Aer Compact XL

AER Compact XL is a practical combo for acoustic instruments from the renowned German brand AER. Its qualities will certainly be appreciated by singer/songwriters who require top-quality sound reproduction of acoustic instruments and vocals, yet don't want to lug around heavy instruments. The Compact III delivers on all of this. It stands out from the Compact series with an extremely powerful 200 watts of power, which is almost unbelievable given the compact shape of the instrument. It owes this to a specially designed combo rear amplifier giving the sound more headroom and an eight-inch speaker and horn configuration. In this case, without fail, the price really does match the performance.

This is a two-channel combo with two instrument inputs (combined XLR/jack and jack). The combined input allows you to plug in a microphone or another acoustic instrument. The sensitivity of the input signal of the instrument input, i.e. the first channel, can be adjusted using the high/low button/attenuator. Each channel is equipped with its own EQ controls; the first channel with three-band, the second with two-band. The colour button is used to further adjust the sound of the acoustic instruments.

The combo includes a built-in digital effects processor. You have a choice of two reverb effects and delay/chorus effects. Of course, you can also connect external pedal effects to the combo via an effects loop. Use the EFX-Pan control to determine which channel to apply specific preset integrated and external effects to, or to combine their sounds. This gives you plenty of options to enhance the sound of an acoustic instrument or vocal and add another sonic dimension.

On the rear panel, the combo offers an effects loop input/output and outputs for a two-pin footswitch, tuner or headphones. A symmetrical DI output sends the signal from the combo directly to a mixing desk or recording device. Use the aux in stereo input to connect a CD/Mp3 player or other audio source to the combo. This way you can support your performance with background music. The combo also offers the option of phantom power, with a standard power supply using a EURO mains cable.

The cabinet of the combo is made of twelve millimeter wide birch plywood. Its body houses an eight-inch neodymium magnet speaker and an inch tweeter. All AER combos come with a padded case.