Avalon

This is a Fantastic analog tube preamp/channel strip. In addition to a great sounding preamp, there's also a compressor with variable threshold, attack, release, and ratio, and an EQ section. The EQ has a high and low shelf, as well as three sweepable bands with variable frequency and a hi/low Q switch. There is phantom power, a high pass filter with variable frequency, a phase reversal switch, a High Gain switch (hotter, much dirtier signal), and switches to enable/disable the compressor or EQ.You can also set this unit to place EQ before compression, or compression before EQ, which is a handy feature. It also has a nice backlit VU meter. which you can use to meter output or compression attenuation - another handy feature. The connection type is of course XLR. It is a rackmounted strip, taking up two standard rack units. UTILIZATION The front panel is laid out very simply considering the amount of options present. You can use this as simply as just being a preamp - basically just using the preamp gain for signal level and also the desired color of the tone, and then the output gain to get the level right. However the other elements are quite easy to use. The controls are laid out in a standard way as far as the parameters for the compression and EQ. One thing that may have a bit of a learning curve is that the compressor attack/release times are not labled in milliseconds - but rather a pot that has fast on one side and slow on the other. So you may want to play with that a bit to get a feel for the times. Avalon provides a very extensive manual, even providing you with some suggested settings to start with on certain instruments. SOUND QUALITY This is definitely a preamp that will color your sound - but almost always in a very good way. In addition, the amount of color that is added is something I have found to be variable depending on how hard you have cranked the preamp gain knob, and if you have the compressor working. The compressor has this crunchy, crispy sound that I love. I put a U87 through this preamp for vocals, compress lightly on the way to my DAW, and it sounds fantastic. It is a tube preamp, so if you have the gain set high, there is going to be a saturated tone. If you are looking for something more crystal clear - you may want to go for something like the AD2022 by Avalon. OVERALL OPINION I have been using this for about a year. I absolutely love what it does to the sources I put through it. Everything you put through this pre seems to become larger, and more up-front. So that being the case, it is usually best suited for things that are going to be prominent in your mix - perhaps vocals, a lead guitar, or a bass guitar depending on the song. This unit also can record a DI instrument, and I've had great results recording DI bass with the 737. This really is a great pre, and combined with a Neumann U87 mic it's hard to beat for vocals - you've heard this combo on countless hit songs, and actually it is very frequently used for voice overs in film and television. The compression sounds great and has a nice character, and the EQ is very smooth. Especially the highs. You can boost the high shelf at 32k, which sounds silly because you can't hear that high, but it DOES make a difference - it somehow affects the highest part of the spectrum that you can hear in a very attractive way if you need something to be a bit more airy and bright. One thing that I sometimes have a problem with is noise. With 24-bit recording it's tempting to get a very high level, and one shortcoming this pre has is that at the upper limits of the gain it provides, it begins to get very dirty sounding - which sometimes is good and sometimes not. The High Gain switch provided I have found usually introduces too much noise to be useful, unless you want it as an effect. This item is pricey, but I have found it to be a worthy investment. I'd buy it again.

The Avalon AD2055 is a dual channel parametric EQ. It can be used either in stereo mode, or as two mono channels. The AD2055 has XLR inputs and outputs and is indeed a rack mountable unit that will take up two rack spaces. UTILIZATION The make up of the Avalon AD2055 parametric EQ is pretty easy to follow. Each of the two channels each has four bands of equalization. The low and high bands have parameters for frequency and gain, while the two middle channels have the same as well as a width parameter. If you've got any experience with parametric EQs, or know how they work, I believe that you'll be able to catch on quickly as everything should seem pretty self explanatory to you. For this reason, I've never needed to look at the manual and don't believe that one is necessary. SOUND QUALITY As far as parametric EQs go, the Avalon AD2055 has a top notch sound quality. It can be used for any and all applications as this is a versatile piece of equipment that is able to adapt to most situations. Since the inherent tone quality is clean and the EQ does its job extremely well, this should apply to everything from vocals to guitars to drums, all of which I have tried the AD2055 with. The unit is simply a great sounding EQ, which like all good EQs, can be used for any application that you would like to use it with. OVERALL OPINION While expensive, the Avalon AD2055 is aimed for those who are looking for a top tier stereo parametric EQ, regardless of price. For this reason I can't say that I would recommend this to home studio owners, but for professionals this would be a great choice for a stereo EQ. It is built extremely well and is a unit that should last a very long time as long as you treat it properly. I have no complaints about the Avalon AD2055, as they are a company that I trust and this is a unit that is made with the utmost of quality...

