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Reviews For: W2IHY EQ Plus

Category: Audio Accessories for Transmitter & Receiver

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Review Summary For : W2IHY EQ Plus
Reviews: 136MSRP: TBD
Description:
The processing power of a full-blown audio rack in a single compact, shack-friendly component.
Product is in production
More Info: http://w2ihy.com/eqplus.asp
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
251364.9
HR2TBD Rating: 2012-06-26
5/5 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Recently bought the EQ plus that works awesome
This give more presence on the air a friend of mine
Recorded me on the air while I was setting this up
And found great audio.
I sent Mr. Jones an email asking him a question
About how to fix a problem and this gentleman called within 5 minutes and explained me how to fix the problem on the phone. Wow what a service
No one offered me this kind a service before
A real pleasure to deal with this guy.
VE7RQ Rating: 2011-09-28
Transformed my Pro III Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The 8 band eq and eq plus just arrived and I set it up on my Icom pro III.My very first chat on 80m brought an unsolicited broadcast quality audio report.I am a happy camper and Julius can be proud of his products and customer service.
N4VBH Rating: 2011-07-21
Mostly a great unit! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased this unit because of all the hype I had heard on the air and elsewhere. After talking with Julius on a couple of occasions, I sprang for the 8-band/EQplus combination. After receiving the units, I was impressed with the 8-band EQ and, well, most of the EQplus.

The 8-band worked great as a front end to my 746PRO using a Shure SM7B studio microphone. I also liked the EQ, effects, and metering of the EQplus. BUT, I was somewhat disappointed in the sound quality of the compressor. It had an interesting noise on the "tail" of the compression that's hard to explain and was irritating me. I talked with Julius a couple of times about it and he was MORE than understanding of my findings, but had no explanation other than I may be being too picky (he didn't actually say that). The problem was probably me, in that I am also in the music business as a recording engineer, and this compressor wasn't as "clean" as I was expecting. Otherwise, the EQplus is great in every regard. In fact, most people must not hear what I heard (I'm actually on 40m right now and I'm hearing it on a 40-over station...but I won't tell him!).

So, Julius GLADLY refunded my purchase price. I then bought the iPlus which is great. I kept the 8-band EQ. The 8-band with this rig's built-in compressor is a winning combination. Julius even commented of how well he liked the compressor in the 746PRO. LOTS of on-air kudos for my audio.

I must also praise Julius for his work. His customer service is second to none, and I'm impressed with his product line, as a whole. I would definitely buy from him again. I would like to see an upgrade to the compressor IC used in this unit (assuming that is the root issue), but I also understand the marketing aspect. All-in-all, I give it a 3.5 out of 5.
W8NVC Rating: 2011-07-21
Blown Away Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
If your like me, you have been on The Air and heard it in action, I did my home work and wanted one.
I was in the process of trading one for an extra Hf mobile radio i had just sitting around. I was lucky.
I talked to my friend, he said, i have one, i love it but he was looking for a mobile radio Right,
so i had the pleasure of trying it before the trade. well i fell in love with it. I experienced a bit of rf on my audio when using it with my linear amp. I contacted Julius Jones W2IHY. and even though i got it used he worked with me several times on the phone until we got it right, hes the best, i have an audio monster radio the Yaesu ft-950. he made special rf cables for me with built in rf chokes. The end result was just awesome Bright Audio that is unsurpassed. on every contact they said your Audio is great, what ru Using? now thats a product when contester takes that time to ask what your using, in my book thats a reason to buy one, it has that full Broadcast audio we all love... i wouldnt ever part with mine.
i suggest buying one, and if you have an eq built in your radio than this is all you need. when theres a pile up, it punches right through. its one of the best things i have in my shack, once you have it, youll never go back. Also the downward Expander Takes out your background Audio and just the background Audio like a vacuum,ad a bit of the effects,and youll sound like CKLW i kid you not, go get one, and Julius is his own customer service dept. he wont sleep until your happy..... thats a fact AAAAA+++++++
KC7FYS Rating: 2011-06-09
Appears Homebrewed Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is going to be a rather less-than-positive review of the EQPlus and the iBox products. It has no bearing whatsoever upon W2IHY himself and his excellent customer service, except in regard to the pricing and construction of his products. This review is submitted in the spirit of constructive criticism, and in hopes that my honesty will be appreciated for what it is.
I purchased the EQPlus and was immediately struck with the clunky feel of the unit. The bent sheetmetal enclosure, the knobs, switches, and lettering—I was at a loss to see where the comparatively high price came from. Opening up the unit reveals mostly air; it could be MUCH smaller, or even house the rig itself! I guess a positive aspect of all that space is that it encourages mods.
Phantom power: 5VDC is provided, but most microphones that use phantom power use up to 48V. This is not provided. The device is for those using better mics—which would use XLR connectors. Again, not provided on this unit.
Another issue is the use of the 5-pin DIN connector, even terminating the power supply. I may be in the minority, but none of my audio equipment, and precious little of my ham gear uses this obscure connector. Its use is a mystery to me.
The EQ, the namesake of this device, is not parametric, the fixed center frequencies are not indicated or variable, and the Q is not selectable. Controls are marked “Bass” and “Treble.” Most licensed amateurs could be trusted with what frequencies they are working with—also considering that comparable audio equipment costing a fraction of the price has far more sophisticated controls in this regard. There is no bass rolloff control—another fairly standard push-button on audio gear of this type.
My criticism of the remaining controls is similar—they fall far short of equipment that costs far less. One would be better off with a Behringer 2-channel mixer: far smaller, less than 100$, phantom power, 3-band EQ, input trimmer control—and a small outboard limiter/compressor (Alesis Nano-compressors are generally 30-40$ used and far more flexible and sophisticated).
Hams who want to use a better microphone, and have a bit more control of the audio might do well to steer clear of everything _but_ the W2IHY iBox. This is the only product I found useful in my shack—I bought the kit version, which gets you a PCB the size of a stick of Wrigley’s gum, a small black plastic enclosure, and about 5$ worth of components—for $70 shipped. ( 90$ for those without a soldering iron.) This handy device allows your audio gear to talk to your ham gear happily, and is VERY easy to use. I’m scratching my head on the prices, though. The iBox is small enough to be shrink-tubed into the PTT line, minus the enclosure.
It was hard to give a negative review in light of the large gathering of W2IHY fans gathered here who rave about his products. Personally, I was unable to see the qualities that others did. I saw clunky, over-simplified, and expensive—with warm, friendly, and prompt customer service.
W5DNT Rating: 2011-06-09
EQ Plus / 8Band EQ Combo Is Absolutely Fantastic! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First and foremost, let me say Julius Jones absolutely defines superior customer service. He is the best I have seen in amateur radio, period!

