inch format. The circuit follows the original 100% – but with important additions:
