elysia xfilter qube 4-Band Analog Stereo Desktop Equalizer

elysia XFILTER QUBE Overview

The elysia xfilter qube 4-Band Analog Stereo Desktop Equalizer is a powerful, true-stereo linked EQ capable of providing professional and advanced home studio engineers with versatile, Class-A performance in a package that far surpasses its price point. With a precise stereo image based on computer-selected 41-step pots and the heart and soul of elysia's flagship museq EQ processor, the xfilter qube is engineered to deliver maximum creative potential and high-quality sound via its handcrafted, discrete circuitry and intuitive design.

The xfilter qube sports special low-tolerance capacitors that ensure every layer of each pot performs to exacting standards across both channels, and Q factor can be switched between narrow and wide for ultraprecise filtering. An additional passive high-band EQ gives you the ability to polish your signals top end with the push of a button, and the true-stereo link enables quick and easy equalization by allowing processing of both channels with just a single set of controllers. The convenient qube all-aluminum enclosure allows you to take the guts of the powerful xfilter 500 anywhere you go, whether it be studio, stage, or simply your own kitchen. Flexibility, excellent sound quality, and a robust range of filtering options make the xfilter qube a great choice for anyone looking for pro quality without a premium price tag.

Sophisticated Equalization Architecture

True Stereo Operation

Unlike most equalizers, the xfilter qube not only possess dual-channels but full-stereo link as well, allowing you to process both of its channels with just one set of controllers. You can either process a single signal in mono operation, or use both inputs for left and right stereo operation, with your choice of what channel becomes which end of the stereo field. No more tedious fiddling around with knobs to try and get the EQ channels to match each other; the xfilter qube does this automatically and the computer-selected dual- and quad-layer pots, as well as special low tolerance FKS-type film capacitors, ensure identical performance for both channels, regardless of settings.

Shelve or Cut, You Decide

The outer bands of the xfilter qube provide a great amount of flexibility by enabling the ability to switch between shelving or peak cut filters. In standard mode, the filters function as sweet sounding high- and low-shelf filters for quickly and efficiently tailoring the fundamentals and airiness of your tracks. You can also independently switch these to become high- and low-cut filters with 12 dB per octave, with an additional resonance peak at the knee frequency. The resulting filter curves can provide a clean and punchy character by cutting the low frequencies or a stretching of the bass range by causing a longer post-oscillation time. In the the high range, the resonance filter can put an accent on a selected frequency without boosting the whole spectrum, avoiding harshness or an unwanted shift of the whole signal into the treble.

Reach High with Passive High-Band

In addition to it's four flexible active bands, the xfilter qube features a switchable fixed LC filter for polishing the high-frequency range. This filter mainly consists of a single capacitor and coil per channel, but unlike traditional shelving designs, it has a slight resonance peak at 12 kHz and starts to fall off at 17 kHz. In this way, the coil's saturation-like storage effect focuses on the peak without pushing the whole high-frequency spectrum. The use of shielded inductors eliminates unwanted hum and noise that would otherwise plague the highly charged coils.

Switchable Parametric Bands

The xfilter qube allows you to switch between two Q factors for each of the three parametric bands: Wide (Q 0.5) and Narrow (Q 1.0). These Q factors are based upon the proportional Q principle and provide very musical processing.

Professional-Grade Design

The qube Series

What happens when you combine one of elysia's 500 series rack units with a convenient and portable desktop chassis? You get the qube series, designed for maximum flexibility and made for the modern, traveling engineer. The qube enclosure is made of durable aluminum and is easily transportable, weighing in at only around 3.3 lb. Not only does the qube design come with all the guts of the xfilter 500 equalizer, it also features enhanced I/O, including two extra 1/4" TRS inputs and two extra 1/4" TRS outputs, as well as an included 18 VDC power supply for minimal circuit interference. qube units can even be stacked, ensuring minimal usage of precious surface real estate.

Stepped and Computer-Selected Potentiometers

The xfilter qube features stepped pots for all parameters with 41-steps each for instant recall, making mix and mastering sessions easy and painless. Pots for gain feature dual layers, while pots for frequency selection feature an impressive four layers each. In order to avoid the problem of different pot layers having different tolerances, thus impacting performance between channels, elysia uses an Audio Precision rig and computer routines to carefully measure every layer, resulting in only 65% of dual-layer pots and 50% of quad-layer pots bought going into full production, with the rest being put aside.

Discrete Class-A Topology

The xfilter qube features high-quality, Class-A topology for its discrete electronics, resulting in minimal distortion and zero turn-on time. Every unit is rigorously tested and calibrated to the highest standard using in-house, computer-aided testing devices and custom tools.

Ground Layer PCB Shield

The PCBs of the xfilter qube have four layers with two for audio circuitry, one for power supplying traces, and a final layer dedicated to ground shielding. The filter networks of each band of the EQ experience increased resistance the lower their specific frequency is set, which makes them more vulnerable to electrical field-induced hum. This additional ground layer is placed extremely close beneath the audio carrying traces, efficiently guarding against unwanted noise interference.

German Engineering

With an extreme eye for detail, elysia has ensured that the xfilter qube is made to the highest build-quality standards. Proudly engineered and made in Germany, elysia utilizes only custom-designed parts and every unit is handcrafted to order and tested in their headquarters in Nettetal, Germany.