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Rane ME 60
30-Band Graphic Equalizer (1991-today)
Made in USA

© 2015 KenRockwell.com. All rights reserved.

Intro   Specs   Measurements   Recommendations   More

Rane ME 60

Rane ME 60 (2 RU, 30-band third-octave equalizer, 8W idle power draw, about $110 used). enlarge. I got mine at this link directly to them at eBay (see How to Win at eBay). The current model, lacking the additional RCA jacks of this older ME 60, is the ME 60S that sells for about $600 from Amazon and from B&H.

 

Rane ME 60

Rear, Rane ME 60. enlarge.

This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.

 

June 2015     Rane Reviews   Audio Reviews   All Reviews

 

Rane ME 60

Rane ME 60. enlarge.

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Introduction         top

Intro   Specs   Measurements   Recommendations   More

Adorama pays top dollar for your used gear.

Amazon

B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio

The Rane ME 60 is a compact 2 RU third-octave graphic equalizer.

It is a pro balanced equalizer with XLR and TRS ¼" jacks, as well as unbalanced RCA jacks for home Hi-Fi use. (The newest ME 60S omits the RCA jacks.)

It has a hard-wired overall bypass switch, meaning signal comes through even with the power off.

It's missing the 20 Hz and 16 Hz sliders, but adds sweepable LO CUT and HI CUT filters, as well as individual input gain controls.

This is a professional equalizer for concert sound, and it performs well for Hi-Fi use if you need to mount it in a rack. There is a power-off thump when used unbalanced.

Its filters are called "Interpolating constant-Q filters," and what that means is that they are much narrower than most filters at small levels of boost or cut. In other words, most graphic equalizers are broader at small deviations from flat, while this equalizer stays narrowband. Depending on what you're trying to do, this may be better or worse.

The filter shapes make this graphic equalizer is better than most if you want flat response with all the sliders boosted or cut. The resulting curves are flatter when all are boosted or cut, but they tend to be bumpier when you're moving only a few sliders a little bit, as is usually the case with graphic equalizers.

 

History

The first version, tested here, was made from 1991 ~ 1997. This sample, tested in 2015, was made in 1997.

Rane has made several versions, and today the ME 60S is the current model. The current model lacks unbalanced RCA connections.

 

Good

Made in USA.

Fits in just 2 RU.

Center slider detents.

Dedicated jacks for balanced XLR, balanced TRS ¼" and unbalanced RCA for direct hookup to any system.

Also works to interface any of these inputs to any of these outputs.

Infinitely-variable 12 dB/octave HI CUT and LO CUT filters.

Input gain controls.

Hardwire bypass switches (work even with power off).

OVERLOAD and BYPASS LEDs for each channel.

Completely flat response at zero detents.

Low power consumption: less than 8 watts actual measured power consumption.

 

Specifications         top

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See the manuals for more.

 

Active balanced inputs and outputs.

 

20 kΩ input impedance balanced.

10 kΩ input impedance unbalanced.

200 Ω output source impedance balanced.

100 Ω output source impedance unbalanced.

 

Overall gain: off to +8 dB, balanced.

 

+21 dBu maximum input, balanced.

+21 dBu into 2 kΩ maximum output, balanced (+15 dBu, unbalanced).

+19 dBu into 600 Ω maximum output, balanced (+13 dBu, unbalanced).

 

Interpolating constant-Q filters.

20mm sliders with center detents.

 

HI and LO cut filters.

RFI filters.

 

Power: 120 VAC only. Rated 12 W, 8W actual.

 

Size: 8.5" deep, 2 RU (19 x 3.5").

Weight: 12 pounds (5 kg).

 

Quality: MADE IN USA.

 

Measurements         top

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These measurements are made with an exotic Rohde & Schwarz UPL laboratory analyzer. The traces from the Rohde & Schwarz UPL laboratory analyzer are color coded for the Left Channel 1 and for the Right Channel 2. When they don't lie on top of each other, it's due to channel imbalance. When they do lie on top of each other, the trace turns blue.

Unless otherwise specified, all measurements are RMS at unity gain (LEVEL = 8), sliders flat, filters at maximum bandwidth, 1 kHz at 1 V into 200 kΩ, unbalanced RCA inputs and outputs.

I didn't bother testing it in balanced mode, which is how it's used professionally. Unbalanced mode, as I tested it, is for use at home.

