I was asked to write a review on the buzzaudio elixir and jumped at the chance. I have been wanting to check one of these bad boys out for some time, now. How could anyone say no?
To start, the box arrived in good order (and it was even delivered by UPS, go figure). The pre was very well packed. It looks good!
I was really glad to see the instruction manual come with this. Most of us never give a moment's notice of things like manuals, but lets face it, some of the individuals buying new gear may have never stepped foot in a studio, and to be honest, they may not even know the utmost of basics. "What does gain do again?"
I like to grade pres, as with any other piece of audio gear, on several items: build quality, appearance, feel, service and sound. These are all important points to me.
You can have the best sounding unit in the world, but without good service, your pleasure and pride can turn into a nightmare, as well as a heartache.
To start, my first impression on build quality was wow! Nice! The detent gain knob just rocks. I would like to see this used more often than it is. I am a sucker for toggles and I like them better than push buttons. So, a big thumbs up from me on that one.
Overall, the look is sterile. My first thought was: modern and clinical. I really did not think I would like this look, but I do. It looks right at home, very nice, in my rack.
Now, it's off to the real test. Just how does this bad boy sound?
Ok, I ran several tracks of vocals, and I have got to say, this is a very nice pre. I could easily be happy with a rack full of nothing but these. The sound is nice and open, airy, but smooth. A good rich full bottom sound. The mids are a bit less forward for my taste on many sources, but that is just me.
This thing really shined on acoustic guitar. With the pad in, you can get a bit more tone, but still very clean. You hear just a hint of the tranny. I like the mute toggle, very thoughtful.
Overall, a big thumbs up from my standpoint, a real bargain at the price point it is being offered, makes me wish I had another rack. : )
You can get a few subtle tones from this pre by using the pad or the hi/low imped. Also, very nice to see it works as well on the instrument input, thoughtful.
Let's be clear, in this caliber of pre, I have yet to find one that was bad sounding or one I did not like. The pres in this format all sound very good. And no matter what you choose, I just can not see you going wrong, period!
I did have a couple of complaints, but I will keep them private as they have no bearing on the overall quality, preference, or sound and they are very minor.
Love those toggles, the mute function, and the detent gain pot. Nice to see the card was double-sided where it plugs in. The sound was very nice and open... lots of air. Great job Tim!
Now, how can I deal Buzz out of one of these bad boys?: ) |