This an analog, solid-state pure class A electronics preamplifier. It has two discrete channels. It includes phantom power, and a 20dB pad on each channel, as well as polarity reversal switch, and a variable high pass filter that can be turned on or off. The input impedance is also variable, and this unit accepts DI as well as mics. It uses XLR connections. It is a rackmounted preamp, and takes up two standard rack spaces. It also looks really great, with the brushed steel plate cover, and backlit VU meters. UTILIZATION This unit is quite simple to use - there aren't that many features. That said, what it does, it does great. Editing the settings is super easy - just a few clearly labeled knobs and switches. Avalon provides a very thorough manual however, so if you read it and spend just a short time familiarizing yourself, you should have no problems in utilization. SOUND QUALITY The sound of the sources is captured in silky smooth, extremely accurate fidelity. This is a very transparent preamp, with a TON of gain available to use with very low noise. It doesn't really impart much of a flavor to the sound, but a lot of times you don't want that anyway. I love to use this pre on things like background vocals, acoustic instruments, and drum overheads (since it's two channel, you can use this for your stereo drum overheads quite easily). I also have been using it for DI bass guitar, and I have yet to get better bass guitar sounds than by DI'ing my bass through the AD2022. The low end is all there and is very controlled, but the presence you need to get the bass to still cut through is well represented too. OVERALL OPINION I have been using this preamp for about a year. I love the huge amount of gain you can get from it without it getting noisy, and how crystal clear the signals sound. It does seem to make them sound bigger as well. Bigger and wider, like there is more there to hear than you'd get if you used something like the Avalon 737. One caveat is that it has a somewhat annoying external power supply that you have to find space for. Really though, I can't think of hardly anything else negative to say about this great item. I have tried a variety of preamps, and while they all have their uses, this is the one I go to first when I am looking for a clean, accurate reproduction of an acoustic source. This is an expensive model, but after my first day of using, I had no regret whatsoever. It is well worth the money. I'd buy it again, and plan to in the future to get more channels of this thing!

This preamp is a single channel unit made by Avalon, the M5 has phantom power and it can be racked if you choose to rack it but it will take up 2 rack spaces. There are no compression or EQ on the M5 but it does have 1 XLR inputs and 1 XLR output, both of those are analog because there are no digital inputs or outputs on this model; you also cannot connect this preamp to your computer. This Class A studio amp has great headroom and it is very quiet. You will not hear it running at all, it generates no hissing and will make your microphone sound great. UTILIZATION This is a studio preamp, and if you can afford it you need to get your hands on one now. It is priced very high but it is worth it. A local studio that we go to has two of these in it so I get the chance to use it a lot, though I cannot afford to have one for my own studio because the price is just outrageous. The M5 does have a high pass filter on it and a accurate stepped gain control of 2dB. SOUND QUALITY The frequency response on the M5 is 1 Hz to 120kHz. Being that this preamp is so expensive, I do recommend checking out another preamp by Vintech called the X73i. It has some of the exact specs of this preamp but it is hundreds of dollars cheaper and it will only take up 1 rack space while still being a Class A preamp (with EQ) . OVERALL OPINION If you have the money to purchase the M5 then go for it, I do not feel it is priced well to sell. It is made more for someone who has a bigger budget and a larger studio. There are plenty of other preamps on the market that are similar to this one but a lot cheaper. So in the big scheme of things I would say pass on the M5.

