Description
Refurbished
This Symetrix 501 has been refurbished and recapped. The power supply has been upgraded with higher-capacity Panasonic caps. The input & output caps have been replaced with higher-value Panasonic bipolar caps. The pots have been cleaned & lubricated. Photos show a 501 sold previously
Symetrix is an American company producing outboard gear. Not that well known in the UK, they have a good reputation in America for cost-effective and well-engineered products
Early models of the 501 used the EGC-101 VCA from Valley People Inc. Later models – like this one – used the ubiquitous dbx 2181 VCA
The 501 is a compressor / limiter with front panels for Attack, Release , Threshold & Ratio. The peak limiter has a separate threshold control and the compressor & limiter sections have independent in / out switches. There’s a switchable auto attack / release setting and an output gain pot. Stereo linking is switchable from the front panel, allowing a pair of 501s to be stereo-linked. Unusually the sidechain insert is also switchable from the front panel
Fire up the 501 and you’ll find the compressor section is punchy & adaptable with good control over attack & release times. As you’d expect, higher compression ratios sound tighter & more focussed but low ratios with fast attack & release are great for pumping room mics. Switch the compressor out and fire up the limiter and you’re in for a treat – this is a great-sounding limiter
The 501 is built in the usual Symetrix tough steel chassis and the controls have a quality feel. It has both balanced and unbalanced connections so it’ll be equally at home in a studio rack or a home setup
“The 501 is a really fun box, that I used to use before distressors came out for room mic distortion and limiting. They can do pretty insane amounts of limiting, and the diode clip on the output is awesome as well. For destruction, I love them”
“For the money? yes please”
“501’s work great for bass. Not shabby on vocals either”
“Especially nice for electric bass”
“had one back in the day, it lived on the insert point for Bass DI. To my ears, that is what it excelled at”
“501 is a really great compressor for crushing rooms. I have a dynamite & a pair of Levelors, 9 times out of 10 the 501 gets more useable results”
“Its really cool on drums especially drum OHs/room”
“KEEP THE 501. They work on most anything !”
In my tests I found the 501 to be as useable & transparent as other Symetrix compressors. The controls are well-judged so setting thresholds is easy & accurate. The limiter is brutal & characterful and adds a bit of attitude to the traditional smooth Symetrix compression. The 501 is a great tool for bass & drum crushing and it’s easy to see why it has developed such a reputation. In an ideal world you’d have four – two for compression and two set permanently to limit
