Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb Module 5-stars Reviews

Awesome!

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

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

Bursting with character

Spring reverb is NOT like pristine digital reverb. Don't get it for that, but do get it. When added to the end of a patch, you can use it as a strange, otherworldly, organic reverb that leaves a metal taste in your mouth. But this is a modular synthesiser, so you're not confined to that. You can instead put it before the VCA, which stops it being reverb and starts it being a strange little creature that makes your patch sound more organic or real-world in a way that's hard to identify. It stops sounding like a synthesiser and starts sounding like a weird thing that might physically exist. In short, it introduces some complicated real-world physics into the mix.

So let's look at this particular spring reverb by Doepfer. The build quality isn't great, and it might benefit from a little re-soldering. If you're into modular synths, which are a pretty niche market, this probably won't be too difficult for you. It works just fine straight out of the box, but looks like you need to treat it carefully if you're not confident repairing it yourself later down the line.

Having said that, the features are great. The "emphasis" knob EQs the midrange, I believe, making it sound brighter if need be. As well as the regular inputs and outputs, there are extra ones for the feedback loop, so you can amplify the signal to lengthen the tail, filter it with any filter you already have, and so on. These simple features make it very open ended.

I also hear it's pretty easy to swap out the reverb tank -- the physical spring reverb in a metal case, that you plug into the main module -- for a different one, should you want to, for even more possibilities. Personally, though, I haven't found the need: this module is already providing me with so many things to try out, that I've still only begun to scratch the surface.

Spring reverb in general has a very distinctive sound, so check out some examples online before you decide whether this is for you. Personally, I'm making it a big part of the latest evolution of my signature sound.