SSL XLogic Alpha Channel

Dean Landon · 14th January 2007

What's the verdict regarding the XLogic Alpha Channel. Are these worth looking into?

They seem reasonably priced.

Coldsnow · 15th January 2007

aaa

Jim@SSL · 15th January 2007

I am afraid that your friend is mis-informed.

The Alpha Channels are built on the same production line in the UK that our other products are. The mic amp is a similar design to the E Series Channel, the EQ is taken from the G console, the limitier if from the 4 channel SuperPre, and the a/d is an in-house SSL design.

Coldsnow · 15th January 2007

Thanks for the info. Nice to get it straight from the horses mouth. It does look interesting.

scking · 23rd January 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coldsnow

A friend of mine told me that they were built the same way Mackie's are. I don't know exactly what that means, but I do trust his knowledge and he does not recommend them. But again, just passing on info, I haven't tried them.

*Sigh*

It's disheartening how many people will offer an opinion of a unit they have never used.

Coldsnow · 23rd January 2007

Sorry to be disheartening, I didn't think I was offering an opinion despite not trying one. What I meant to do was pass another's opinion that has tried them and most likely everything else under the sun and had to say about it. Opinions don't really matter much on most of this stuff anyways. I love things that others think are junk and visa versa, so if you can, try it for yourself if it looks interesting.

Napalm · 24th January 2007

Funny thing is, i'm curious about the Alpha's quality also.

Has nobody here used 1 yet?

Napalm.

drew · 24th January 2007

If it's the same Pre and VHD implementation as Duality then I'd say it sounds quite good. I've cut 3 records on it already and it's great.

Sam? How similar is it?

Dean Landon · 24th January 2007

I've had one on loan for a few days. I've never heard the Duality, but I can tell you this mic-pre is extremely clean. It has a Variable Harmonic Drive, which I like on vocals. The LA2A is my go-to limiter, but it does have a built in "Lite Limiter" which I found very useful on electric guitar and bass. The EQ is very usable, but I wish they had a LM and HM Freq. Then again, what do you expect for $1599. (retail)

I think it's a keeper.

Jim@SSL · 27th January 2007

It's not exactly the same as the one in the Duality, but it is similar in some ways with the VHD.

chrisdee · 5th October 2009

I got one last friday and have been A/B ing it agains my Universal Audio LA610 and the pre's on my Mbox2Pro. I manly have A/B'd it on vocals (with my ksm32 and 414 XLII) and have left the VHD and EQ off. I'v only used the Light Limiter on.

Unfortunately I have never tested any other preamps besides the ones I got (still a gear newbie) , but my verdict so far is that it's great. It is super clean and loud. It's easy to hear your vocals tracking through it and It's got lots of headroom. The more you turn the input volume/level up the clearer the vocal seems to get, but turning it up over 3/4 of the total amount could introduce clipping if your close to the microphone and singing loud.

I have only used it with S/PDIF into my Mbox2 Pro S/PDIF and as already said the signal is clean and clear. The sound is very different compared to my LA610. Both are great. The LA610 is warm, rich and smooth. The SSL is crystal clear, loud and rich.

The only thing I'm missing on the SSL is a proper limiter/compressor. The light limiter is to light for me, so I have to run it though a software (plugin) compressor in ProTools8, but that's just me. I like limiting/compression to even things out.

Comparing both SSL and LA610 to the preamps on the Mbox2Pro just makes me laugh. It's like night and day. Especially the SSL is so clear and nice going digital into the S/PDIF of my Mbox2Pro. The Mbox2Pro preamps sound tiny and cheap compared.

chrisdee · 21st October 2009

After about three weeks testing I think the SSL is a bit to bright but it's got nice headroom and it's av very clean sound. I like the warm, smooth sound of my LA-610 more.

It could be that it's my AKG 414 XL II that is so bright to start with that putting it through the ssl just makes it to bright.

chrisdee · 21st October 2009

Imagin. Did you go for the SSL ?

Dean Landon · 21st October 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisdee

Imagin. Did you go for the SSL ?

