Tube-Tech CL2A

The Tube Tech CL2A is a rackable dual channel compressor. It is an analog piece of outboard gear with tubes in it. The connections in back are XLR.

UTILIZATION

The set up is standard for outboard gear as it has XLR connections in the back. The controls are easy to manipulate but it does have more controls than your standard compressor. However, it is pretty easy to learn what it does what when you play around with it. I don't have the manual but if you are just beginning to use compressors it might be a good idea to look at it only because this isn't your typical two or four knob compressor.

SOUND QUALITY

The compression signal produced from the CL2A is very clean and sounds great on a variety of instruments. I especially like it on acoustic guitar and other instruments toward the higher frequency end of the spectrum. It is easy to get a good sound out of this and provides a lot of options with the variety of knobs it has. I also like the metering it has.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the CL2A for about a year now. I had been previously familiar with the CL1A, which I still prefer to this one. However, it is nice to have 2 channels on this and is convenient when compression stereo pairs. What I like most about this compressor is the clean signal it produces and the amount of flexibility it has in terms of how many controls it has. As far as high end compressors go, this is a fair price, but is still probably out of the budget of the home studio owner. Regardless, this is a great piece of gear and should be investigated by anyone in the market for a great stereo compressor.