The Quartet II is not an update nor a replacement for our very popular Quartet, but complementary unit that incorporates a substantially different combination of elements. Designed with the input of Fletcher of Mercenary Audio, many additional options have been provided to tailor the texture of the audio character for maximum musical flexibility.
The tube Mic/DI preamp has the unique option of being able to switch between two markedly different sounding input transformers and loading options. The DI can handle pickups, keyboards, or line-level signals. The mic preamp also features phantom power, input pad, phase reversal, and a switchable lo-cut filter. Independent gain and output controls permit overdrive of the tube stage to vary the harmonic content of the preamp.
The delta-mu compressor, derived from the popular ES-8, has the classic compression profile of the Fairchild 660 and 670 limiters. It can be used in one of five modes: Fast, Faster, Vintage (with program-dependent response), Average (rms responding), or full manual operation. It also features a switchable sidechain high pass filter to decrease the sensitivity of the compressor to low frequency content.
The new 3 band tube Passive/Aggressive Equalizer is a modern take on the classic inductor-based passive EQ. It features simultaneous Lo Shelf boost and cut, Mid Dip and Hi Peak bands. The Aggressive mode increases the saturation of the EQ circuit to add harmonic content. In addition, the EQ can be placed before or after the compressor with the flip of a switch.
The new JFET/MOSFET Peak Limiter uses a novel approach to brickwall analog limiting, with JFET and MOSFET modes for two different characters of peak limiting, and accurate led metering in 1 dB increments. Unlike other designs, the peak limiter adds no appreciable distortion below threshold.
