Hand-built in California by Speck Electronics, the Model ASC is a boutique four-band parametric EQ with a cult following: clean, musical and surgical, yet never thin or harsh. This is a matched stereo pair, two half-width ASC units mounted together in a single 1U rack space, each fitted with the Jensen transformer output that adds a subtle, organic sheen. Run them as a true stereo EQ across a mix or bus, or use them as two independent mono channels. A quietly excellent EQ that punches well above its profile.
FEATURES & PROS:
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Stereo Pair, One Rack Space: two mono Model ASC units combined into a single 1U stereo EQ.
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Four Parametric Bands Per Channel: low (20Hz to 150Hz, peak or shelf), switchable low/mid (40Hz to 800Hz or 400Hz to 8kHz with variable Q), parametric mid (400Hz to 10kHz), and high (4kHz to 25kHz).
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Jensen Transformer Output: a subtle, sweet sheen, with a touch of pleasing weight when you push it.
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Clean and Musical: that SSL-ish, never-harsh Speck character, made for invisible problem-solving.
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Flexible, High-Headroom I/O: XLR and 1/4" TRS for balanced, unbalanced or insert use, handling signals up to +28dBu.
GENRE / USE
- Stereo mix-bus and mastering EQ for gentle, transparent tone shaping
- Surgical tracking EQ on vocals, drums, guitars and bass, two mono channels at once
- Carving out problem frequencies without the thinness or smear of cheaper EQs
- Adding a subtle transformer sheen across a stereo source
THE WORD: Reviewing the Model ASC, Tape Op praised how cleanly it shapes a source, dialing in ring or body with "no accompanying footprint to muddy it," to the point you would barely know anything but a mic and the instrument were at work. Read the Tape Op review.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Two Speck Model ASC mono units mounted as a 1U stereo set (each half-width)
- Per channel: four-band parametric EQ, roughly 20Hz to 25kHz
- Low and high bands use Speck's simulated-inductor design; gain trim -12/+6 dB; bypass per channel
- Jensen transformer-balanced output (XLR) plus active-balanced output (1/4" TRS)
- Connects to balanced, unbalanced or mixer-insert sources
- Headroom: up to +28dBu output, +24dBu maximum input
- Frequency response 2Hz to 154kHz (+0/-3dB); THD+N 0.0014%; residual noise -93dBu
- External AC supply (one per unit)
- Hand-built in California by Speck Electronics
