Echo Fix EF-P5 FET Compressor Review

Echo Fix has earned its reputation as a boutique builder of gear that merges vintage character with modern functionality. The company is probably best known for its tape echo recreations, but it seems the company is steadily expanded into broader signal processing. When I first saw their new EF-P5 compressor pedal I knew I had to get my hands on it. Not only does it look incredible its obvious it pays homage to the legendary 1176 compressor.

Introduced in the late 1960s, the 1176 was one of the first solid-state compressors and immediately stood out for its lightning-fast attack and release times — far quicker than the tube gear that preceded it. Engineers discovered that it could do more than just control dynamics: it added punch, presence, and a distinct harmonic character that made tracks leap out of a mix. Then there was the discovery of its "all buttons in" mode which became iconic producing a bold, aggressive compression that gave drums explosive energy and vocals unmistakable grit. At the same time, when used subtly, it could smooth a vocal or bass line with a sense of effortlessness. The combination of versatility, musicality, and unmistakable tone is what earned the 1176 its legendary status. Decades later, it remains a studio staple, shaping the sound of countless classic records across every genre. Back to the Echo Fix EF-P5 compressor, how does it stack up? At first glance, the EF-P5 looks relatively simple. I find the control layout to be clean and there are just six knobs on the face of the pedal: Input, Output, Attack, Release, Mix, and HP Filter. Each control interacts musically with the others, encouraging experimentation without overwhelming you with options.

The Input knob controls how hard your signal hits the compressor. It works almost like a gain staging tool — keep it low for transparency, or push it higher to coax some extra harmonics and energy out of the pedal. The more you rotate the dial clockwise, the more input signal is driving the compression engine. The more you drive it, the more sensitive the compression becomes. Oh, and the more you drive it, the more you introduce coloration in the form of harmonic content — in a really nice way. The Release knob determines how quickly the compressor recovers after engaging. Fast release times give a lively, almost pumping bounce. Slower times produce a smoother, more polished sound that works beautifully for added sustain. It's pretty easy to find a combination of compression and release that feels good. Remember that how hard you drive the input signal (controlled by the Input dial) will directly impact every other control.

The Output knob brings the level back up to compensate for the added compression. (Detail on compression ratio controls in a bit.) The output stage carries a bit of weight and polish. It’s not sterile make-up gain — there’s a sense of added presence that encourages you to drive it a little harder. I'm sure this is the result of the onboard output transformer. The Mix control blends the compressed (wet) and uncompressed (dry) signals. I tend to favor compressors with this style of parallel compression which allows you to smash your signal for tone and sustain while preserving natural attack. It is beautifully executed here and super responsive. The Attack control is there to shape how quickly the compressor responds when your signal crosses the threshold. At its fastest settings (rotating more clockwise), the EF-P5 likes to grab transients almost instantly. Dialing the Attack slower (rotating the dial more counterclockwise) lets more of the initial transient slip through before compression clamps down. The result is a punchier, more dynamic feel. Definitely versatile here. What stands out is how musical the taper feels. Even subtle adjustments can make a big difference, yet the control never feels touchy or unpredictable. Use your ear. The compressor invites careful listening. You need to spend time with it and learn its ways. You'll be rewarded if you do.

The HP Filter dial might seem subtle at first use. It’s a fully variable control that lets you decide how much of the low end influences the compression. At its lowest setting (fully counterclockwise), the compressor reacts to the entire frequency range, including deep bass and sub frequencies. This can be useful if you want the EF-P5 to clamp down hard on the lows. As you turn the dial up, more low frequencies are filtered out of the sidechain detector. This means the compressor responds less to bass energy and more to the midrange and top end. The effect is smoother, tighter, and more balanced compression — the low end stays big and present, while the rest of the signal benefits from controlled dynamics. This combined with the Mix control makes the EF-P5 an incredibly powerful tool for 5-string bass guitars. It's one of the best implementations I've experienced to date. Just like the classic 1176 you get the same four Ratio push buttons on the face of the pedal — 4, 8, 12, and 20 — which directly control how aggressively the compressor clamps down once the signal passes the threshold. It seems Echo Fix deliberately modeled this control scheme after the 1176, giving the EF-P5 both familiar operation and a nod to 1176 compressor history.

