When launched in 1972, the 1081 became the most flexible equalizer ever in a mixing console. Its 4 band equalizer allowed sculpting the sound in such a unique way, mainly due to the fact that both mid bands covered almost the whole audio spectrum in 20 steps. Unfortunately, a class A/B output stage was used instead of the class A one used in the 1073, making it a second choice for tracking in favour of the 1073.

Being users of the old modules for 20 years, we always came with the "could it be possible to have a 1081 eq with a 1073 preamp in our console?" question. The answer has been NO, until now...

We are proud to introduce the 8173 mic pre- 4 band equalizer module. The name says it all. The best of both worlds in an 8 3/4" module package, fully compatible with Series 80 consoles. It could be easily described as a 1073 with the mid bands of the 1081. We´ve decided to keep the 1073 Baxandall shelving lo and hi eq bands as they sound amazing, but have implemented a choice of 3 hi shelving frecuencies, a la 1084. Flexibility and Tone!!