studio
$48,500.00USD
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Best for
Professional studios and mastering/mix engineers who want the classic Fairchild variable-mu sound on a stereo bus, in dual mono, or on individual sources. Its six time constants — including two program-dependent auto-release positions — and ratios that move from 1:2 to 1:30 let it range from subtle, transparent leveling to heavy, pumping compression, which is exactly how the listing characterizes it.
Who should skip
Anyone with limited rack space or budget: the original design occupies 6U, contains 20 tubes and a large complement of transformers, and draws 3 amps at 120/240 V. Engineers who need a wideband mastering spec should note the published frequency response tops out at 15 kHz (+/-1 dB, per the manufacturer's partner page). Project studios that just want an occasional bus compressor will find modern variable-mu alternatives far more practical.
Watchouts
Sources conflict on transformer count: Gearnews describes the original as 11 transformers plus 2 inductors, while some retail copy for the reissue cites a higher figure; the manufacturer's partner page only says 'custom-wound transformers.' Per-position attack/release figures also vary slightly in transcription across sources (e.g., position 1 release is 0.3 s on the economik listing), so the 0.2-0.4 ms attack / 0.2-25 s release ranges are the safest summary. Weight and exact dimensions could not be verified to a citable source and are omitted. The economik listing showed the unit as unavailable for immediate purchase at the time of research — confirm lead time, and confirm the unit is the new reissue rather than a vintage original, since vintage 670s trade at very different prices and condition risk.
Likely add-ons
Verify before buying