286 S : Pros and cons

Served me very well for years.

+ led indicators for functions are useful and clear

+ solidly built

+ excellent value

+ noise gate effective and configurable

+ simple LF/HF dials for EQ quick and relatively effective (exercise restraint with them though)

+ compressor does a good job and is quick to configure

+ de-esser

+ up to 60db of gain on input

+ great straightforward way to quickly shape up a spoken word signal for broadcast before it gets to any hardware

- pre-amp does get noisy after about 45db of gain or so

- constant buzz from the transformer inside the unit, if only they'd damped it some

- no power switch so you'll need to add an in-line one or use the wall switch

- noise gate coming last always felt a bit odd

- you'll still need a separate interface to get the signal to a PC (though again, at this price hard to complain!)