Ultimately the measurements are mediocre for Hi Fi use but it still sounds great minus the power-off thump. A strictly consumer graphic equalizer tests better because it's designed for unbalanced use while this equalizer is really intended for balanced use, for which I didn't test it.

 

GAIN

Unbalanced

3.68/3.33 dB at maximum gain, sliders flat.

Unity gain is at about 8.

 

Maximum Input Level

Unbalanced

> 10 V with gain lowered.

3.25 V with gain at 10 (which leads to 0.1% THD at the output regardless of load impedance).

 

MOL

Unbalanced

4.88 V at 0.1% THD into 200 kΩ.

4.1 V at 0.1% THD into 600 Ω.

3.6 V at 0.1% THD into 300 Ω.

2.5 V at OVER at 0.01% THD at 200 kΩ.

2.2 V at OVER at 0.01% THD at 600 Ω.

900 mV at OVER at 0.01% THD at 300 Ω.

 

Output Source Impedance

101.4 Ω, measured at 1 kHz, unbalanced.

 

Output Noise

Measured with filters wide open, floating common.

 

Unbalanced

Sliders flat

-100.3 dBV A with gain at 10, -103.4 dBV A at minimum.

-97.2 dBV unweighted 22 kHz with gain at 10, -100.3 dBV at minimum.

 

Sliders all at minimum

-92 dBV unweighted 22 kHz, regardless of gain or filters settings.

 

Sliders all at maximum

-70 dBV unweighted 22 kHz, regardless of gain or filter settings.

 

Frequency Response — Set Flat

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response.

This is the response of the HI CUT and LO CUT filters set to 10 Hz and 40 kHz. They cannot be bypassed.

 

Frequency Response — High and Low Filters

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response, High and Low Filters at each of the five marked frequencies.

This is a composite graph with LO CUT set to 10, 15, 40, 150 and 250 Hz, and HI CUT set to 40, 30, 10, 5 and 3 kHz.

 

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response, High Cut set to 3 kHz, 5 kHz, 10 kHz, 30 kHz and 40 kHz.

 

Frequency Response — Equalizing

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response, 25 Hz set to +12 dB, rest flat.

 

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response, 31.5 Hz set to +12 dB, rest flat.

 

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response, 40 Hz set to +12 dB, rest flat.

 

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response, 25 and 31.5 Hz set to +12 dB, rest flat.

 

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response, 25, 31.5 and 40 Hz set to +12 dB, rest flat.

 

Rane ME 60 frequency Response

Rane ME 60 Frequency Response, all bands set to +12 dB.

This is the best graphic equalizer I've seen for flat response when all boosted. It's about ±1 dB, which is superb.

Note that the overall gain is about 21 dB, not 12 dB, because all the bands add together. Rane makes some digital equalizers if you really want just 12 dB when you slam all the sliders up at the same time.

 

Distortion

Rane ME 60 Distortion

Rane ME 60 THD at 1 kHz.

The THD versus frequency is mostly flat, so I don't bother showing it.

 

Apt Holman Preamplifier

DFD, 19+20 kHz 1:1 at 1V total.

 

Apt Holman Preamplifier

DFD, 19+20 kHz 1:1 at 100 mV total.

 

Power Consumption

7.9 watts idling at 117 VAC.

0 watts turned off.

 

Durability

I bought this one from a random stranger over eBay, it's nearly 20 years old, and works perfectly.

Most impressive is how the old one I bought and tested here still has clean potentiometers; I didn't have to clean it and they weren't scratchy as received.

Rane still makes a similar model in the USA, so I doubt there's any problem with durability, parts or service.

 

Recommendations         top

Intro   Specs   Measurements   Recommendations   More

These are inexpensive and versatile equalizers.

If you find my work here helpful, this all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use this link directly to them at eBay (see How to Win at eBay) or any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Buy only from the approved sources I use myself for the best prices, service, return policies and selection.

Thanks for helping me help you!

Ken.

 

More Information         top

Intro   Specs   Measurements   Recommendations   More

 

1991-1997 version tested here

Rane's ME 60 manual

Rane's ME 60 schematic

 

1998-2002 version

Rane's ME 60 data sheet

Rane's ME 60 manual

Rane's ME 60 schematic

 

2003 version

Rane's ME 60 data sheet

Rane's ME 60 manual

Rane's ME 60 schematic

 

Current Model: ME 60S

 

 

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18 May 2015