• 4:1 – A gentle ratio that provides refined dynamic control where transparency and subtle smoothing are the priority.

• 8:1 – I really like 8:1 for bass guitar because it feels balanced but with noticeable gain reduction. I like that my tone becomes tighter with more of a cohesive feel without sounding forced.

• 12:1 – Definitely getting into stronger compression territory here.

• 20:1 – Essentially functions as a limiter. It clamps peaks aggressively and obviously squashy.

A ratio of 4:1, for example, means that for every 4db that the input signal goes above the threshold, the output signal will only be allowed to increase by 1db.

And yes, just like the original 1176, the EF-P5 allows you to press multiple ratio buttons at once, the famous "all-buttons-in" mode. It's beyond the scope of this review to get into the weeds on how the discovery of this came to be but suffice it to say, with the EF-P5 you get a more extreme, characterful behavior when you push all of the buttons in together. The compressor becomes more aggressive and harmonically rich. You can hear added grit and attitude. The degree to which the audible coloration becomes apparent is definitely affected by the Input dial and Attack control in particular. Like the original 1176 the gain reduction meter on the face of the pedal becomes somewhat useless with all-buttons-in mode activated. You should also experiment with other combinations of button selection. For example, pressing in both 8 and 12 might engage a ratio more like 10 but you get a little more coloration and aggression too. You can also engage three buttons at a time. Use your ear and have fun.

Front and center on the EF-P5 is its vintage-styled VU meter. I think it gives a nice cosmetic nod to the past but more importantly, the meter provides real-time visual feedback of how the compressor is behaving. The VU meter has four modes which are selected by the four push buttons to the right of the meter.

• Gain Reduction – The needle move as the compressor clamps the signal. Larger deflection means more compression, giving you an immediate, intuitive sense of how much dynamic control is being applied.

• 0 dBu Reference – The meter reads in 0 dBu scale, helping you align levels to professional studio norms.

• +4 dBu Reference – The meter shifts to the +4 dBu calibration, useful for matching hot pro‑audio levels.

• Full Meter Bypass (Meter Off) – If you prefer dialing in compression by ear, you can turn the meter fully off and focus solely on sound.
  

In most cases you will operate the meter in typical gain reduction mode which will give you a good overall sense how much gain reduction is being applied at any moment. As your input signal crosses the threshold and the compressor engages, the needle dips leftward to show the amount of compression taking place. In practice, this is definitely one of the best implementations of an old school meter on a compressor pedal. Probably the best so far actually because it responds smoothly rather than twitching, making it easier to correlate what you see with what you hear. I would look at it as a guide though. The multi LED layout found on other compressors is definitely a more precise implementation. The VU meter is brightly backlit with a warm hue of light. Very nice. There is a small VU calibration dial you can access just below the VU meter if need be.

There are two foot switches on the face of the pedal: Bypass toggles the unit on and off. In bypass mode, the red LED above the switch will be off. Compression On/Off toggles the compression circuit to disable gain reduction, while still passing through the gain stages. The LED above the switch indicates if the compression is off (LED off) or on (LED on). Turning off the compression engine but leaving the pedal on does allow for a bit of warmer or subtle character to come through which can be a nice edition to your signal path on its own. You can change the default footswitch configuration. Hold down both footswitches while powering on the unit. The LEDs will flash three (3) times indicating you have entered the configuration mode. Then tap the either or both footswitches on or off to configure wither they are on or off when power is applied to the pedal. After five (5) seconds the LEDs will flash three (3) times to indicate that the default settings have been saved and the pedal will return to normal operation. Note that the bypass type is buffered only.

On the back of the pedal is an array of incredible functionality that pushes this thing even further into studio grade status. A Time toggle changes the range of the attack and release times. In the SLOW position the range of attack and release times will be slower than the NORMAL position. This function makes the Echo Fix EF-P5 even more versatile.

• In Normal mode the Attack control offers a range of 2ms - 20µs and Release control offers a range of 6ms - 200µs.

• In Slow mode the Attack control offers a range of 800ms - 10ms and Release control offers a range of 3s - 40ms.
  

