Take a short section of the audio file and measure the maximum peak level.

Just a short section? Like how long? How many seconds above or below the level of another file was the measured file? I guess you see where I'm coming from...let's say you measured a single instance where one file was 1db louder than another file...and it was louder for a third of a second but every other second of the file duration was the same...then it's a stretch to say that there's much significant difference in volume.

I don't really care either way about whether x is different in volume than y, but I am curious what you actually measured.

Listen to say 10 second long section.
Pay attention to the loudest peak. See how it measures in different audio files.
I'm not the first one to notice this discrepancy in volume in this test, though.
We're talking EQ's here, not compressors and I doubt tubes in KT are compressing the signal 2dB more than the virtual tubes in IK

Yeah but how long is that loud peak that you're measuring? 3 milliseconds? 3 seconds? 30 seconds?

You're saying there's a uniform 2db difference across the duration of the track...or a 2db difference in one 3 millisecond instance?

Alphavoyager is right. Overall sound of Klark Teknik in this shootout is quieter on 1 dB or more.
This test is not fair.

Look man, it's not even close. The entire waveform on a DAW is visibly smaller on the KT. (the whole thing, not just peaks) There is never a time when it's as loud. You can pick long term loudness, or any moment, and the KT quieter.

I can compare the KTs to tube and solid state Pultecs, in my rack, right now. They're different, but not that different.

What do folks expect at that price point?

Audio is a land of diminishing returns for sure, but a bloody great one when you’re in the nirvana sweet spot with quality kit that gives you an erection that will win you an election .

It's pretty close. There's tests you can do free online where you'll struggle to tell a 1db difference on a test tone consistently. I know, I've tried em. And that's a tone where every second of its duration is 1db louder/ quieter. Not a millisecond here or there where one tone peaks louder and or quieter than another tone.

It's not like if you bumped the KT up a db the heavens are going to open and out pours Pultec glory...in $299 dollar Klark Teknik form.

Yeah louder is better, that's what people say. I wanna know how long was one file louder than another file...consistently for the whole duration of the file...or in one or two select spots for a split second? Digital measuring is accurate! So we can know this.

Why would Sweetwater want to debase one of it's hot sellers with a fixed shootout? I said this pages ago...Sweetwater doesn't care what it sells as long as it sells what it's got to sell.

It was Lynn Fuston on the Grassy Knoll with a Radio Schack dB meter.

What's next? Sweetwater selling KT from the basement of Comet Pizza?

Sweetwater with a bazooka right into their own foot

Just talk to your Sales Engineer about the shootout, "Hey, I don't want to buy anything today, Just wanted to give you some feedback on your EQ shootout. Can you tell the people in charge they really screwed the pooch on this one."

We need a frank and honest discussion with your sales team...

Sweetwater man bad.Impeach!

Ribbing aside, I ran the Fulston Files through the Audioscape EQPA this afternoon, because I just felt like drinking coffee and fvcking off, OK with you?

The EQPA burned in for 24 hours after delivery. I tried to level match the Pulse sample as closely as possible - the AudioScape was a little hotter in the RMS while achieving a slightly lower peak. Not sure what causes that, but AUDIO!! how does it work? Makes my eyes glaze over. Let's go to the tape, er bytes:

^ that sounds great.

I gave my personal evaluation in the EQPA thread in New Products, but I'll give the short version:


Yep.

Just revisited this shootout at home with a Grace m900 and Sennheiser HD600's and it's really crazy how subtle the differences are. I've played around with a few different Pultec clones in the studio and the differences don't seem this subtle when you're turning knobs in front of the monitors. I guess it's a good time to be making music.

I just found this thread after googling Apogee Pultec.

As always @ Lynn Fuston did an excellent job at comparing gear!

I now know why I like my pultec and what I'm missing.

Hey Moko which Pultec do you have?

It’s silverface eqp-1a3

I don't have a comment regarding Sweetwater because I have never dealt with the company, but stated as a matter of principle, there is good reason for a company to prefer selling a more expensive model rather than a cheaper one, be it a car, a house, a refrigerator, etc..

Here's a nicer way to compare the files:

Drums
Drums - Gradual Boost
Female Vocal Mix
Male Vocal Mix