KLARK-TEKNIK DN9340 Helix Digital Eq, And DN9344 Helix Slave Equalizer Package

UP FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION 1-KLARK-TEKNIK DN9340 Helix Digital Equalizer & 1-KLARK-TEKNIK DN9344 Helix Slave Equalizer Each One Is In Good Used Condition. Tested And Working Like They Should FROM KLARK TEKNIK The Klark Teknik DN9340 Helix equaliser is a two-channel audio equaliser packaged in a 2RU, 19 rackmounting format. The two channels can be controlled independently as two separate mono equalisers or linked for stereo operation. The unit has been designed to build on Klark Teknik's unrivalled reputation for high quality equalisation whilst addressing a number of limitations in more conventional products. The Klark Teknik DN9344 Helix Slave equaliser is a 1U slave version of the DN9340 unit. By packaging FOUR channels of Helix processing into a 1U case it offers unrivalled space efficiency, with a cost per channel lower than many less flexible products. The DN9344 can be controlled from a master DN9340 unit or by an external computer, and also has provision for contact closure operation. Klark Teknik’s initials have long been synonymous with quality EQ, and most engineers in the live sound world are familiar with many of the successful KT equalizer models — from the DN27 to the DN3600 — that have appeared during the past three decades. When KT began shipping its latest product, the DN9340 Helix Digital Equalizer, I had to try it out. Initially released at last fall’s AES convention, the two-rackspace Helix features 24-bit/48kHz processing. With a dynamic range of 115 dB, it is quieter than a DN360 and sounds clean enough to place in line with any signal chain. The graphic display on the front panel’s left side is similar to that of the old DN3600, and can show either the graphic fader positions or the composite EQ curve. Below the graphic display, a red, highlighted touch strip allows quick selection of filters, and an entire section of sliders can be selected by touching the strip in two places. There are four keys to select the EQ page and Bypass and channel-select buttons. The rest of the front panel is thoughtfully laid out, and the interface is intuitive enough that the user’s manual is only needed for advanced features. The Helix graphic display features two pairs of 12-segment input and output LED meters. Above the meters are three rotary encoders — artfully highlighted in blue when active — that allow adjustment of parameters whose names and values are displayed in the 20-character, two-line display. Each “side” of the 2-channel Helix is controlled in four pages, with parameters for each page shown on the interface display. Graphic and Parametric pages need no explanation; a Filters page features notches, shelves and delay, and there is a new Dynamic EQ section, which I’ll discuss more later. In addition to the main-channel bypass, each of the four sections can be bypassed separately, allowing the effect of each layer of EQ to be auditioned individually. The hard-wired main bypass and AC fail-safe mean that the unit is completely out of circuit when bypassed or powered-down, a mission-critical feature for any full-mix processor. COMPREHENSIVE FEATURES As one might expect, both channels of the Helix offer 31 graphic EQ filters with 12 dB of cut or boost on standard ISO centers. As in the DN3600, Helix’s graphic EQ section offers two familiar choices of filters: either the overlapping DN 360-type or the DN 27-style filters, which overlap less at low cuts. One benefit of this feature is that it becomes easy to create and compare the behavior of the different EQ filter types. You can learn a lot about filter-width behavior by just sitting down in a control room and spending a day with the Helix. Each channel also offers a dozen fully parametric filters. The parametric filters can be displayed one filter curve at a time, with all of the individual curves layered or as the composite of all the curves added together as a single curve. When the composite curve is selected, the display shows the total result of all filters, including those in other sections. This approach gives a whole new meaning to the term “graphic EQ.” As with all digital parametric EQ, there’s a certain amount of quantization. Twenty choices of frequency per octave may seem like a lot until you realize, for example, that between 800 and 900 Hz, there are only three frequency choices. Level settings for each filter are in 0.1dB increments; I would’ve traded a bit more frequency precision for less resolution of depth. The Helix also provides three general types of filters, with the graphic’s Q being user-selectable. In fact, the four filter pages can have their type of filter behavior selected by section. The Proportional mode provides wide, low-Q filters at smaller cut and boost settings, while gradually narrowing the filter to higher Q at larger amounts of cut and boost. Thus, the Q becomes proportional to the filter’s depth. Only at large cut settings are these filters narrow enough for feedback control. At lower amounts…