Kenetek LA-2X Tube Optical Compressor/Limiter

The Kenetek LA-2X ('X' for eXtreme) is an opto-compressor based on the venerable Teletronix LA-2A design, but with some very useful mods added. The leftmost pot on top is a Feedback/Feedforward control. Turn it more clockwise for a more aggressive limiting action. The switch next to is it a seven position High Frequency Tilt switch. It allows you to vary the frequency response at 20 kHz by up to +/- 6 dB in 2 dB increments. The switch to the right of the meter selects the Sidechain High Pass Filter Frequency, and the pot next to it selects how much high pass filtering is applied at that frequency. These controls take the LA-2A design way out of the "one trick box" category and into a whole new realm of flexibility. Components include vintage UTC and Triad iron, vintage tubes, vintage Simpson VU meter, Mogami cable, Alps Blue Velvet pots, Solen film capacitors and many, many tweaks. The result is a unique combination of rich tube tone and high end clarity.