The Unbalanced out should be used for guitars or instruments using a TS lead. The Balanced out is designed as output for destinations using XLR cables. The Sidechain input is dedicated to the sidechain part of the compressor circuitry. You can use a different audio source to trigger compression. This is rarely a feature on a pedal style compressor. Search up sidechain ducking or kick/bass interplay to learn more about this. The Gain switch toggles an additional 20db boost in the input preamp. If you are using the EF-P5 with guitar or bass (especially those wired passive) you will almost certainly want to engage the gain boost. In fact, I'd recommend just engaging it to start and consider that toggle engaged to be normal operation mode. The Combo input is for balanced XLR or unbalanced TS in. Again, this is not something you typically see on a pedal style compressor but adds to the studio grade feature set.

So how does the Echo Fix EF-P5 compressor sound? One word. Incredible.

You can easily dial in punch and consistency. Want tight low end with bass guitar without choking sustain? No problem. It's pretty easy to hear what the compressor is doing. Want coloration? You got it. This is the best implementation of an 1176 style compressor I've experienced to date. It's the best sounding with the best feature set. It has a warm character and proves that compression doesn’t have to be intimidating or clinical — it can be musical, engaging, and deeply satisfying to use. It makes your sound “bigger” while staying musical and natural. The Input & output transformers in play definitely affect the sonic character. Everything about the Echo Fix compressor screams quality and it is intuitive and flat out easy to use. It is a whole lot of fun and incredibly versatile.

I see the Echo Fix EF-P5 as the most flexible, quietest and accurate 1176 "clone" I've encountered to date.

Build quality is exactly what you’d expect from Echo Fix: solid metal construction, smooth-turning knobs, and a bypass switch that’s quiet and reliable. As a pedal, it feels roadworthy in every respect. It measures 7.25" x 5.25" x 2.25". That's going to be larger than a lot of people will accept, but you know what? I can see a lot of people sacrificing space to get this thing on their board. Here's a picture showing the Echo Fix with two other pedals for perspective on size.

At a retail price of $499 the EF-P5 isn’t the cheapest compressor on the market, but frankly, this is a whole lot of compressor for the money. It's a boutique tool. There are other boutique compressors of similar form factor on the market at a higher price point. See the Effectrode LA-1A and the Doc Lloyd DLA-2A for example. The Echo Fix EF-P5 fares well against the likes of the old out of production "big box" Cali76 compressors too. From a tonal perspective, the Echo Fix pedal compressor reminds me most of these old Origin Cali76 boxes. Those devices are stellar and legendary too in their own right. I'd opt for the Echo Fix though. It's smaller and less expensive (if you can find one of the old Cali's on the used market). It is more feature rich. It is more flexible and versatile. You get a similar transformer output sound and feel but to my ear the Echo Fix sounds and performs better than the old big box Cali's.

The Echo Fix is in a different league, though more expensive, than the smaller format Origin Effect Cali76 pedals like the Cali76 FET Compressor and Cali76 Bass Compressor. But, you do have to give up a lot more pedal board real estate than either of those.

Beyond these staples there are certainly other esteemed FET based compressors on the market of course. Think the likes of the Empress Bass Compressor and MKII or the Warm Audio Pedal76 to name a few. All of these are fantastic and unique too. Read my reviews of each of those to inform your decision. The Echo Fix EF-P5 operates on standard 9V DC power and draws 350mA. The single path is 100% analog.

Verdict: The Echo Fix EF-P5 is more than a compressor pedal — it’s a tone-shaping tool that bridges the gap between vintage flavor and modern control.

From subtle dynamic shaping to aggressive, vintage-style squash, the EF-P5 is really, really good.

It’s not the cheapest or smallest option out there, but if you value sound and build quality above all else, this pedal is easily a must try. It behaves more like a polished rack unit than a typical stompbox.

Pros:

• Musical, warm compression that feels natural

• Highly versatile

• Studio grade

• Solid build quality

• Sounds fantastic

• Parallel compression and sidechain filtering

• Input and output transforms (contributes to tonal quality)

• "All buttons in" mode

Cons:

• Size (as it relates to placement on a pedalboard)

• Price might put it out of reach for some players

• Not a surgical as digital or multi band compressors (which isn't necessarily a bad thing)

  
  

Retail price: $499 EchoFix.com