The MANLEY VARIABLE MU® LIMITER COMPRESSOR has been Manleys best selling product for many years. It is one of the very few compressors that has become a real standard in Mastering studios and contributed to most hit records over the last decade and probably the next. "Mu" is tube-speak for gain, and Variable Mu® is Manleys registered trademark for this limiter compressor. It works by using the "remote cut-off" or re-biasing of a vacuum tube to achieve compression. The precious vintage Fairchild 670 also uses this technique and is one of few all-tube compressor to do so, that we know of. Even the side-chain has glowing rectifier bottles. How’s it work? The unique 5670 dual triode is at the center of the peak-reducing and compression action constantly being re-biased by the vacuum tube rectified side-chain control voltages which cause this tube to smoothly change its gain. Just like that.
MANLEY input & output transformers with nickel laminations in mu-metal cases with flat frequency response from 20Hz-25KHz
BALANCED INPUTS & OUTPUTS (600 Ohms)
Fully differential ALL-TUBE circuitry using one each 5670, 5751 (or 12AX7), 7044 (or 5687), & 12AL5 per channel
Independently regulated B+ and Heater supplies
Hard-wire BYPASS switch
Stepped switch INPUT attenuator as of 10/2011. (older units use Silent dual-ganged potentiometer)
RECOVERY 5 steps: 0.2s, 0.4s, 0.6s, 4sec., 8sec.
Variable ATTACK: 25msec-70msec
Continuously variable THRESHOLD
LIMIT (4:1 to 20:1) or COMPRESS (1.5 to 1)
HP SC: High Pass Side Chain Filter -3dB @ 100Hz
Large ILLUMINATED Sifam METERS (older units before serial number MSLC61642 shipped before 12/2003 use: 26V 1.2W FESTOON LAMPS; Manley's Part Number: VAR016B) Order spare bulbs using our parts order form. (newest units after serial number MSLC61642 shipped after 12/2003 use white LED lighting)
STEREO LINK SWITCH
Several units can be linked for Surround (custom order )
Maximum gain: 35dB
Max. output: +30dBu (26Vrms) 26dB Headroom
<0.1% THD @ 1KHz Noise floor: -85dB typical
Power Consumption (120/240VAC): 80 watts
Unit is factory set for 100V, 120V or 220-240VAC operation for original destination country's mains voltage.
Operating Mains Voltage changeable with power transformer changeover switch and fuse value change.
Mains Fuse Value for 100~120VAC operation: replace with 1.25A as of 10/2011
Mains Fuse Value for 220~240VAC operation: replace with 0.6A (600mA) as of 10/2011
Mains Fuse Type: MDA or MDL SLO-BLO Time delay 1 1/4" x 1/4"
Mains Voltage Frequency: 50~60Hz
Dimensions: 19” x 3 1/2” x 10” (chassis occupies 2u) Power transformer protrudes 3.5" out the back of the chassis.
