Lexicon 480L Reverb vs Relab LX480 | Product Shootout

No offense, the difference between the real 480 and the plugin is too audible. The diffs seem subtle but add these subtleties per track where you put the verb on and you'll notice the difference...

There is a lot more depth and magic to the hardware but the general tone is reasonably close.

The hardware unit sounds a bit more tighter and fuller but the plug in still sounds great IMO.

I wonder if you messed with the analog or digital noise it would make a difference?

I cant tell the difference. Good job relab. Now make a Bricasti plug!

as a matter of sound, I rather prefer the dry ones... may I suggest a video with lighter setups? Cheers, Tony

For me the Lexicon wins hands down.
The relab imparts some nasty phase issues which translate into pottyness and resonant distortion. This gets evident in the vocal part. In a final mix this very behavior will cause amplitude modulations. Any non linearities originating from the reverb units are to be dispelled, which is the simple thruth.

The 480L's true purpose of being used so frequently is based on the fact that it provides width without interfering too much with the original material - similarly to the PCM80/81.

The 480L provides a more natural 'Auditory Scene' with a proper amount of localization in order to convey a sense of ambience. Further the 480L does not attribute to variables like pottyness, muddyness, honkyness. The other quality criteria are the amount and quality of 'sheen' in addition to the 'early reflections'

These are all issues when encountering cheaper plugins, I'm afraid.
But the big weakness of the 480L is to provide a sense of depth. In that department other reverb devices clearly win over the 480L

The hardware sounds slightly thicker/deeper to me but the Relab is very impressive.

Would love 2 get some software 2 do reverb & whatever, but the prices R obscene. It's CHEAPER 2 get the ACTUAL hardware that can do as well, like an old Sony receiver with the DSP in them sound fantastic, or the TAE preamps from them. =) Your $hit should B around $30 tops, not freaking $200. U would make infinitely more money because a thousand times more people would actually buy it. @ $200 a pop the most U can hope 4 is light sales & a lot of people just downloading pirated versions ROFL

Hardware is better to me. In a minimalist mix, I'd have to have the hardware but for most applications, the plug will hold its weight well. The vocals were exceptionally impressive for the hardware. The image was a bit plural and lacked depth on the plug to me.

If not looking at the video. I can't hear the difference. Relad just did it.

I can't tell a difference. I can't say I have golden ears, but after working as an engineer since the 1990s I might be able to say I have above average ears.

Must give credit where credit is due. The two are almost indistinguishable, even on a high end setup in a treated room. Plugin is the future, Lexicon aging hardware moving quickly into the past.

totally can hear the difference. no 3D in the plugin. tonewise 100% . just listen to depth. plugin has none compared to hardware

Relab LX480 colder

$400 dollars for this plugin,,, Ambience is free and sounds just as good.

Muy diferente en vocal.
El resto es muy parecido.

There could be more density in the early reflections and less diffusion. As consequence the mids and the treble ranges are slightly more obscured, hence suffer a slight loss of definition, transient bite and resonant depth.The overall orchestral feel is great through.

The Lexicon 480 is pure magic and there is a slight difference I can hear. I could define the Lexicon 480L Hardware as more open while the plug in is narrowed down in width. I own the real hardware and was able to distinguish between the twoo with closed eyes.

Hard to tell. They BOTH sounded good! Let’s see: $400? Or $3000 or higher for hardware? Give me the plugin! It’s THAT good!🤨

You should use a spectrum analyzer just for the ..more depth more magic assholes.

How much processing power does it use?

UAD is DEAD!

Just as a suggestion for future- it would be nice to see each comparison play an entire loop each. It’s kind of hard to judge as you’re comparing at different parts in the bars.

Relab is harsher and more phasey. But good nonetheless.

This plugin must have realy unique Lexicon algorithm....its like Lexicon from 80 - 90 yers. Best Lexicon plugin. I don't know a better Lexicon like vst plugin. I have one Hardware Lexicon and this plugin is better like my hardware....amazing job.

just phase flip one and if they cancel each other out they're identical

If it's NOT AT LEAST VST2 (Preferably VST3) then is bound to either be blacklisted by Cubase/Nuendo and other manufacturers. Steinberg owns the license rights to the VST standard and if you guys are OVER A DECADE BEHIND in development, then you are clearly greedy opportunists who have made ZERO improvements, updates, or compatibility upgrades!

I would NOT install this if you gave it away for free!!!

When everyone is saying they can’t hear the difference and they sound the same it’s makes me smile and proud that my ears are more developed. God bless you all. Keep on keeping on

Hardware sounds better and cleaner

There's a bit more tail/depth on the original lexicon but definitely not a huge difference

I felt the Relab was brighter - seems like some extra boost around 6k. But characteristics were the same.

i closed my eyes at each section to see if i could hear when u switched between hardware and software and couldnt tell

Interesting. A lot of folks write that they hear a "definite difference" in sound. Then there's guys here who actually recorded a real unit and the plugin, reversed phases, and they cancel each others out perfectly. Wow. I mean, .... with such a staggering result, I wonder what people are hearing? :D That result was the last straw for me at least -> off to buy it. <3

I bought the essentials and I love it but…with reaper running windows 10, if I have this plugin on a track and the play line hits the right locator for loop recording the whole program shuts down. This is the only plugin that has this issue. I would love to buy the full plugin but it is unstable on my system.

Great demo

I would like to see an independent shootout in a studio. Not not a demo by the manufacturer... ;-)

Relab suddely brighter.

Awesome !!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥

It's very clever what digital can do these days but I can clearly hear the difference. Real unit is smooth. Superficially its similar but the differences are very real. The plugin sounds harsher, thinner, slightly strident, and not as solid. Compare two violins, and they both sound like violins. One is a Stradivarius, the other made next to a rice paddy out of recycled packing crates. Do both sound overall like a violin but do they sound the same?

How do you change the GUI color for it. I don’t see the option to change it. I see it has other colors for it.

I saw an ad for this on Facebook thinking it is a brand new plug-in, but it’s almost 10 years old! Sounds great, I will definitely add it to my collection of reverb plug-ins.

Its so easy to judge the difference until you dont look at the screen and try to guess when the switch between the two takes place.

I can't tell the difference.

This is a great plugin but I do not understand why the audio clips you have a fully wet. It doesn't enable us to determine the sonic similarities fully. So sip is an absolutely stellar reverb, I'd say it's better than the Uad 224.

97% close to the trained ear their is a difference the hardware has a bigger feel in the low mids sounds more dynamic and the bigest difference is the image
not to say that the plugin is not worthy it defiantly is its just physics of actual converters of the unit is hard to replicate .

I would say the plugin has a tiny bit wider stereo, sub bass and less highend. But in the 0.5 db kind of difference. Realy no more reason to buy the hardware, this is absolutly fantastic! Great job!!!