Why does the A-Design Pacifica get no love

it's too basic, would have been nice to have a fully functional eq unit.

Too basic? It's a fully featured three-band EQ with a lot of frequency choices, isn't it? 

And stepped controls:

Got to hang occasionally and drink (ok, I bellied up to the bar) with David Briggs a couple of times. He was one of the “Nashville Cats” played on Elvis’ stuff, produced Neil Young and opened Quadraphonic Studios and House of David...Anyway, I was asking him about consoles and he said his favorite was always Quad Eight...had one at House of David.

There’s a sexy SE version now in black.

I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know that story. Please do tell! He was a really nice and cool dude.
I also sat down by a guy at broadway brew house years ago and we started talking music...as it inevitably turns to if you let it. He was a bass player blah blah. Older guy. I thought, “yeah. I’ve picked up a bass too...” so we talk a while - have a fantastic conversation - and he’s getting up to go and we shake hands and say our names again...and dude says, “Bob Babbitt.” I’m like THE Bob Babbitt? And I make him stay for another beer. I was absolutely enthralled. He died not long after that I thing. Bob Olhsson am I making this up and I talked to an imposter? Lol

I believe Briggs did 'Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus' at Sound City well before the Neve and the documentary cover (sad to say), which is an astonishing production for the era.

As for Quad, I 'bout died and went to heaven the first time I opened up a U67 drum overhead on Ed Greene in the old room. They actually used an iso room for Neil Young but OMG what a great room we appear to have lost. Too bad they'd swapped the Q/8 for a Neve mush machine.

Tangent here
The other day I’m in the car listening to the local NPR station and some local rapper is on bragging about how his Album was done in a Hotel room and how “great” it sounds, Guess what it sounds like they did it in a hotel room and sonically it is anything but great, in fact it sucks even the programmed beats have no lowend!
Oh the brave new world where turn great rooms into offices, storage rooms and parking lots! But hey somebody did bring their great mic!

To revive an old thread.... the A-Designs Pacifica is still my favorite go to preamp. I've gotten other newer units to play with, but in the end....despite its simple face, I'm back to it.  It sounds immediately sweet, clear, and present on vocal, acoustic and anything you run into it. When I use it I don't immediately reach for EQ.  It remains clear, detailed, and present in the fight for auditory space, even when mixed low. I enjoy listening deep into a mix and there it is...the acoustic...clear. I also have several original Quad Eight 310/312 preamps and EQ's with the C-137 amp cards, that I just got up and running 30 years after I got an old early 70's QE board from an old friend, Stan Ricker. I hope to test them shortly and compare. (By the way....Rob Harvey at World Pro Audio racked them for me....great guy!)


I guess people want what's new, and in the spotlight, so do I!  However, the Pacifica is now a verified modern classic in my book, especially since so few original QE preamp modules exist to buy. Interestingly, I recently got a Warm WA-273 preamp. It didn't do much for me so it didn't last long....I'm back to the Pacifica, with no regret.

Love my AM10 based Quad Eights. Need to get the PSU checked out and am missing what they bring to the table.

I added a Pacifica a couple of years ago. Along with my Ventura (see earlier posts) these Quad 8-based preamps are first-call on any source. The Pacifica currently lives on snare though. I characterize both units as "broadband" with plenty of response across the entire frequency spectrum. Excellent stuff!