Product: JBL 7110 Compressor
Price Paid: US $225 used
Submitted
05/03/2004
at
03:32pm
by
MC
Ease of Use
:
10
Very natural sounding compressor with the standard compressor controls like threshold, attack time, release time, ratio, and output level. While compressors have a peak/RMS switch, this is the only one I know of with variable control between peak and RMS. This control gives the 7110 its unique sound.
The power switch doubles as a bypass when the unit is off. A relay toggles the audio. When you turn it on there is a three second delay before the compression is active, power it off and the bypass is immediate.
The manual is online at JBL's website and is well written, but could use some sample settings for different applications.
Sound Quality
:
10
If you're looking for a great sounding compressor for drums, percussion, bass, or program material - snag one of these (two for stereo programs).
This is one seriously good sounding compressor. It passes the "acid test" - the ability to compress program material with lots of percussion and steady sounds and still sound natural. That's HARD to find.
Very clean sound with no discernable loss of tone. The VCA is an SSM IC which are among the better ones out there. A good workout for these 7110s is the Rush live album "Exit Stage Left" - if you get the settings right you can get punchier drums and the vocals and guitars can still be heard. I could not get that sound from any of my other compressors. Latin percussion or drums sound fantastic through a 7110. I like it better for bass than my 3630, it has a fuller sound.
The 7110 doesn't have a hard/soft knee switch but I sure don't miss it. The balanced output requires an optional transformer which is still available from JBL.
Reliability
:
10
These things are SOLID.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
Compressors are like amplifiers - a guitar amp sounds good with guitar, bass amp with bass, keyboard amp with keyboards. It's the same with compressors. The 7110 sounds fantastic with drums, percussion, and program material. The UREI 1176 is king for studio vocals, the Teletronix LA-2 is king for bass. The Alesis 3630 is now relegated to vocals for live stage PA. My Nanocompressor now tames the ridiculous dynamics from my DVD player - movies are WAY too dynamic these days, spoken dialogue is too soft and explosions are too loud.
While 1176s and LA-2s are a lot of money on the vintage market today, the 7110 is a bargain for its sound. Excellent value for the buck. I'm going to buy a few more for the studio and some for the PA system.
