In this review I will be taking a close look at the Ivory 2 series 5052 stereo valve processor made by TL Audio. This is a 3U, two channel unit comprising a compressor, EQ and peak limiter on both. After reading the spec I was eager to see if the 5052 was all I hoped. I was not disappointed! Having quickly and easily made all of the possible connections I tested the unit on a wide veriety of applications.
The 5052 has three Sovtek ECC83 dual triode valves making up to six valve stages. One in each of the pre amp, compressor and EQ sections, repeated on both channels.
With valves glowing I fed the audio into the 5052 and the “Drive” LED let me know the valves were working (illuminating from +6 to +16dBu). Line inputs are via balanced XLR, switchable +4/+18dBu (this also goes for balanced mic inputs with switchable +48v phantom power) and unbalanced via 1/4” jack, switchable 10/+4dBu. The unit also has two instrument inputs on the front with a gain range of 0dB to +40dB. All inputs have phase reverse, 90Hz high pass filter and a bypass for the compressor, EQ and limiter as a group. The mic inputs also have a 30dB pad.
VU’s
The backlit VU’s I found to be extremely accurate and the 4 point centred switch made it very easy to distinguish what the unit is doing at every part of the chain. Switching is between input / output levels and compressor / limiter gain reduction. The 10dB meter pad switch is also effective when monitoring input and output levels.
Compressor
The compressor is equipped with a hard/soft knee switch, EQ side chain switch as well as the usual threshold, ratio, gain make up, attack and release. I was very impressed overall with the sound. Lovely and smooth on vocals, crunchy on bass drums and warm across a whole mix. The compressor was very easy to use especially with the attack / release pots not being dented, thus making it easy to dial in exactly what I wanted. In fact the only dented pots on the 5052 are on the input / outputs in the “0” centres and on the EQ “0” gain parameters.
EQ
The EQ itself is four band with switchable peak / shelve on the LF and HF and parametric bandwidth on the LM /HM frequencies.
LF: +/ 15dB 30Hz to 1kHz, Q = 1.5
LM: +/ 15dB 50Hz to 1k5Hz, Q = variable 0.7 7
HM: +/ 15dB 1kHz to 12kHz, Q = variable 0.7 7
HF: +/ 15bD 3kHz to 20kHz, Q = 1.5
Having a valve in the EQ stage, as well as the compressor and limiter, gives a rich sound to the EQ which I really like. The EQ can be positioned pre or post compressor and individually by passed like the compressor and limiter.
Limiter
The limiter is on a pull to activate pot, post fader, and has a threshold of 0dBu to +20dBu. Once pulled, the adjacent green LED lights up to show the limiter is on and as I roll back, the red LED lights as the limiter starts to kick in. Switching over the VU’s to monitor the limiter, the gain reduction showed accurately. This is a “brick wall” action limiter and after testing it with the compressor, EQ etc I tried using it just on its own, by passing everything else in the chain, bar the pre amp. The results were very smooth. Even pushing it far beyond the usual degrees of limiting, it created some interesting effects, but still maintained the warm sound of the pre amp tubes.
Stereo linking
At this point it’s worth mentioning that the 5052 can be stereo linked on the compressor, EQ and limiter functions. Channel 1 then becomes the master for both channels and not having to fiddle to get the same compressor, EQ or limiter settings on both sides, is a real bonus. I was hoping that all of channel 1’s functions would mirror to the slave but there are a few functions that aren’t included. The phase reverse and pad are not linkable but this isn’t so much of an issue. For me, the input and output gains should be an option. Although you may not want to use this function in all applications it would be nice to have it there. Maybe we’ll see it on the next model?
Verdict
The overall sound is excellent! Warm, punchy, clean with no noise. Just running audio through the 5052 pre amp seems puts a glow / edge to your music even without putting the EQ, compressor and limiter into the chain. I like the layout, the VU’s (especially the switching between inputs, outputs and gain reduction on the compressor, imiters)............... In fact I’m finding it hard to pick out anything I do not like about the 5052. If I had to pick a downside, although small, it would be that you can move the EQ pre / post the compressor but there is not a facility to move the limiter within the chain. I know it would usually appear at the end but it would be nice to have the option to move it elsewhere for certain effects. Having said that, this is a dual channel unit so it is perfectly feasible to run the audio through it twice. So not really much of a downside.
As an added bonus, you can also purchase the optional DO 2 24 bit A to D converter output card. Providing outputs from channels 1 and 2 to the SPDIF phono output.
Weighing in at £1800.00 this is a high end processor with high end results. At this price a stereo channel strip / processor of this calibre would be hard to match elsewhere. I’ve found it a pleasure to use and really enjoyed testing it. The build quality is excellent and although at 3U it’s a little larger than all the others in the Ivory 2 family I’m glad TLAudio didn’t compromise ease of use for size. I believe this would be an invaluable addition to any recording facility.
For those of you that would like to hear the A B comparisons from this review, I have uploaded an assortment of mp3s to our website. www.graphicnature.co.uk. They are listed in the site’s media section under “TLAudio”. Alternatively, I have also uploaded the real WAV versions to our server for which please get in contact with us if you would like to hear them.
Author Resource:
For excellant professional advice talk to Chris Frost and his team at Graphic Nature Recording Studios Ltd: http://www.graphicnature.co.uk/
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")