 George
Shilling reviews:
Universal
Audio 1176LN
It
is over two years since I reviewed the Purple Audio MC76, an
enhanced recreation of the Urei 1176LN, my absolute favourite
desert-island compressor/limiter. Perhaps awakened by the continued
demand for this design, the two sons of original designer, the late
M.T. "Bill" Putnam, sprang into action to reissue the
original model under its original brand name. And a pretty good job
they appear to have made of it.
Every
last detail has been faithfully reproduced: even the manual cover
has been copied, including the textured paper. The spec-sheets make
similar reading, with virtually every figure identical, and the
circuit diagrams show a similar design, although they are no longer
hand-drawn.
Buy recording equipment in our shop.
The
front panel is black, recreating the look of the more favoured
versions of the original 1176. The originals went through several
revisions, designated A to G: this unit has been based on the D/E
black-faced models. Later units replaced the Class A output stage
with a Class AB push-pull stage, and the transformer input was
replaced with a differential op-amp circuit.
All
controls feel similar, the unit featuring wonderfully large Input
and Output knobs, and Attack and Release pots, which are all smooth
in operation, the Attack retaining its bypass click-off setting.
This removes any compression, but leaves the gain controls active,
turning the unit into a characterful line amplifier. The illuminated
meter is similar in appearance to later Urei designs, with the
re-created UA logo featured, and a recessed trim pot across the
other side of the panel for re-calibrating zero. And old-fashioned
radio-bands style pushbuttons all work exactly the same as on the
originals, except that they feel a little stiff and 'new'. Ratios of
4:1, 8:1, 12:1 and 20:1 are available with the central row of
buttons, and on the right are selections for meter: Gain Reduction
mode, Output Level at +4 or +8, and by pressing the bottom button
the unit is powered off.
The OFF legending had been mysteriously
stickered with on/off symbols, no doubt to satisfy some pernickety
modern safety rules. Although, talking of safety, upon removing the
cover, I was surprised to see unshrouded bare wires on the mains
connections - a nuisance for any service engineer. However, the
approach is admirable: the circuit layout looks similar in every
respect, with plug-in transistors inserted into sockets mounted on
the board. On the rear panel are tag connectors, exactly like the
original, with connections for signal and also remote metering,
although I would imagine this to rarely be required. Apart from a
fuse holding IEC mains socket, the only addition to the original
design is a pair of XLR signal connectors. The previously available
Model 301 bolt-on box attached to the tag strip to provide XLRs, but
many owners made their own modifications and attached sockets
directly to the case. The phono socket for stereo operation is
retained. This is labelled 1176SA, and the stereo adapter must be
connected between two units for stereo operation. The timing
capacitors are in parallel, so doing this doubles the fastest speed
of the Attack time, and stereo operation is fiddly to set up,
especially between units of different vintage, due to differing
transconductance in the FET. Perhaps the 1176SA circuitry could have
been included inside the case, as with the Purple model.
In
use the unit feels very much like one of the originals. I was
fortunate to have the luxury of David Gilmour's Astoria studio,
which boasts several original black faced and grey Haeco-badged
1176s examples for comparison, not to mention excellent monitoring
for comparisons. The 1176 uses a FET as a variable resistor to
control gain, (there are no valves here), and this is the main
reason for its unique character. All units were slightly different,
but the new model's Output gain pot was noticeably changed, with
perhaps a slightly different value - I had to turn it further
clockwise to match levels. However, in most other respects,
operation was identical, and the sound was very similar, with
perhaps a little extra clarity from the new unit. Vocals sounded
wonderfully enhanced by this compressor, and in normal use it was
hard to hear any difference between the new and old models. Attack
and Release characteristics seem to have been accurately retained,
with an Attack range of 20 to 800ms and Release times of 50 to
1100ms. The only really obvious sonic difference was in overdrive
mode - the legendary technique of pressing all four Ratio buttons in
simultaneously to give a really over-the-top distorted compression.
The character of the new unit in this situation was quite different
from any of the older models, with much brighter and nastier
distortion, and less warmth, especially on fast settings. By backing
off the Release speed, a more similar sound could be achieved, but
there was still an obvious difference, and although the older units
may have been somewhat out of alignment, this was the sound I
preferred.
The
1176LN sounds great, but the lower-priced Purple competitor is
sonically very similar, and features many improvements over the
original design. However, as a 'strictly authentic' official reissue
with indisputable credentials, the UA is the box to have.
Buy the Joe Meek TwinQ Studio Channel Strip in our shop.
Reproduced
with kind permission from www.George.Shilling.Com. Copyright ©1997
Visit
George's website to find more great reviews. |
