Avalon Design U5 Black Mono Preamp / DI

I already knew about this piece of gear, so I bought it conscious about its potential.
The build quality is outstanding and, just any other Avalon Design product, its built to last.
It sounds best with bass and acoustic guitar, although almost every instrument could benefit of it.
On the front panel we find two big rotary switches the one on the left gives you up to 30db of boost over the input signal, and the other one is a 6 position switch which enables you to choose from passive eq presets activated by a button.
The from shows a total of 4 buttons (Hi-cut Speaker to input active to thru Tone engaged), input and thru 1/4" jacks and the above mentioned knobs.
On the back we have Line Out Mic Level Out Ground Lift switch Phones output and Speaker in (accepts amplified signal up to 400w).
The device is quite bulky but not heavy.
Its almost perfect the only downsides are the lack of rack mount ears and on/off switch...... on a €500 peace of gear they shouldnt miss.
Anyway I definitely recommend the U5, it will improve your tone in a classy/professional way that will never set you back.