If ever there is an official Audio Technology Hall of Fame, it will definitely include a shrine to the iconic Teletronix LA-2A. And while vintage Teletronix LA-2As are extremely rare and expensive, the Klark Teknik KT-2A is amazingly affordable – and designed for the 21st Century. Mastering quality compression and limiting, at a price point that makes the Klark Teknik KT-2A equally at home in your studio – and your live rack!
The Klark Teknik KT-2A draws inspiration from the original Teletronix LA-2A leveling amplifier, which was first produced in the early 1960s. Since then, Teletronix leveling amplifiers have been prized for their smooth musical sound, and audio engineers have utilised them at all stages of the recording process – from tracking to mastering.
At the heart of the 2A-KT is a vintage lag-free optical attenuator based on the very same electroluminescent technology used in its predecessor. The Klark Teknik KT-2A is constructed from the highest-quality discrete components – all of which meet or exceed the LA-2A’s original specifications. This is just one of the many ways the Klark Teknik KT-2A brings unparalleled precision and superb signal integrity into the new audio age.
Klark Teknik KT-2A owes its characteristic warmth to a set of premium, hand-selected 12AX7, 12BH7 and EL84 tubes. This time-tested combination provides ultra-low-noise analogue output with the ideal balance of tight, warm bass, silky-smooth midrange and brilliant, airy treble.
Klark Teknik KT-2A frequency response extends from 10 Hz to 20 kHz (+/- 1 dB) and provides the kind of flexibility you simply won’t find in the average leveling amplifier, such as gain limiting from 0 to 30 dB with an ultra-fast attack time of 10 milliseconds, a release time that ranging from 50 milliseconds to a full 5 seconds, and so much more. The Limit/Compress switch lets you select between the internally fixed compression ratio of Compress mode and the near-infinite ratio in Limit mode. A built-in adjustable stereo-link TRS connection allows a pair of Klark Teknik KT-2As to blend their sidechain signals for shared threshold response between the two devices.
The controls on the Klark Teknik KT-2A consist of a Pre-Emphasis trimmer which adjusts the compressor / sidechain interaction. When set fully clockwise, the sidechain responds to the full frequency bandwidth of the incoming audio. As the trimmer is turned counterclockwise, the compressor responds less to the signal’s high frequency transients. The Peak Reduction knob controls the threshold of the compressor/limiter with an available maximum 40 dB of gain reduction. The Output Gain knob provides any makeup gain necessary for setting the output signal to the optimal level.
Old-school VU Meters ruled the day back in the 1960s and ’70s, so we stayed true to the original with the 2A-KT’s metering. The classic d’Arsonval movement averages out short duration signal peaks and troughs, providing a much more realistic view of perceived loudness. A Meter Selection knob lets you display either the amount of gain reduction or the output level.
The Klark Teknik KT-2A has both XLR and 1/4″ TRS balanced Inputs and Outputs with custom-designed Midas transformer, both of which operate at line level. Unbalanced connections are also available via 1/4″ TS cables.
Processing While Teletronix may have written the book on studio compression/limiting with the legendary LA-2A in the 1960s, we just added a new chapter to that venerable tome – the Klark Teknik KT-2A! Now audio aficionados of all means can afford the amazingly-precise dynamics processing that has defined generations of musical excellence – both on and off the stage.
Features
- Classic tube compressor/leveling amplifier modelled after the iconic Teletronix LA-2A*
- Completely discrete signal path
- Premium selection 12AX7, 12BH7 and EL84 tubes
- Lag-free optical attenuator based on original electroluminescent technology
- Custom-built Midas input and output transformers
- Frequency Response: 10 Hz to 20 kHz, +/- 1 dB
- Gain Limiting: 0 to 30 dB
- Ultra-fast attack time: 10 milliseconds
- Release time: 50 milliseconds to 5 seconds
- Adjustable stereo-link connection
- Variable pre-emphasis for digital audio recording and broadcasting transmission
- Vintage-style meter features gain reduction and output
- Transformer balanced inputs and outputs on Neutrik* XLR connectors
- Rugged 2U rackmount chassis for durability in portable applications
- Auto-ranging universal switch-mode power supply
- 10-Year Warranty Program*
- Designed and engineered in the U.K.
