Anyone tested TL Audio Ivory 2 5051/HHB Radius 40 vs. Meek VC1Qcs?

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Speeddemon

Speeddemon

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I'm pretty much on the verge of buying a 1 channel channelstrip (not just a pre-amp, but WITH EQ and comp) and I like to know if anyone tried that 5051 from TL Audio, besides Patrick from Brussels?
I'm leaning towards the Meek as it currently costs €499 (around $480) in Germany, which seems a great deal. The TL Audio costs €666 (devil! ;) ) and they both have comp and EQ, the TL Audio only has like 4 fixed EQ positions for each knob, but the EQ is more comprehensive than the Meek.

Then there's ofcourse the option of the Mindprint EnVoice (roughly between Meek and TL Audio), but I already devoted a thread to that... :) )

I heard the dbx silver stuff (376, 386, 586) is not the way to go... and SPL (Channel One) is too expensive (€1299). I like to keep it around €500-600....
It's mainly for vocals and micing electric guitar cabinets for rock/metal/funk/surf stuff. (Think Boston, Iron Maiden, The Meters, Dick Dale, KISS, James Brown, Judas Priest)
 
I have a couple of HHB Radius 40s. I've found them to be easy to use, flexible, and they're beautifully made.

- Wil
 
Will and others, is the HHB/5051 a one trick pony, or can it go from (super)clean to (really)warm? Most people say that the Meek has a very own 60's sound, which mainly seems to come from the opto-compressor.

So, how would the HHB/5051 users describe its sounds?
 
I don't know anythng about the 5051, but the VC1Q for $480 USD is a steal. It's a great vocal box, and although I haven't used it for electric guitar (yet) or as a DI for bass, it's supposed to excell in those areas also.
 
i can't answer your question, but I just bought a Joemeek VC1QS for 495$ in Germany.
It is not yet arrived at home...I'm waiting...i'm waiting...
 
Personally, I can tell you that the DBX 386 is an underated pre, but it is not a channel strip, and offers no EQ or compression. I've found that it tends to clip a little before the indicators would show that, and you have to back off further on input level than you would think to avoid clipping. That aside, IMHO, this is a much better pre than people here give it credit for. I use Joemeek twinQcs, also, but rarely employ the compressor, mostly because I don't know enough to use it well. However, when Aidas, my engineer, is in the house, that compressor immediately gets turned on.
I tend to use the DBX when I want a clean signal, and the Joemeek when I want a little color. I can also tell you that the tewb drive in the preamp section of the DBX is really useful with a clean mic like SP C3, and the combo sounds a lot like a rode NTK run clean through the same preamp. I really can't tell you about the radius, all that I can say is that the Joemeek pre is worth every penny of its reasonable price point, and is useful for a wide variety of signals, including vox, electric and acoustic guit, and harp, which surprised me. (and I don't mean harmonica).-Richie
 
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