Elysia

Reviews | Elysia xfi lter 500
90
T
he triumvirate of recording
building blocks (preamp,
compressor, EQ) have been
rehashed to the point where
choice becomes a chore, picking
through the Neve/API/SSL clones.
Occasionally someone will produce a
unit that stands out by virtue of function
or aesthetic, and for Elysia it is both.
The crisp dark blue fascia and
distinctive silver knobs are always
arranged around the backlit brand logo.
For the xfi lter 500 the eight knobs
control four bands of stereo EQ and
fi ltering on this double slot 500
series unit.
The xfi lter 500 offers four
overlapping EQ bands: high shelf, low
shelf, low mid peak and high mid peak.
The mid peaking bands have ±13dB of
cut/boost, two bandwidths (narrow and
wide Q) and range from 45Hz to 16kHz.
The shelving bands feature a cut/boost
of ±16dB and can be switched to
resonant low/high cut fi lters. In this
latter mode the gain knob becomes a
resonance control. There is a fi fth fi lter
included, the Passive Massage, a fi xed
frequency passive LC (inductor and
capacitor) fi lter which gives a few dB of
resonance around 12kHz before sloping
off the high frequency range.
Get your tweak on
The xfi lter 500 is a stereo EQ with a
single linked control set of 41 step
detented potentiometers. Though not in
the same league as Grayhill or Elma
stepped ladder controls, with a thorough
selection process the two sides can be
(and have been) closely matched – I
found a maximum of 0.3dB difference
in a few spots between channels, but
mostly 0.1dB if at all. Thanks to the
double slot size the controls are easy to
work with and allow non-sausage
fi ngered users to get a proper
two-handed tweak on, which with the
high and low fi lters in resonant cut
modes is a must as it’s a lot of fun.
The only drawback of the layout is
that the depth of the knobs obscures
the legending – it works best around
eye level.
Working with the xfi lter 500 it
quickly becomes clear how much the
band ranges overlap, making for a very
fl exible and creative EQ. Cutting with a
shelving fi lter and then boosting within
that range using a peaking EQ (or vice
versa) is a classic shaping technique
that can gently shape a source, or
radically re-voice it at higher gains. It is
important to note that one can easily
use the full gain range of this unit
without encountering any headroom
problems, except for whatever follows it
in the chain. I’ve never been a fan of
variable Q controls on parametric
equalisers as it seems just another
choice to make, so a single switch for
each of the mid bands between wide
and narrow Q is about as much as I’d
want. I found both useful depending on
the application, though I tend to be a
wide Q kinda guy.
Complete control
Before I get to the bit that really excites
me it is worth saying that the basic EQ
functions of the xfi lter 500 are excellent
and yield top quality results on all
manner of sources: mixes, drums,
vocals, synths (mmmm, big pads),
anything with a reverb to pick out, etc.
This will defi nitely work well strapped
across a mix buss for a little top and
tailing, and yet it’ll let you get radical
with a bass synth or drum loop.
The detented controls make it easy
to step back and forth to make
incremental changes, and yet I could
sweep around as an effect without
hearing the stepping, which is the
strength of detented pots over stepped
ladder attenuators... but that’s another
story. The shelving fi lters can reach
extremely high and low allowing you to
Elysia xfi lter 500
£714
WHAT IS IT?
500 series (two slot)
Class A four-band
stereo equaliser
CONTACT
Who: Unity Audio
Tel: [phone]
Web: www.elysia.com
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Massive range of tone
shaping capabilities
2 Switchable resonant
high/low fi lters
3 High quality signal path
and plenty of headroom
Elysia once again buck the trend for slavish retro
designs and create a unique stereo EQ fi lter to aid
the creative process. Robbie Stamp slots one up
INCLUDES AUDIO
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FMU272.rev_elysia.indd 90 10/10/13 12:56 PM