TL Audio 5051 Ivory 2 Mono Valve Processor
When I heard that Tony Larking Audio was introducing a new Ivory 2 line of valve processors, I thought it was just in the nick of time. The previous Ivory series, also branded in the US as the Radius series by HHB Communications, had been excellent and very popular processors. I particularly recommended the HHB Radius 40 as an excellent channel strip in the $600 price range. Recently several companies began introducing new products that were really raising the bar on price vs. performance, and the Radius 40 began slipping in the ranks. The updated version of the Ivory 2 makes enough changes to put these units back on top as great performers. Tony Larking Audio products were available in the US until 1998, at which point the line was rebranded and sold in the US as HHB. Any of the Classic, Radius and other series of HHB were all, in fact, TL Audio under the hood. I've been a long-time user of TL Audio, having lived in Europe for most of the nineties, I first bought a TL Audio C-1 Dual Valve Compressor — an industry classic. I later bought an EQ-2, and when I began building systems for projects studios for other people, TL Audio was often on the list for front-end gear. Tony Larking began manufacturing valve equipment under his own name in 1993 along with former Neve designer David Kempson. And prior to that Larking had a long history of retrofitting vintage gear and also had a healthy used gear business. Giving credit where credit is due, Tony Larking was designing valve gear long before the current wave of manufacturers jumped on the "it's gotta have tubes" bandwagon. Larking was also one of the first to introduce a hybrid design of solid state and valve that improved on some of the shortcomings of previous all-valve designs — notably noise floor and reliability. [an error occurred while processing this directive]Recently, the HHB versions of TL Audio equipment have been discontinued and the TL Audio brand is again available in the US. Distribution of TL Audio is still being handled by HHB.
The new 5051 Ivory 2 is billed as a "voice channel" but does more than capable duty on just about any sound you care to run through it. It uses three ECC83 dual-triode valves for the main sections: input, compressor and equalizer. The mic circuit stage now features a useful 30dB pad for overly loud sources. The compressor also allows for hard-knee compression and the gate/expander section utilizes an optical circuit. Also new to the Ivory 2 is an optional DO2 digital output via S/PDIF, and Word Clock. Sample rates are selectable between 44.1KHz and 48KHz.
| Features | |
| • NEW Preamp stage provides Input Gain, 48V, 90Hz filter and 30dB pad | • LF EQ band gives ± 12dB shelving at 60Hz, 120Hz, 250Hz or 500Hz (12dB/octave) • LM EQ band gives ±12dB peaking at 250Hz, 500Hz, 1kHz or 2.2kHz (Q=0.5) • HM EQ band gives ±12dB peaking at 1.5kHz, 2.2kHz, 3.6kHz or 5kHz (Q=0.5) • HF EQ band gives ±12dB shelving at 2.2kHz, 5kHz, 8kHz or 12kHz (12dB/octave) • 'EQ Pre' switch allows the EQ section to be placed ahead of the compressor section • 'Link' switch allows two 5051s to be connected for stereo operation • Balanced XLR line input/output duplicated on unbalanced jack connectors • Sidechain insert point • NEW Optional 24-bit digital output |
The 5051 Ivory 2 has six valve stages, each using three ECC83 dual-triode valves. The initial stage — where most of the actual gain takes place — is in the input section. The compressor incorporates two valves, one for gain reduction and one for gain make-up. The EQ section uses three stages, with one valve on the two shelf sections and two on the mid-band section.
The input section is controlled by a selectable switch for mic V48, mic, line or instrument DI. Additionally, a 30bB pad, 90Hz high-pass filter drive and peak LEDs. Gain range changes with the type of input: mics from +16dB to +60db, -2dB to +38dB for instrument DI and +20dB for line level.
The compressor section features Attack, Release, Threshold, Ratio and Gain Make-Up. The Attack allows for four fixed rates from 0.5 to 40ms and Release from 40ms to four seconds. The remaining parameters are continuously variable: Threshold ±20dB, Ratio from 1.5 to 30:1 and Gain Make-up to 20dB. The new version of the compressor offers more control due to the addition of hard-knee, allowing for subtle soft-knee compression to more punchy hard-knee compression.
The new optical gate is controlled by a variable-threshold control from -10 to -60dBu. The four-band EQ section contains high and low shelving and two fixed-Q peak/dip sections. The frequency selections on the center frequencies are set at four positions. The Q is set to 0.5.
The output section is controlled by variable knob from an off position through +15dB of gain. Additionally, buttons are provided for EQ bypass, EQ-before-compressor, and a link buss for running a pair of 5051s in stereo.
The metering section uses analog VU meters and allows for metering of input, output, output +10dB or gain reduction.
On the rear panel of the 5051 Ivory 2 are XLR input jacks for mic and balanced line inputs and an XLR balanced line output jack. Also, for input and output of unbalance equipment signal are Tip-Sleeve 1/4" jacks. For frequency-dependent compression, a Tip-Ring-Sleeve (TRS) jack is provided. Line level is selectable between +4dBu and +18dBu. Unbalanced input allows for -10dBu or +4dBu.
| Specifications |
| • Mic Input Mic Noise (EIN): -127dBu (150 ohm source, 22Hz to |
Where the 5051 Ivory 2 shines is in its ease of use. Yes, it has fixed Attack and Release on the compressor sections, and the center frequencies on the EQ are set at fixed selections — but to me the beauty is in its simplicity. This is an ideal channel strip for anyone who is less experienced at using fully-variable compression, and it works just as well for the pro who rather be cutting tracks than fiddling with knobs. All the fixed parameters are set to give optimum and tasteful musical performance. I highly recommend the 5051 Ivory 2 to anyone in the market to add a valve channel strip in the $600 in $700 range. . I've been recommending TL Audio gear for years, and will continue to do so. With the 5051 Ivory 2, TL Audio has done it again.
Various MP3 audio clips of the TL Audio 5051 Ivory 2 and other mic pres are available for download at The Listening Sessions.
For more information about the TL Audio 5051 Ivory 2, please visit the Tony Larking Audio website at www.tlaudio.co.uk and HHB Communications at www.hhbusa.com.
Dan Richards is a Contributing Editor for Digital Pro Sound and is currently producing The Listening Sessions.
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