Lightning Boy Audio Introduces Flux Bender Equalizer — Stereo Passive EQ

When we first stumbled on to Lightening Boy Audio, they were developing stellar tube pedals. Since then, LBA has honed in on their design philosophy to release the Flux Bender Equalizer.

At first glance, the Flux Bender is similar to a passive Pulteq EQP-1A. So where does LBA draw the line? Not many details can be dismissed to gain a complete perspective, so we’ll let them elaborate!

LBA’s Flux Bender EQ in all of its analog glory.

Lightening Boy Audio’s Flux Bender Equalizer is available now for $5,000 MSRP. Check out complete details from LBA:

Form + Function
The Flux Bender provides independent frequency controls over the boost/cut controls for the lows and highs.  The left and right channels are controlled simultaneously by a single set of controls, with all components matched to a tight tolerance of .01%.  A pair of output volume controls for Left and Right, are capable of providing up to 8dB of gain over the input signal. The Flux Bender features 4 banks of 6 selectable frequencies, one for each of the boost/cut controls. The high frequency section provides control over a wide range of frequencies that extend above the human hearing range. The low frequency section offers control over anything from sub-bass to low-midrange.

Amplifier and Power Supply
The amplifier and power supply section of the Flux Bender are a Lightning Boy original all-tube design. The impressive noise floor is below 90dB. An external power supply, called the “Juice Box,” is included.  The Juice box houses the power transformer and connects to the Flux Bender with a 3’ tether. Longer power tethers are available for an additional cost.

Cryogenic NOS Vacuum Tubes
At the heart of the Flux Bender are a matched pair of NOS 6X4 rectifier tubes and a matched pair of NOS 12AT7 pre-amp tubes.  Each of these tubes has undergone cryogenic processing to improve their longevity and performance.  The orange glow behind the clear jewel lamp on the front panel of the Flux Bender emirates from one of a pair of gas filled voltage regulator tubes.

All The Small Things
The expansive stereo image and velvety black tone of the Flux Bender is a product of skillful blending of all of these components. The back panel of the Flux Bender sports 6 metal cans.  Pairs of Sowter input transformers, Jensen  interstage transformers, and custom made Cinemag inductors give this EQ a very retro look.  The filter network and amplifier electronics consist of a pair of custom made Cinemag output transformers, and an impressive array of over 60 paper-in-oil capacitors.  The caps are a combination of new old stock and hand-made Lightning Boy Audio paper in oil caps, a signature feature on all LBA builds.  Much of the Flux Bender’s tone can certainly be attributed to the transformers and paper-in-oil caps, but the point to point hand-wiring most surely contributes to it’s mojo.

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