Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb Module Reviews

Awesome!

Amazing quality module, sturdy and great sounding. I would propably prefer the screws to be on all corners. Feedback feature is excellent.

It is ok

Nice sounding, but you need to replace RCA cables with better ones and place tank far away from case. No CV control of anything...

Very under rated module.

It does spring reverb and it does it really well. Being able to change the reverb tank is a deadly feature.

Inaccurate Description & Noisy

The depth of this unit with the included Audio cables are well over 80mm, even though the PCB itself measures about 50mm. This is a misrepresentation of module depth and causes it to be unusable, unless you want to invest more money or void the warranty. Additionally, the white noise (not the hum) the reverb tank picks up while inside the case is as loud as the effect itself. I like my other Doepfer modules, but this is one to skip, unless you want a large, white noise generating module for cheap. The Doepfer tank is about twice the size of the module itself. If you have a Mantis, skiff, or most modern portable cases, skip it. I LOVE the Intellijel Springray in comparison; its tank is about the size of the module & is noise-free in the same location + more features.

Could be great

When I bought this I read about the hiss and noise of the module/tank combination. Others said that placement made a huge difference and that by moving it to a certain magic spot the noise would disappear. I never found the magic spot and the noise ruins for me what otherwise would be a lovely module. I read that Doepfer issued them with poor quality RCA cables and that if they are changed that it can be significantly improved.

Pros - the effect is lovely, the module is well built and has good options for output of treated sound. Physical interaction with the tank itself also creates new options.

Cons - unwanted hiss and noise, placing the tank outside the modular case means an unsightly opening and long cable, putting it inside the case may mean no ability to control the noise. In my case the latter option was not possible as the case is too small.

Sound good but the spring is too big for doepfer 100 flight case

The sound is amazing but i cannot build in my flightcase because of the size of springbox and if the synth is full with modules i cannot route the rca cable inside to plug the springs onto pcb. And i would like to install the springs in different box because when i use the plugs or play with the knobs the springs will change the sound. I wish the rca connector on the face plate and the springs sell in box "maybe with 2 springs for stereo". I bought 2 module for stereo but i cannot use it.

Slightly bigger spring tanks would give deeper sound

The A-199 Spring Reverb is a nice addition to the system if you don't want DSP, I would say once paired with the BBD you'd have all you need in terms of effects. In my opinion the spring tank is a bit small, I agree it has to fit in the case, however, it is very sensitive to magnetic fields and to make it run silently I have to have it outside the case, so even if the spring tank was larger it would have been fine. Other than that it sounds good.

Edit: The noise it produced despite its placement far away from MF was due to poor quality RCA cables supplied with old units. I found this out after I got in touch with Dieter Doepfer, who, kindly sent me the better quality cables needed. Now everything runs smoothly and quiet!

Its an ok spring reverb

It is a little noisy but at end do the job, for the price is good

ringing springy sounds

I think this is a fabulous addition to any modular system. one of the most inexpensive true spring reverbs available. I've installed mine with the spring tank mounted inside the case (Doepfer's LC9). It is solidly built and adds so much more than just an extra dimension to my sounds. Being able to effect and alter the feedback loop makes for endless exploration and possibilities.

Very Springy

Leave it outside the case for spring abusing

A must have in/out of any case

Decent spring reverb for a decent price

Doepfer doesn't fail. And if you consider the other options, this unit has a decent price tag. The high shelf adds some noise (or lushness if you will), but i do like that.

However, don't purchase together with the Intellijel Springray tank, unless you're willing to fix the ground hum problem yourself.

Interesting Reverb

I had hoped to fit the reverb thank that comes with the module inside my LC-9 Case - but no matter where I put it - it caused unwanted noise / hum. Once I had the tank outside the case it was fine. Nice organic sounding reverb. Doepfer - always good German quality.

Great but...

Sounds lovely, big and deep, I use for studio as an FX send not just for synths.

When i saw a picture of the tank I bought a bigger one to arrive to hook up to the Doepfer unit, don't do this, the tank supplied may be small but it's perfect and sounds big.

I found the unit was very noisy, the RCA cables supplied are not of adequate quality and I was about to return this unit when I replaced it with higher quality shielded RCA cables, and immediately 75% of the noise went away, make sure you roll the 'emphasis' knob to 1 o'clock to get rid of some the noise.

Also i found the feedback knob to be an unpleasant effect.

Otherwise, sounds great and great price, would recommend.