The Avalon AD2044 is a dual channel compressor made with all class A circuits that has XLR connections for both channels and is a rack mountable unit that will take up two rack spaces. UTILIZATION The configuration of the Avalon AD2044 is very easy to follow as it has the basic parameters that you usually see on compressors. The large knobs control threshold and compression, and has smaller knobs for release and attack. There are also a series of buttons on each channel for controlling a variety of options including what shows up on your meter. I don't have a the manual for the Avalon AD2044, but it really isn't necessary as I'm assuming if you are using a top notch piece of gear like this you have used a basic compressor before. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of the Avalon AD2044 is really great for all types of applications, as I have used this on everything from drums to vocals. It has a great deal of warmth to it that is not often found on most compressors. It has enough parameters on it to make sure that you can easily zero in on the sound that you are looking for. This compressor really can do it all and is an extremely versatile piece of gear. In addition to all sorts of drums including kick drum, snare drum, and tom toms, I've used the Avalon AD2044 on both male and female vocals, as well as for electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, and is desirable for just about any instrument you can think of... OVERALL OPINION I've been using the Avalon AD2044 for about a year and its become one of my favorite compressors to use whenever I have the chance to use it. Its great to have two high quality compressors in one casing that are both versatile and easy to use. The price of the Avalon AD2044 is pretty expensive, but Avalon makes high end gear for professionals looking for top notch quality regardless of the price. Overall, the Avalon AD2044 is a truly great compressor that should be tried by all professional engineers.

The Avalon U5 is a high quality, single channel direct input box. It is an analog unit and just has two 1/4 inch connections - one is an input to plug your instrument or signal into and the other is a through output to send your signal someplace else if you so desire. The Avalon U5 is not in rack form and is a box that can sit on top of your rack space. UTILIZATION The configuration of the Avalon U5 is quite easy to follow as it just has a limited amount of parameters and options. It has two knobs - one for boost and one for tone, as well as buttons for high cut, and for choosing either speaker signal or active to input, and also has a button to put the tone in and out. It also has two LED meters for monitoring your signal and for power. I don't have a manual for the Avalon U5, but it is easy to use and you really don't need it if you don't already have one. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of the Avalon U5 is really top notch as far as direct input boxes go. It has way more parameters available to control your tone than most DI boxes which adds to its versatility. The Avalon U5 is great for anything that you would want to capture with a direct input signal, but I use it most for bass guitar and keyboards. It definitely presents and accurate picture of the sound that you trying to capture and won't color your tone at all. The Avalon U5 is just about as good as it gets for a DI box. OVERALL OPINION I've been using the Avalon U5 for about two years and it is probably the best direct input box that I've used. It gives you a lot of options over your tone and I always find that I get great sounding results with it. The price isn't cheap, but it is really designed for professionals and for this reason I really wouldn't recommend it for home studio owners. Overall, the Avalon U5 is truly a great sounding direct input box.

The Avalon AD2077 is a dual channel mastering equalizer that is made up of all class A parts and is truly a top of the line piece of equipment. It is an all analog piece of gear that has XLR connections in the back and is a rack mountable unit. It will take up three rack space units. UTILIZATION The configuration of the Avalon AD2077 might seem complicated at first because of all the different buttons and knobs, but the experienced user will have no problems understanding what everything does. Even those without any experience with mastering EQs shouldn't have too much trouble with the Avalon AD2077, as everything is laid out smartly and is pretty easy to understand. Each channel has four bands - low, low mid, high mid, and high, and each has a knob for gain, a knob for frequency, and there are a variety of buttons that do various things. In between the two channels, there are buttons to choose the channels you want to use, or if you want to use it as a stereo piece of gear. I don't have the manual for the Avalon AD2077, but it is easy to use and you shouldn't have any trouble without it if you don't have the manual. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality of the Avalon AD2077 is absolutely top notch. Whether you are using it for mastering or not, the EQs are crisp and clean with a great deal of control for zeroing in on the exact sound or filtering you are going for. I've mostly used the Avalon AD2077 for mastering, but have also used it on single track instruments like vocals, guitars, and drums, always with great results. I can't say enough about the precision and great sound quality you are getting with the Avalon AD2077. OVERALL OPINION I've only been using the Avalon AD2077 mastering EQ for about six or eight months, but in this short time have come to adore this unit. I love how much versatility there is, and how clean every band on this is. Since this is designed for professionals looking for top notch tone no matter what the cost, the Avalon AD2077 has a pretty outrageous price tag. This being said, if you are a professional mastering engineer looking for the best, it doesn't get much better than this. Overall, the Avalon AD2077 is one of the best sounding EQs I've ever used.