Recently purchased the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor and put it through its paces doing listening tests as well as a shootout against the UAD plugin.

The short version is that this compressor really is worth every dollar. Sonically it is pristine, it is easy to use, very flexible having 4 different ways to use it, and of course it looks beautiful, big, and built like a small tank!

In a little more detail:

1. In listening tests I ran one pop-rock and one hip-hop song that were mixed but not yet mastered through the compressor. I was able to quickly find that "sweet spot" that made each song pop out. The SideChain feature came in good use and 90hz seems to good number for it as it let low material pass but caught some of the lower-mid material to keep them in control along with the rest of the frequency spectrum on up.

2. In the Plugin vs. Hardware shootout I found that with certain material the sonic differences were less and with other materials the difference was much more dramatic. In every test the hardware, IMO, won! If I didn't have the hardware unit, I would find the plugin an acceptable alternative to get you in the ballpark. Still, the hardware imparts a distinct flavor/color/vibe to the program material that is just pleasing and works.

3. I also have a Rupert Neve Master Bus Processor that I love and, not that you can really compare two completely different pieces, I did in fact listen to the Neve MBP and compared it to the SH MBP running the same source through both and adjusting the settings for each until I found the sound I Liked. Very different flavors but both equally top of the line gear.

I can't say anything really bad about this unit at all. Some may complain about the price but this is the big leagues and if you want to play, you have to pay. If you're able to afford one, I would suggest you make the purchase, you won't be disappointed.