PreSonus Acousti-Q

Easy when you are used to it. Controls self explanatory. As usual setting gain for your style of playing is key to avoid peaking distortion.

Only complaint is you may need bifocals or a microscope to read the controls at first. I just set it and leave it alone.

I usually use it with one channel only. Sounds great with LR Baggs I-beam on Martin D28. Mine has active preamp, but presonus warms up sound nicely. I use it mostly for the E-Q and notch filter which are essential live, to avoid feedback. EQ is great and sounds much better than the LRBaggs Para DI.

I have also used it as a direct box and preamp for violin and mandolin - warms up the piezo pickups nicely. Tone control is versatile.

sure. I use it to gig once or twice a month for over a year and a half with no problem.

Never had to.

Suits my set up perfectly. I play in a part-time acoustic stringband with lots going on, so I need something to control feedback at moderate volumes. I don't take advantage of the stereo features, but looked at this as an alternative to the Sansamp or the Baggs Para DI. Although this system is a wee bit more expensive than the Baggs ($50), this had a lot of additional features for me that far outweighed the price difference:
1. Has all the benefits - i.e.tone/notch control of Baggs Para-DI but comes with a wall wart (ParaDI you have to buy it separately - add at least another Cdn$30 - I hate batteries)
2. I think it just sounds way better (warmer) than the Para DI.(Para DI just made the i-beam sound like another farty piezo pickup - totally subjective I know)
3. I love the level boost control and footswitch that came with my package - very convenient to switch from rhythm playing to lead or finger picking. Some sellers seem to charge extra for the footswitch. not mine.
4. as to the problems with the second channel noted by others, I can't really comment. This just has so many more improvements over the Para DI, that it made sense for me to get this instead.
5. oh yeah, and it comes with a microphone mounting rack as well, so you don't need to kick it around on the floor.

In theory this product looked like a good idea - easy to use.

RUN FROM THIS THING!!! I looks like a good idea; mine farted out after 13 months, now they want to charge me more than it's worth to fix it. The input started creating distortion any time a signal was run through it. The service department told me it was my fault, that my guitar was the problem - WRONG! My guitar works perfectly with any other device.

Once again - GET AWAY FROM THIS THING!!! VERY unreliable!!!

They blamed my guitar for the lousey sound/operation of their product.

Be warned, I wont even try and hoc this on Ebay in fear of eventually getting bad 'feedback'. There are many other better products on the market than this, be patient and look at something different; this things a waste of time and money.

It is easy to use and has a great form factor.

I was excited to get this unit to use when I didn't want to drag my RANE AP13 around. I've been using acoustic guitars with stereo pickups (microphones and different types piezo elements) for over 10 years (six different combinations in all) with great results. I thought the AcoustiQ would be like a "mini RANE". I was so wrong. Here is a list of the short comings.
1) Phantom power is only 4V (claim is 12V but it is not, as an electrical engineer I took a look at the circuit and the way it is layed out will only give 4V). This is not enough to run the AKG C416 or Mills microphones.
2) Microphone channel (2) is unusably very noisy. (This is mostly from the poor phantom power design).
3) Mute button does not mute the output fully. If you press the mute button then unplug your guitar you will hear it click through the output. Again looking at the circuit this is no surprise.
4) Low frequency thump is produced when the front end is overloaded.

I modified the unit to improve or fix the first three but once I got to the fourth I gave up and sold it.

I will say the the tube does give pretty good tone and if you are not going to use a microphone and are not to picky you might like it.

It looks like it is built well but I didn't use it long enough to say.

They were nice but not to helpfull. I sent the first one back assuming that something but be wrong (how could could a company sell something so bad?). They returned it a month later with no change. I talked to them again and got the unit replaced with a new one. Still bad. Then I asked for a schematic or to talk with an engineer. I was denied on both requests. Finally I made a list of all of my findings and they have not responed.

This thing is not worth a penny.

This unit is a half-space hybrid solid state/tube acoustic guitar preamp. If I understand the topology correctly, two ultra high impedance solid state servo amplifiers feed the tube which is the last stage "voicing" device. The manual is very clear and the unit itself is easy to use. The concentric pots with shared functions are a bit confusing at first, but I'm sure one gets use to them after a while. There's a notch filter (for me the most important feature of an acoustic preamp after the tone!), and 3-band e.q. The input is two-channel so you can blend two pickups or a pickup and mic combo. Phantom power is supplied on channel two. The unit comes stock with a Ruby 12AX7. I replaced it with an EI ECC83. There was not an astounding difference, but the ECC83 sounded a bit warmer. This is one area Presonus is to be congratulated. They produce a tube device and actually encouraged experimentation. My A.R.T. V3 came with a smarmy warning that the Sino 12AX7 sent with the unit was as good as it gets and switching the tube would void the warranty. Fortunately they were wrong (try a JJ ECC803S in these and warm it up!), but I was impressed that Presonus would acknowledge that a tube fan is going to try different flavors. Kudos to them! The Acousti-Q sound with the stock tube is warm (a bit dark actually) with all the controls set flat. The treble e.q. can brighten up things quickly, however. I really like the mid content of the preamp, as many preamps such as the Baggs have a significant mid scoop which my pickup system (dual Schaller Chromes) doesn't need. The preamp provides ample lows, and the notch filter works as promised. There's an effects loop in the unit as well which uses a TRS cable much like a mixing board insert. The unit also has a mute switch and XLR and 1/4" outs (the 1/4" doesn't mute when the mute function is engaged, only the XLR). The workmanship is neat and reliability is probably on par with modern American-made products like Peavey. Lots of surface mount components means you'd probably have to send the unit back to Presonus for repairs unless your kid brother is a fly surgeon. Overall the unit is definitely one of the better acoustic preamps on the market. For my taste I'd rate its sound better than Baggs or Fishman (remember, taste is subjective, give your own ears a try!), although I like the discrete circuitry of the Baggs. To be fair, the Presonus is far more complex. I'd definitely recommend it if you can get it in the $250.00 US range. The folks at Presonus also rate a pat on the back, as they are helpful and friendly, especially their engineers.

Sound quality for the Acousti-Q was very neutral, a plus for acoustic preamps. With the three-band e.q. you can drastically alter your tones. I think switching the tube helps somewhat as well. This preamp would work extremely well with passive pickups or where you want to avoid using battery operated preamps.

The unit is relatively new, so I can't really rate reliability. The unit appears robust and at least equal the most of the modern electronics built for gigging. I plan on using it live. But I'll keep my stompbox homebrew preamp as a spare.

The folks at Presonus are very friendly and eager to help.

If this unit were lost, I'd probably audition other units as replacements, but from the experiences I've had with preamps recently, I would probably go back to the Acousti-Q. It does what I want it to do without a lot of hassle. What more can you ask from a preamp?