Dark Energy II Specifications Announced

From the Doepfer website:

The Dark Energy (I) has to be discontinued because an important electronic part (CEM3394) is no longer available. (Read more on that HERE)
We are working on the redesign of the Dark Energy at full speed.
The new Dark Energy II will look like the Dark Energy I at first sight.
Only the function of some controls and switches will differ from the Dark Energy I.

Dark Energy (I) picture by Marc Weerts
from the band 87PM

These are the most important differences between Dark Energy I and II:

- 12dB multimode filter with lowpass, notch, highpass and bandpass (instead of 24dB lowpass of Dark Energy I)
- the previous LM control of the filter becomes the filter type control (continuous crossfade lowpass - notch highpass - bandpass)
- the LM function of the filter is no longer available
- the waveform switch is used to select between saw and clipped/distorted saw (in the center position the saw is off)

- the basic waveform of the VCO is saw (not triangle like the Dark Energy I).
- because of the pure analog circuit and the temperature control it takes about 30 minutes until the VCO is in tune.
- the VCA has a exponential scale (not the combined linear/exponential scale of Dark Energy I)

All other functions will remain unchanged.
Even the price will be the same (currently Euro 428).
The Dark Energy II will be probably available summer 2012.

Doepfer hopes to have a (working?) prototype ready for the MusikMesse in Germany, which starts next week.