Trident 80C/80B
A British console with a sound engineers still chase, and a service history that will test your patience.
Overview
Vintage King calls the 80C a "Classic British 32 x 24 console." The Trident 80C and its sibling the 80B arrived in 1983, following what Vintage King calls "this successful console" - an earlier Trident desk that the source doesn't name. Equipboard describes the 80C as "a staple in professional recording studios, revered for its legendary sound quality and robust build," and Vintage King notes it "remains in favor with engineers the world over for its signature sound." These desks still command serious money four decades on.
The two models are related but distinct. The 80B is generally discussed as the more compact of the pair. Equipboard frames it around "24 channels," noting that gives "ample room for complex mixes." The 80C is the larger, more heavily specified desk in most descriptions. One caution for shoppers: "Toft Audio Trident 80B" appears as a separately branded product, and sources present it as distinct from the original Trident-badged console. Don't assume a Toft-badged unit is the same thing as a 1983 original.
The channel strip is where these consoles earn their keep. Vintage King observes that "the sound of the mic pre/EQs on the 80B and 80C were so good, Trident still makes them available as a stand-alone unit that gives you a pair of these channel strips in a rack mount configuration." The manufacturer kept selling the front end separately because people kept asking for it.
Key Features
The 4-Band EQ — The Reason People Buy the Desk
Equipboard describes the 80B's per-channel EQ as "a 4-band EQ that is both flexible and musical." The 80C's equalization is cut from the same cloth, and that design lineage is what the derivative rack units replicate. FrontEndAudio describes the 80B 500-Series EQ as incorporating "an exact replica of the equalizer design that gave the original console its unique sound," and Vintage King says the dual-channel preamp/EQ carries "an exact replica of the mic preamp and equalizer design." Those derivative products are the shortcut if you want an 80-series channel without buying a desk.
Configuration: 32 x 24, and the "Jukebox" Variant
The 80C is a 32 x 24 console in its standard form, and Vintage King describes both the 80B and 80C as shipping in "a standard configuration of 32 x 24 x 24 with 5 aux per channel." One restored 80C at Quad Lakeside runs what SonicScoop calls "a jukebox configuration" - it "can support 32 inputs while monitoring a whopping 48 returns, to a total of 80 at mixdown (plus four echo returns)."
Monitor-Return EQ and the 30-Input Cut
Channel counts can trip up buyers. Reverb notes that "later 80B consoles feature equalizers on the monitor returns. To accommodate for this, the input section was cut down from 32 inputs to 30." So a 30-channel 80B isn't a stripped-down oddity. It's a later-spec desk with EQ added on the monitor returns. Vintage King lists a "Trident 80B - 30 Channel Console #79 (Vintage)" that fits this description. Check whether an 80B is an early 32-input unit or a later 30-input with monitor EQ.
The NE5534 Output Stage
The 80C's output stage is a design shift. A Gearspace account states that "by the time the 80C was out, Trident had jumpered out all the discrete transistor pairs with NE5534's used as output drivers instead." Whether that's an improvement or a compromise is a matter of taste. Some engineers swear by discrete output stages and view the NE5534 as a cost-driven substitution, while others find the 80C's sound every bit as compelling as earlier desks.
Mods the Community Actually Does
These consoles get modified, and the mods are well documented. One owner reports swapping "the Group faders for the Monitor pots" on a pair of Series 80 desks "so when we used the Monitor section we had faders for the level." Separately, Pro Audio Design built a custom card for Cotton Hill Studios that "is inserted into the back of the console to take the audio signal from the Trident 80C and output it to the Aviom gear and the other digital equipment."
Historical Context
The dating is messy. Vintage King states that "following on the heels of this successful console was the model 80B and 80C in 1983," which is the clearest combined timeline available. But Trident Audio Developments' own 80B EQ plugin page describes the console as "based on the highly regarded Trident 80B Range console of the seventies," which conflicts with the 1983 date. The 80-series likely had roots in the 1970s, with the 80B/80C as documented arriving around 1983.
Sound on Sound notes that "for decades, Trident's Series 80 consoles have graced world-class recording facilities," and Trident's own marketing describes "the sound and the circuitry of the consoles used to record countless hit records." That's manufacturer copy, so weigh it accordingly. Trident still sells 80B-derived channel strips and plugins.
Collectibility & Value
These are not cheap desks. One forum poster reports seeing "a 80c in Canada at Odyssey Audio for 25k" - currency unspecified, so treat that as a ballpark. Vintage King moves used 80C units through its inventory ("Trident 80C Console (Used)," "Trident 80C #008 (Used)"), which is a reasonable place to watch real asking prices. For the 80B, Reverb notes that "pricing varies depending on exact configuration and the presence or absence of fader automation."
Budget for service. A Vintage King listing for a 30-channel 80B (#79) flags that "the phantom power on the PSU was disconnected," so these desks arrive with quirks, and PSU work is part of ownership. Pro Audio Design (PAD) is the name that comes up repeatedly for refurbishment. One 80C owner had PAD "totally refurbish" a used purchase and reports the desk has been "running constantly now for about a year."
Keep the derivative products separate when pricing things out. The 80B 500-Series EQ shows "best prices from $343.00" for new units, and the 80B EQ plugin runs $59.00 original / $29.00 current. Those are not console prices.
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