Has the announcement of the PUMP 500 Series Compressor from Empirical Labs affected the price of the second-hand Distressor market?
To try and answer this question, we looked at the average price of a second-hand Distressor on Reverb.com in the months leading up to and following the announcement of 'PUMP' at NAMM 2023.
Empirical Labs' Distressor has been a staple in the recording industry for over two decades and is considered a 'swiss-army knife' compressor known for its versatility and reliability.
In 2023, Empirical Labs introduced a new 500 series compressor called PUMP, inspired partly by the Distressor with unique features.
Distressor Vs Pump
Like the Distressor, PUMP offers a wide range of compression options. It has a unique distortion modes feature, and both units have sidechain filters, external sidechain inputs, and stereo linking capabilities.
According to the Empirical Labs website, PUMP was inspired not only by the Distressor but also by two other Empirical Labs products, the MIKE-E preamp and the Arouser plugin. For example, PUMP offers an 'AtMod' function which gives users the ability to slow down the initial slope of the attack envelope to add just a little bit more of the transient back into the compressed signal, a feature that exists in their Arouser plugin.
The MIKE-E's warmth and character were incorporated into PUMP's output transformer section, and the Arouser's detection circuitry is used for PUMP's optical gain reduction element.
All in all this gives the EL-P a combination of some of the best features of existing EL hardware and software in one neat little package.
So, has the announcement of Empirical Labs PUMP affected the price of the second-hand Distressor?
Given that the EL-P is a compressor, it would be hard not to make comparisons to the EL8-X, so we looked at the average price of a second-hand Distressor on Reverb.com in the months leading up to and following the announcement of PUMP at NAMM 2023.
In February 2023, the average price of a second-hand unit was €1435. In March, the average price dropped to €1215, which represents a 15% decrease. However, in April, the average price rose again by 23%.
While it's impossible to draw definitive conclusions, one possible explanation for the sharp uptick is that the announcement caused some sellers to raise their prices in anticipation of peaked interest in the second-hand Distressor market. The announcement definitely caused a stir and when such comparisons are made, it makes sense that buyers would assume it could be a good time to start hunting for a bargain, which appears to be the case for those who got in there in March.
It will be interesting to see how the release of the EL-P will impact prices at the time of release, so if you're in the market for a Distressor and are considering waiting to see if the price drops, it's important to keep in mind that the market can be unpredictable, and there's always a risk that sellers could preempt any potential drop in demand by keeping their prices high.
Based on the current trend of second-hand EL8-X prices and the proposed price of the PUMP at approx. €700, one thing is clear, PUMP is poised to shake up the world of compression and offers exceptional value for the features on offer. The combination of high-quality components at an affordable price point make it an attractive option for both home studio and professional use.
For the average price of one second-hand Distressor, you can get two units, but EL have been very clever to build on the legacy of their products and not overshadow them, meaning that the Distressor still remains as unique and vital as it ever was.
We use Distressors in our studio everyday (as well as the Arouser plugin) and are very excited to get our hands on one of these when they are finally released.
One thing is certain, for those who are new to audio hardware and going down the 500 series route, the access to high-quality EL sound has never been so affordable. Rather than building a 500 series Distressor with limited features, EL have created something unique that offers some of the best features of their tried and tested hardware and software.
Personally, we see the EL-P as a welcome addition rather than an alternative, and won't be giving up our EL8-X's anytime soon. Keep checking Reverb for those second-hand prices!
Additional features and comparisons
Compression
The Distressor offers eight different compression modes, including optical and vintage emulation modes, while the PUMP offers three compression modes - punchy, clean, and classic.
Controls
Pump features digitally stepped controls of the attack and release settings for easy recall.
Ratio
The Distressor offers a ratio range of 1:1 to 20:1, while the PUMP offers a ratio range of 2:1 to 20:1. No 'Nuke' setting on this bad boy.
Attack/Release
Both compressors offer adjustable attack and release times, with the PUMP offering an extra option for auto-release.
AtMod
Unique to the EL-P hardware is the attack modification function which gives users the ability to adjust the envelope of the attack to retain transient information.
Sidechain
Both compressors feature a sidechain function for external signal processing and stereo linking.
