You look up Sage Sound and you find two stories that do not add up. A post from May 2021 announcing the closure. And a shop, today, with stock and prices.
Both are true. Sage closed, and Sage came back.
What happened between 2021 and 2024
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| February 2021 | The brand is trading normally |
| May 2021 | Post Sage Sound is Closed: the global chip shortage stops production |
| After 2021 | The site disappears |
| October 2024 | SAGE SOUND LTD is incorporated |
| 2026 | Range fully renewed |
In May 2021, Alex Sage published a post titled “Sage Sound is Closed”. The global semiconductor shortage made his boards impossible to produce, so he stopped building. The site eventually disappeared.
Then, in October 2024, SAGE SOUND LTD was incorporated at Companies House. No announcement, no press release: the brand simply started selling again.
And it is not the old range coming back. The 5u presents itself as the second wave of DSP preamps, the Bass Thing Mk2 as a complete redesign. The earlier models — 6u, 4u, 2u, the first Bass Thing — are archived and are not coming back. If you want one, it is the second hand market.
The DSP is where it happens
On most sound system preamps, crossover frequencies are locked in the hardware: frequency cards, or values set at build time. Changing a crossover point means opening the machine.
On Sage’s DSP models, everything is set from the screen: crossover point, slope, phase polarity, delay on each output, limiting per channel, plus noise gates. You configure the unit from 2 to 5 way.
Per-output delay is the real gain. When your subs and tops are not physically aligned, you delay one way by a few milliseconds and the attack falls back into place. Doing it inside the preamp saves you another processor in the chain.
Alexander Sage-Norman, who signs as Alex Sage, has been running it on his own since the relaunch, building in the UK.
The 2026 range
| Model | What it is | Price ex. VAT |
|---|---|---|
| 5u Preamp | 5 way stereo, DSP | £1,675 |
| 3u Preamp | 5 way mono, fully analog | £1,275 |
| 2u Parametric EQ | module | £700 |
| 1u Dual Compressor | module | £600 |
| Bass Thing Mk2 | peak + RMS limiter, software driven | £550 |
| 1u Graphic EQ / Sweep EQ / Input Expander | modules | £525 |
| 1u Filters | module | £500 |
| 1u Delay | module | £400 |
The 5u is the stereo DSP unit: two stereo line inputs, a stereo phono input, an 11 band graphic EQ, three sweepable semi-parametric bands, resonant high and low pass filters, a sub tone control, two effect sends, an aux channel with five inputs, inserts on every way, and digital in and out (S/PDIF, AES-3). Everything is balanced, and the unit is software controlled.
The 3u is the deliberate opposite: five way, mono, fully analog. Crossover points stay adjustable, with the same 11 band graphic EQ, a sweepable band with a mid/tops selector, two effect sends, and a full range mix output if you want an external DSP behind it.
Ordering from outside the UK
- Payment in pounds sterling.
- Delivery only, no collection.
- Two year warranty, nine finishes.
- Since Brexit you pay import VAT in your own country: budget around 10 % on top of the listed price.
- On the 5u you can pre-order: half plus shipping up front, the balance on despatch.
Who it is for
The 5u is for a sound that wants to drive everything from one machine, time alignment included, and works in stereo. It is a professional budget.
The 3u answers something else: five way, mono, analog end to end, for people who want no digital in the signal path.
→ All dub preamp manufacturers
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