Please don't kill me, I know, I know, Uli suckz, but... Can this unit be useful? I'm only interested on it if it's better than all plug-ins of same kind. So what's your opinions? Thank you! And remember, we are on Low End Theory, so my budget is small.

And what about Behringer Magician? I saw it on some cheaper studios... So it must be useful for something....???

i also saw the magician in several studios, but i never heard one in action, so i would like to hear some opinions about that thing,too...

Maybe it can be very interesting to switch some tubes inside magician for another ones and have it as "tube interface"... But I don't know if it's possible...

prehaps if you pick one up for $10 and change the tubes but in general i wouldnt bother with these not worth while you can get plenty of cool effects with various plugs

I have the T1952 Tube EQ, which is my only reference to their tube products with variable Warmth.

Upgrading the tubes isn’t really a worth while option, for two reasons. The standard tube is a Sovtek LPS, which is a reasonable tube to start with.

But most importantly the variable warmth circuit sucks big time. It has nothing to do with the sound of tubes. It sounds more like an out-of-tune radio or a walkman on low batteries.

For this lo-fi sound it’s a great tool. If you expect real “tube warmth” then you REALLY need to look elsewhere. But non of the lower budget tube devices I know of really has anything in common with tube warmth. The only thing which might come close is an Art Pro VLA compressor or the Bellari RP220 preamp.

As an enhancer/exciter the circuit is ok, imo. I’ve used the non tube version years ago and it sounded ok to me. Nothing special, but not bad for the money!

Maarten
www.tubefreak.com

I have the Tube Magician. I like it. It has some very cool uses. BUT it doesn't "warm" stuff up. (whatever that is...) Anyway it is more like a slight aural excitment thing going on. This is from some forum somewhere......

That pretty much summs it up. From that same post from god knows where:

(I cut and paste that info a long time ago and have it saved as a text file....I wish I could give credit to who wrote it.........It was NOT me!!)

I have not done the mods yet. I am looking for someone to do it. Removing the op-amps looks like it could be a pain in the butt. Anyway, I like it. Good results on Overheads, side snare, female vox and acoustic guitar. Tried it on bass but it thinned the lows a bit. Changing the caps and the op-amp might help? Used it on a really muddy mix once and it actually helped. Fun little flavor box....

Hope that helps........

I've used it on my first album (after the desk 2 buss), and yes as said before it's more an enhancer/exciter than anything else, I've found it really useable for many years, it gives a nice lift in the hi freqs and the stereo width control can be useful if you don't overuse it. I used to have the older version and the "tube" version sounded better. But I got rid of it (as well as the desk) in favor of a nice stereo compressor (Drawmer 1968 ME)

I use a Ultratube 1951 EQ sometimes to fix things. I use it for cutting, and never boost. It actually does a great job. I got this thing for free when i bought my Adams.

I would normally stay away from anything Behringer, but some of the stuff is useful.

I have the 1953 pre and many times use it! With JJ tubes, but the Sovtecs are good aswell. Not at all premium stuff but what do you expect for 80€ (used)?
Matti

I’m kind of interested in this product. Does anybody have any experience with this unit? If so, how is it? Comparable to a tube vitalizer?