Headway EDB-2 HE

The Headway EDB 2 HE is aimed at acoustic musicians who want more control over their sound before it reaches an amp or PA. It combines a two-channel preamp, DI box, EQ, anti-feedback tools and harmonic enhancement in one compact aluminium unit, making it particularly useful for those working with pickups, microphones or a mixture of both.

Each channel gets its own gain control and five band EQ, covering bass, low mid, high mid, presence and treble. There is up to 32dB of low noise gain available through the jack inputs, while the XLR microphone input offers even more. Separate mute switches make switching instruments or sources easier.

Headway’s H.E.A.T harmonic enhancement provides adjustable upper harmonics above 1kHz, helping add a little more definition to pickups that can otherwise sound flat. A tuneable notch filter, phase reverse and selectable high pass filters for bass, guitar and violin or mandolin give you plenty of tools for dealing with feedback and troublesome frequencies on stage.

When it comes to connectivity you get mono and stereo jack inputs, an XLR microphone input with 11V or 48V phantom power, balanced XLR DI output, line output, 3.5mm auxiliary input and a send and return loop for effects. The two channels can be sent individually or blended.

Despite all that, the unit measures just 167mm long and weighs around 450g. It can run from the supplied power adapter or two 9V batteries and can be mounted on a belt or microphone stand.

There are a lot of controls packed into a small space, so it takes time to learn. Once familiar, though, the EDB 2 HE gives acoustic players an impressive amount of practical sound shaping without requiring a much larger rack or pedalboard setup. RRP £289.95

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