The Klark Teknik EQP-KT is a single channel 2-band tube EQ based on the legendary Pultec EQP-1A. While vintage audio processing pioneer devices are extremely rare and expensive, the EQP-KT is amazingly affordable and designed for the 21st century. First produced in the early 1950's, the Pultec equalizers were appreciated for their smooth musical sound and were used by sound engineers at all stages of the recording process - from tracking to mastering.EQP-KT owes its characteristic warmth to a series of high-quality, hand-selected 12AX7 and 12AU7 tubes. This proven combination offers an extremely low-noise analog output with the ideal balance between narrow, warm bass, silky mid-range and brilliant, airy treble The integrated, customized input and output transformers from MIDAS, which are renowned for their award-winning mic preamps, provide high-quality audio reproduction in live and studio environments in the EQP-KT.
Bought this product after reading some favourable reviews on the usual gear forums.
I had a need for a single channel of good quality EQ for processing vox/guitars on the way into a DAW.
Build quality is as expected for the price. Would probably not stand up to the rigours of touring, but for a static environment in a small studio setup I can't see any issues.
Features are exactly what you would expect. If you are looking at this piece as a clone of the classic PulTech unit, then there should be no surprises.
The sound quality is far an away the best bit of this unit, and for the price I really can't think of anything else would come close. Compared to an original eqp-1a it will likely be lacking, but how many of those units are available to the market?
In comparison to the DAW plugins available, this unit wins hands down.
Having used both the original pultec in studios and the UAD plugin I knew I loved the sound and wide application of this style of EQ. At this price point I can’t fault the KT version. It might not be as finessed but it is highly musical and breathes a life into harsh digital mixes. Not yet used it for tracking, but I’m sure it’ll do the job. I bought 2 units for stereo applications. Very happy.
First, I would point out that I have never heard or used a real Pultec EQ. The nearest I have got are well-recorded YouTube demos that give a sense of what they can do, and various plug-ins are highly rated as excellent emulations of the Pultec experience. Through these I've been able to understand how Pultec EQs work and what they are able to do once you get to grips with them.
There's no doubt that the Klark Tekniks give you that special Pultec style mojo. Some people might say that the sound itself may not be as creamy as the originals, but it is definitely very close - and once you factor in how inexpensive these units are, then there's is nothing to complain out. Or rather, there's everything to celebrate. They are physically a lot easier to use than plugins. The knobs and switches look and feel great and they have a very positive action. And they sound clean - no hiss or anything.
I have two minor comments. One, I think they could have added the ability to link two together for stereo operation. These are clones, but they don't have to follow the originals to the letter. Two, they should have made them a more interesting colour. Part of the appeal of the originals is that they are blue. These seem a bit boring by comparison - if there's a reason they couldn't be blue, how about red or pale green? That said, they still look awesome, especially when you have two in your rack. Great stuff!
This is the second one of these I have bought so I can have a stereo pair permanently across my mix bus. Excellent value for money. Stepped controls mean you can easily duplicate settings on each one. Seem pretty well matched as a pair even though they are not consecutive serial numbers. Maybe they should have built in a stereo link facility. But I'm not complaining. Really great sound and l love those knobs! What's not to like at this price.