I did. I have a pair of X-Rack Mic Amp with Dynamics Modules and a Alpha Channel. I also purchased the Eight Channel Input and Master Bus Module. I like the SSL sound. It's a very clean and transparent sound. If I want color, I'll go for the Pacifica, Vintech, Buzz Audio or the LA-610 for that matter, but if you're looking for a clean signal path, the SSL is always my go to.

14th January 2007	#1
Dean Landon Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Toluca Lake, CA Posts: 1,263 Thread Starter	SSL XLogic Alpha Channel What's the verdict regarding the XLogic Alpha Channel. Are these worth looking into? They seem reasonably priced. __________________ Dean www.deanlandon.com aka Imagine

24th January 2007	#8
drew Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: Maryland,USA Posts: 3,538	If it's the same Pre and VHD implementation as Duality then I'd say it sounds quite good. I've cut 3 records on it already and it's great. Sam? How similar is it? __________________ ....................... Drew Mazurek .......................

5th October 2009	#11
chrisdee Lives for gear Joined: May 2009 Location: Trondheim Norway Posts: 1,024	I got one last friday and have been A/B ing it agains my Universal Audio LA610 and the pre's on my Mbox2Pro. I manly have A/B'd it on vocals (with my ksm32 and 414 XLII) and have left the VHD and EQ off. I'v only used the Light Limiter on. Unfortunately I have never tested any other preamps besides the ones I got (still a gear newbie) , but my verdict so far is that it's great. It is super clean and loud. It's easy to hear your vocals tracking through it and It's got lots of headroom. The more you turn the input volume/level up the clearer the vocal seems to get, but turning it up over 3/4 of the total amount could introduce clipping if your close to the microphone and singing loud. I have only used it with S/PDIF into my Mbox2 Pro S/PDIF and as already said the signal is clean and clear. The sound is very different compared to my LA610. Both are great. The LA610 is warm, rich and smooth. The SSL is crystal clear, loud and rich. The only thing I'm missing on the SSL is a proper limiter/compressor. The light limiter is to light for me, so I have to run it though a software (plugin) compressor in ProTools8, but that's just me. I like limiting/compression to even things out. Comparing both SSL and LA610 to the preamps on the Mbox2Pro just makes me laugh. It's like night and day. Especially the SSL is so clear and nice going digital into the S/PDIF of my Mbox2Pro. The Mbox2Pro preamps sound tiny and cheap compared. __________________ Christian \| http://soundcloud.com/christiandillnerhagen/sets \| Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R Rev 1.6 \| W7sp1 64bit Ultimate \| PT HD 10.2

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15th January 2007	#2
Coldsnow Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2002 Posts: 743	aaa

15th January 2007	#3
Jim@SSL Solid State Logic Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 1,443	I am afraid that your friend is mis-informed. The Alpha Channels are built on the same production line in the UK that our other products are. The mic amp is a similar design to the E Series Channel, the EQ is taken from the G console, the limitier if from the 4 channel SuperPre, and the a/d is an in-house SSL design.

23rd January 2007	#6
Coldsnow Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2002 Posts: 743	Sorry to be disheartening, I didn't think I was offering an opinion despite not trying one. What I meant to do was pass another's opinion that has tried them and most likely everything else under the sun and had to say about it. Opinions don't really matter much on most of this stuff anyways. I love things that others think are junk and visa versa, so if you can, try it for yourself if it looks interesting.

24th January 2007	#7
Napalm Gear nut Joined: Oct 2005 Posts: 131	Funny thing is, i'm curious about the Alpha's quality also. Has nobody here used 1 yet? Napalm.

27th January 2007	#10
Jim@SSL Solid State Logic Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 1,443	It's not exactly the same as the one in the Duality, but it is similar in some ways with the VHD.

21st October 2009	#12
chrisdee Lives for gear Joined: May 2009 Location: Trondheim Norway Posts: 1,024	After about three weeks testing I think the SSL is a bit to bright but it's got nice headroom and it's av very clean sound. I like the warm, smooth sound of my LA-610 more. It could be that it's my AKG 414 XL II that is so bright to start with that putting it through the ssl just makes it to bright.