The second video my friend Zed Marty and I did is a comparison of the extremely affordable Klark Teknik 76-KT with the Stam Audio SA76. Marty had prepared female vocals of the great Celina Seilinger taken from a Lewitt multitrack session. We talk a little bit about the compressors and then dive into the comparison.

One thing you have to be aware of is that the Stam and the Klark are different incarnations of an 1176. The Stam is the blue stripe version (Rev. A) while the Klark is the black face version (Rev. F). So naturally there will be differences in the comparison. We mention that right away in the video.

The most noticeable difference is that the Stam is adding some top mid-range to high-end sheen, thus making signals more agressive. Exactly what a blue stripe is known for. Clearly that’s why Chris Lord-Alge love his blue stripes on vocals. The Klark black face version however sounds a little warmer and rounded off. It also adds quite a bit of distortion to the signal, especially when using the famous all-buttons in mode.

In conclusion I would say that I definitely prefer the blue stripe sound for most of my vocals, so I will keep it there. However, I can see the Klark being used heavily for snare drum purposes in my case. I like a little bit of organic distortion there to help the snare drum cut through the mix, so I would probably use the Klark 76-KT in all-buttons in mode most of the time. For €199,- here in Europe I ordered one right away and will put it through its paces as soon as it arrived here at my studio.

I hope this comparison is helpful to you. Looking forward to your comments here or on YouTube and see you soon.

Markus