Universal Audio 4-710d

VERDICT
BUILD
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VALUE
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EASE OF USE
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VERSATILITY
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RESULTS
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A complete front-end package that
delivers flexible high fidelity with
creative tone shaping.
Universal Audio 4-710d | Reviews
105
a distance, and no part of the
frequency spectrum went
unrepresented. At every turn the
4-710d (oh for a more snappy name!)
provided an excellent mix of clarity
and transient accuracy without
running out of gain or headroom.
Much of the time the difference
between the solid-state (TRANS) and
valve (TUBE) topologies was very
subtle, but as I became more
confident with the flexibility of the
preamps began to explore the
non-linear ranges (i.e. distortion) for a
more coloured result, and it is here
that the TRANS/TUBE blend knob
comes up trumps. As one would
imagine the solid-state side is much
harsher when overdriven, and though it
adds some bite to transient sources
(e.g. drums) it can quickly trash
sustained sounds. The valve side is
softer and more pleasing when
overdriven on sustained sounds as the
harmonic distortion tapers off quicker
up the frequency range.
The distortion characteristics of the
4-710d with synth basses/leads and
drums is a real joy and these elements
can be made to leap out of the
speakers without destroying their
power and tone. The more subtle
distortions are great for enriching a
whole host of sources (vocals, guitars,
electric pianos, horns, etc) without
losing mid frequency definition or
putting the low mids in a fuzzy box.
The DI inputs, which use a JFET
amplification stage, sound great and
manage to deliver a full can clean
signal on guitars and basses with a
pleasing low-mid response that often
gets lost with overly bright and crisp
DIs that seem to populate many
interfaces and preamps.
The harmonic distortion
possibilities make short work of adding
bite and sustain to instruments before
feeding into an amp sim.
Compressing
The compressor section is a simple
affair with a single switch but this is
enough to do a great job. The switch
engages the compressor in either fast
or slow response modes, both at a 4:1
ratio. I am a fan of simple dynamics
processors as they mean less creative
time is spent fiddling – it either works
or it doesn’t. In this case it certainly
does. In either mode (fast or slow)
when the VU meter needle is just
being tickled the compression is
relatively transparent and easily allows
for a non-destructive thickening of the
source. As an overt effect they can get
pretty rude, especially in combination
with some overdrive (again, synth
basses and leads really benefit), and
yield results that outclass so many
characterless standalone compressors.
The two speed switches are enough so
that I didn’t find myself wishing for an
inbetweener – if I didn’t like what it
was doing I switched it out. Though
the compressors can really help define
a source in the tracking stage they also
add to the unit’s quality as a
post-recording treatment source.
Total package
As the robustly utilitarian name
suggests this is
four 710
Twin-Finity units
in a 2U-rack case
and, with the four
compressors and
A/D capabilities
taken into
account, makes
for an excellent deal. This presents the
analogue signal path quality that UA
are synonymous with in a recording
front end package that is surprisingly
flexible. It’s not only a tracking tool,
but will also find much use in mixing
and production due to the distortion
and compression facilities. The A/D
section and analogue routing make
sure that it can easily integrate into
your setup without requiring additional
investment. This is a unit you’d be
hard pressed to turn off for long.
spECs
Rear Analogue I/O: 4x XLR
(mic inputs), 4x XLR (line
inputs ch 1-4), 8x ¼” TRS
(insert sends and returns
ch 1-4), 4x ¼” TRS (line
inputs ch 5-8)
Front Analogue I/O: 4x ¼”
TRS (Hi-Z inputs ch 1-4)
Rear Digital I/O: 2x optical
TOSLINK (ADAT out ch 1-8),
2x BNC 75Ω (Wordclock In/
Out), 1x DB-25 (AES/EBU
ch 1-8)
Max. Input Level: 6.7dBu
(mic), 26dBu (bal. line),
Max. Output Level: 20dBu
(bal./unbal.)
Max Gain: 70dB (mic),
49dB (line)
Frequency Response:
+0.1/-0.15dB (20Hz to
20kHz)
Crosstalk: < -115dB (max.
gain @ 1kHz)
S/N Ratio: 109dB (100%
Tube), 110dB (100%
solid-state)
Compressor: 0.3ms/2.0ms
attack (fast/slow),
100ms/1.1s release (fast/
slow), 4:1 ratio
Limiter: 0.075ms attack,
100ms release
Low Cut Filter: 75Hz,
second order Bessel type
Tube/Valves: 2x 12AX7 (i.e.
1 side of dual triode per
channel for ch.1-4)
Digital Output: 44.1kHz to
192kHz @ 24-bit or 16-bit
dithered, clock master or
slave via Wordclock
Dimensions:
89 x 482 x 305mm
Weight:
5.2kg
ALTERNATIVEs
Focusrite ISA428
MkII
£1,440
The transformer-based ISA
pre is well renowned for
quality, and this unit’s got
four of ’em.
focusrite.com
SSL XLogic Alpha
VHD Pre
£999
Four quality pres with the
VHD harmonic distortion
from the Duality desks.
solid-state-logic.com
RME OctaMic II
£1,232
The price difference could
go towards dynamics
processors.
rme-audio.com
The harmonic distortion
possibilities make short work of
adding bite and sustain
FMU241.rev_ua 105 5/23/11 2:15:03 PM