After being told by many "audio experts" that my IC-7800 (w/ Heil 781 and HC-6 mics)had more than adequate inboard EQ and processing, I finally heard someone with the same equipment do a demonstration on the air of both the EQ Plus and the 8 Band EQ. I was immediately sold on the value of these two devices.

Julius customized switching and cables for my particular configuration. No more hassle with plugs behind the rack to change microphones, just flip a switch and they all feed properly into the Microkeyer II. The manual and set up instructions are easy to follow. Once set, WOW! Almost every signal report is followed by a compliment on the audio.

As primarily a DXer, this system produces distinctive "bright" audio with added boost for pileups, without over-compressing or generating an unpleasant reduction of bandwidth. Controls on the EQ Plus allow extremely quick bandwidth adjustment should conditions warrant. The competitive DXer in me is glad everybody doesn't have this system, it is a killer!!

You will find none better than Julius Jones to deal with! I highly recommend the pair, W2IHY's 8 Band EQ with the EQ Plus!!


KB2RF Rating: 2011-05-16
Another Excellent Product Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
As many have done, I also added the EQ Plus to the 8-band EQ. Definitely a plus!! Receiving some of the best audio reports with the Icom 7600. Julius provides top notch service and will always take care of you! Thanks Julius!
N4LA Rating: 2011-04-18
Great Products ... Great Service Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've used a 8 band EQ and EQ plus together for a few years now with several different rigs and mics and they are excellent ... I don't like digging into a menu to change audio settings ... The W2IHY products allow me to change on the fly. I'm not a audio guy ... I'm a DXer and Contester and I love audio flexibility in a pile-up ... this product makes change lightning fast !!
As for customer service ... No one ... I mean No ONE ... responds to questions and orders as fast as Julius ... this guy must live beside his computer!! ... I've ordered several times from Julius, and I'm still astonished at his customer service. I've ordered hundreds of items over the years from various dealers ... and W2IHY sits at the very top of my customer service top 10. Great products and great service ... what more do you want ? ... Highly Recommended !!
KD0ZV Rating: 2011-03-25
LOUD Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Amazing piece of equipment and simple to operate. I have always got great audio reports from my IC-7800 which already has two band EQ and a good compressor so I was hesitant to try anything else. But I was bored and had some money burning a hole in my pocket :)

I am amazed how much punch this thing adds to my signal without degrading audio. Its more like an amp than a audio device.

Had a couple questions for Julius and as said a million times on the internet his support is outstanding.



K8WLK Rating: 2011-02-20
Great Product ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have operated my W2IHY eight band audio equalizer and noise gate in conjunction with my EQ plus by W2IHY for two months. I am using a Heil PR 781 and an ICOM 756 Pro III. After setup and optimization the package provides substantial increase to talk power. You sound loud and clear and can easily customize the profile for DX work. You will get continual positive comments about your audio.

Customer service is second to none. Everyone operating a business should follow this lead. Questions are handled expeditiously and Julius even helped optimize the settings by listing on HF.

My recommendation is simple. Money well spent, just go out and buy one now you will not be disappointed.