This reverb unit can do a lot more than surf

I would say at the outset: don't buy this module expecting the best reverb sound available. There are other external (and much more expensive) units which will claim to give you that. This module comprises the main unit with amplifier, sockets and controls mounted to an 8hp front panel, and a satellite reverb tank connected to the main unit with standard RCA phono connectors. The nature of the tank (which is a medium spring low-cost Accutronics tank such as you would expect to see in a medium-priced guitar amplifier) means that it must be mounted as far away from the power supply as possible to avoid interference. I have a P9 case, and found that mounting the unit with velcro at the top of the left side of the case resulted in the hum being reduced to a negligible level. The interesting element of this module is that it provides a feedback control which allows you to feed the reverb signal back into the unit OR feed an external signal in there instead, which can lead to all kinds of crazy sounds. I've found that with a bit of tweaking I can get an acceptable reverb sound with this module, but most of the time I'm happy to use external effects for this purpose and use this as a rather interesting way to manipulate audio.

Dark, muddy and brooding

The a199 has a lovely dark spring sound, the provided spring tank is a great match and starting point for a collection of tanks. Spring reverb is not the clean realistic sound associated with reverbs today - its clangorous, shonky and unmistakably mechanical in nature. The A199 is slightly l less feature filled than some other spring reverb modules available (no vc of feedback amount or wet/dry mix, no tank selection etc - all easily patchable though) - but a fraction of the cost. Follow the mounting instructions carefully to avoid unwanted artifacts (they are very susceptible to interference) - I've opted for keeping the tanks out of the case. You may consider also buying a decent external phono switch so you can have multiple tanks linked to the unit at once - saves popping the module out to change tanks.

I love playing with the feedback path of the a199 - it can even play self patched, great for drones... A typical drone patch for me would go:

A199 with no audio being fed to it, high feedback -> feedback insert goes to a vca -> A189-1 bit mangler -> Freqshifter -> A106-5 sem filter -> feedback return of the A199. Modulate away on the modules in the feedback path and the results are stunning - so organic, dark and ethereal.

I also like using it to add body to drum sounds or synthesised pianos, keep feedback low and run the mix output to a vca to shape the level contour.

A fantastic module

A module that can add depth to otherwise standard patches. Either by adding classic reverb at the end of a signal path or placed in the middle for something unearthly.

This is a very hands on module, you will get more out of it by tweaking it on the fly. Excellent value for money and will add something to any setup.

Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb

An absolutely amazing module at a great price point. As usual for Doepfer, the look is basic but the construction is rock solid.

There are only four controls, so you can get into the module immediately without needing the manual. The feedback can really scream once you get around 3 o'clock, so be careful if you are wearing headphones as it can get very loud.

The standard reverb tank is fine for me ,and so far haven't felt the need to experiment with any others. One slight issue is the placement inside the case. The stickers aren't quite strong enough to hold the tank in place so it constantly fell down. I now keep the tank on top of the case, which allows me to ping and stretch the strings which can give some amazing Sci Fi Effects.

I have had no problems with noise and hum from the module, both when I placed it inside or on top of the case.

This is my first and possibly my last reverb module.

Spring Reverb

A great sound! Brilliant in every way

Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb

I ordered this module based on some very favourable on-line reviews and sound samples. I was not disappointed. The sound from the A-199 is 'classic' spring reverb, with a character very different from digital reverb units. Spring reverbs seem to suit analog synthesisers very well, and mine fitted into my modular synth setup immediately.

The spring box (sometimes called a 'tank') was easy to fit into the DoepferA-100LC3 case I purchased at the same time. It is held in place by 4 double sided sticky pads. I didn't need to use screw fittings. However. my system does not leave the house very often. If I was installing the A-199 in a flight case I would use the screw mounts for the spring tank.

The fitting instructions recommend the spring tank is located as far away from power supplies as possible, in order to avoid induced hum. As the A-100LC3 has an external mains transformer, this was not a problem, and the A-199 unit is very quiet in operation.

An added bonus with the A-199 is that you can use the control module with other spring tanks. I have a large Accusonics spring tank from an old keyboard combo which I am going to try soon.

One word of advice is that you should check the available size of the euro case you are planning to install the A-199 in. The A-100 mini cases are too small for the spring tank, and some shallow euro cases may not permit the spring tank to sit behind deep euro modules.

In summary, another great sounding and easy to use module from Doepfer, and one that I can see myself keeping for a long time.

Bang for buck spring reverb!

One of the only Eurorack spring reverbs available, this is an excellent addition to anyone's modular synth. Spring reverb is something that is still hard to emulate well with a computer, nothing really sounds like the real thing.

For me it really shines with a VCA (or even better, a filter) in between the feedback output and input. You can get some great Radiophonic Workshop-esque eerie sounds!

My only gripe with it is that personally I think the reverb tank is slightly too small. It's great for sound effects but cannot sound as big as I would like. You can get around this though by using the feedback subtly or by swapping the spring out for a bigger tank! An absolute steal considering how much it costs for a non-Eurorack spring reverb.