HA8173

Name: HA8173
Price: 146.48 USD
Author: Heritage Audio

by Heritage Audio · EQ · 73/81-style console EQ

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HA8173 is a console-channel EQ from Heritage Audio that combines the 73 EQ with the mid bands of the 81.

It has four bands and a Baxandall-type high shelf with three frequency choices, for €129 (about $146).

Best for: Vocals, Drums, Guitars, Bass, Mix Bus. Genres: all genres.

Keywords: bass, bus processing, drums, mix bus, electric guitar, British console, classic, hardware emulation, punchy, vocals, 70s, full mix, mixing, musical, static, vintage.

What it does

HA8173 is one of the two plugins in Heritage Audio's 80 Series Console Channels Collection. It takes the classic 73 EQ layout and adds the two mid bands from the 81, for what the developer calls "73 punch and 81 mid definition".

Low shelf: the classic 73 low band.
Two mid bands: taken from the 81 circuit, giving more control over the midrange than a standard 73.
Baxandall-type high shelf: a switch with three high frequencies to choose from, instead of the original's fixed 12 kHz.
Four bands in all: low, two mids and high, in a console-channel layout.
Design intent: the developer describes it as the channel you reach for when you know exactly what you want.
Uses: the developer suggests it for the mix bus, drums, guitars and bass.

It was released on March 29, 2026. Owners of 6673, 8173 or i73 PRO hardware get the 80 Series Console Channels Collection plugins free. A 14-day demo is available.

Source: Heritage Audio product page

When to use it

HA8173 is the pick when you want British console EQ colour with more say over the mids than a plain 73 gives. Compared with the Pultec Passive EQ Collection and PuigTec EQs, which work in broad passive curves, it has two mid bands for targeted moves on drums, guitars and bass. Next to its sibling HA6673, it is aimed more at punch and mid definition on instruments and the mix bus, while HA6673 has a wider choice of mid frequencies for vocals. It is not a surgical tool: Pro-Q 4 offers precise, clean bands and far more filter types.

Best for: broad, musical EQ on drums, guitars, bass and the mix bus.
Genres: any.
Look elsewhere if: you need precise surgical cuts or dynamic EQ; Pro-Q 4 or F6 do that.

Where to buy

Heritage Audio: $146.48 (€129 converted to USD (ECB rate, 29 Sep 2026))

Tutorials and reviews

Heritage Audio's New Neve 1073 Plugins Sound Insanely Good - HA6673 and HA8173

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