Sinvertek finds ever more precious and high fidelity components to deliver the pinnacle of its SHOD series - the Imperium Unobtainable Drive - with only 55 available!

So Sinvertek’s Mr Wu has maintained a super rare collection of 55 Raytheon TO-99 type MilSpec Metal Can Opamps - which supposedly have never found their way to audio devices until now - certainly not overdrive pedals! These were harvested / salvaged from military radar systems, fire-control systems and other aerospace equipment - having been designed for decades of robust and reliable high-stress military operation!

You can see how high-fidelity they are by their 883 / T883B markings - which denote a high-reliability military / aerospace temperature grading (-55°C to +125°C). My good friend Joe from Hello Sailor Effects similarly has access to milspec components he harvests from disused warship control panels. Albeit I’m not sure he’s come across similar super rare TO-99 type opamps before - I will need to check!

In any case Mr Wu has decided that now is the appropriate time to part with those 55 Raytheons, and he’s sourced other suitably high fidelity components to match those Raytheon opamps. I thought we had reached peak prowess in October of 2024 when Sinvertek launched their SHOD-A and SHOD-B Precious Invincible Overdrive Set - where you had to buy both - for the princely sum of $1000.

Sinvertek later released a more affordable First Edition for $700 per Set. Before making each of those pedals individually acquirable. The Precious Set had the same really cool knobs as we see with this Imperium Drive.

SHOD stands for Scream Honey OverDrive - where the earliest variants were kind of Screamer adjacent and the later versions more Klon variants - including 2024’s SHOD-A and SHOD-B - where one half was super clean and low gain, and the other had a little more poke to it.

I own two variants of SHOD series - the SH-1N Scream Honey Gold Edition - which is a little too anaemic (low gain) for me, and the rather more decent SHXC Super Overdrive which followed it.

My Scandinavian side finds it hard to justify a $500+ price tag for a 3-knob evolved Klone - however great it might sound. I have some exceptional sounding Klones already, with several totally top tier ones featuring super rare components of their own, and we’re really getting into splitting hairs here in deciding by what degrees each is better than the other! I see it more as a palette of hues really - as there are already a number of superb components in use for those devices - which deliver amazing results.

It’s like wines really - more specifically the Montrachet varieties - Chassagne, Puligny and Bâtard, each named after neighbouring / overlapping villages in the same Côte de Beaune wine appellation - where they all make distinct varieties of Chardonnay - all relatively pricey - with Chassagne typically the most affordable, then Puligny, and Bâtard on average at least twice as expansive as the other two! Each of those make extraordinary Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines. All at slightly different price points. By the same measure I’m quite happy to pony up for a bottle of Chassagne or Puligny, but a Bâtard is typically a step too far - especially in a restaurant!

I’ve often said you need a pick a lane. And while I feel that say the latest Sinvertek MGAT-1 EVO is good value at $359 - considering how much territory it covers and across such a wide gain range. I’ve supported that lineage from the start - and yes Mr Wu manages to make tiny tweaks each time that further improve the sound and feel of those devices. For me the N5 / MGAT line is entirely justifiable - and I would probably be prepared to go a little higher on that price scale - if I feel it entirely justified. Note that you need to factor in shipping from China or California and Import Fees and Custom Duties for each of those!

For the Scream Honey series I just don’t have quite the same degree of enthusiasm, and for me the $550 price tag isn’t justifiable - as I would then have to pay tax and shipping on top of that - so it’s going to be at least $700 for it to reach me in London. For Americans these make more sense - as they’re typically shipped from California - so they don’t have to contend with tariffs and the like - and can get those pedals at face value - while for me it’s a little like buying a gig ticket from a scalper - you have to pay somewhat over the odds.

You of course have to weigh up how much value you will get from that pedal - and if it indeed merits acquisition for you. For me the maths doesn’t quite add up for me on this occasion. I’m not diminishing Mr Wu’s output here - I’m sure those with deeper pockets than I can justify such an outlay!

It’s a little bit of a gamble in any case as the sound samples don’t materialise until long after those pedals are shipped! My friend Henry Kaiser was very complementary about the Precious / Invincible SHOD-A and SHOD-B varieties - while I just couldn’t justify it then, and I still can’t justify it now. Joy to all those who can!

You can read up more on the Imperium Drive on the Sinvertek Website :

And if you want one - you will of course need to contact Tina at officialsales@sinvertek.com as per usual!

I would like to end with one final note here - that most guitar devices rely on slightly flawed components which  distort and deviate in interesting ways - the most high fidelity components are usually about delivering the cleanest / least noisy / least deviated or  distorted output. Rock ’n’ Roll only exists as players drove their equipment beyond specified use - and created highly textural overdrive and distortion sounds - which the audio / audiophile industry deemed as flawed! The most supremely high fidelity component - does not necessarily deliver the best flavour! There’s also a distinction as to what works best into an already cooking amp, and what works best into a Clean Pedal Platform like mine - I have a greater need for the pedals to carry more flavour!

Of course it’s many weeks until we will get a demo - so I will refer to one for the $1K Precious Invincible Editions which preceded this one!