Stam Audio are well known for their painstaking recreations of vintage audio gear, with their extensive product range covering a wide variety of sought-after units in both full-size 19-inch rack and 500-series formats. Their latest creation has been developed in response to requests for a cleaner sounding SSL-style compressor inspired by their later G-series designs.
Rather than adding an entirely new product to the range, the company have instead decided to expand on an existing one, have have this to say of their approach: “Our philosophy has always been to offer maximum flexibility and versatility within a single unit — while remaining faithful to original circuits and component values — rather than releasing multiple products based on the same core topology. As such, they’ve introduced the SA-4000+, which delivers the same features as its predecessor, but with the addition of a new Modern mode which they say precisely replicates the FX384 compressor from the late 90s.
Three For One
Thanks to the newly added circuitry, the SA-4000+ now boasts three compression characters. Here’s what Stam Audio have to say about each of them:
E Series (1979) – Aggressive & Punchy
Based on an exact replica of the E Series console from 1979, we designed the SA-4000 MK3 with not two, but four SA-202C cans — two in the gain-reduction circuit and two in the unit’s side-chain. While in theory this should not affect the audio path, the outcome was remarkable: the kick drum and snare, as well as the mid frequencies, popped out like we had never heard before on a 4K, making it the ideal and perfect drum-bus compressor.
G Series (1986) – Smooth & Musical
An exact replica of the G Series centre section introduced in 1987. The 4000 G console is legendary for the smooth-sounding compression that engineers often refer to as ‘the glue’. It is arguably the most famous master bus compressor in recording history. Unlike the E series it retained the 202C gold cans on the gain-reduction circuit but used VCA chips for the side-chain.
Modern / FX384 (1999) – Clean & Transparent
Based on the late 90s FX384 compressor with VCA THAT chips for both the gain reduction and side-chain circuits. This unit has been favoured for modern productions thanks to its flat frequency response and extremely low harmonic distortion.
Also new in the plus variant are slower attack time options of 30 and 50 ms, a 6:1 ratio and a new Stereo Width control that can be adjusted from 50 to 200 %.
Optional Mods
Along with the standard features, the SA-4000+ can be ordered with the following modifications:
- British Mod: Adds two Carnhill output transformers together with a pair of BA283 output cards, which are used on the output section of the classic 1073 preamps and channel strips. Adds some low-end weight that ‘warms up’ a mix.
- American Mod: Adds two SA-25 op-amps (an exact replica of the vintage API 2520 op-amps) with two US-made all steel 2503 output transformers to the signal. Said to be great for drum-bus duties.
- Fairchild 670 Mod: Adds two larger US-made HS-52 replica output transformers as used on the output stage of a Fairchild 670 and 660, along with four of the 6BA6 tubes employed in the StamChild 670. The mod introduces some additional harmonics and bolsters the signal’s low end.
Pricing & Availability
The SA-4000+ is available to pre-order now for a special price of $1190 (usually $1490), with the next batch currently expected to be ready by July 2026. The optional modifications are priced as follows:
- British Mod: $500
- American Mod: $500
- Fairchild 670 Mod: $800
