If you find yourself always boosting 5 or 10 Khz, then the Manley Reference Cardioid Microphone will be up your street. The Manley Reference Cardioid Microphone shares the same electronic attributes as the Gold Reference Series, but has a centre- fixed cardioid-only capsule with a thicker gauge (6 microns) gold-sputtered diaphragm. With the similar film thickness and construction, similar high-frequency resonance (a little edge), similar proximity effect and pretty good immunity from pops and sibilance problems, the Reference Cardioid more closely recalls how many of the vintage European tube mics such as the beloved U47 sounded like when they were new. Its rich tonal balance and liquid character is consistently admired for instruments such as guitars, drum overheads, saxophone, and especially vocals. With your present mic, if you find yourself leaning on your compressors and boosting 5 or 10K to score a bit more testosterone, then the Reference Cardioid just might be the mic you're looking for. If you seem to be constantly boosting 12-18K and trying to get a clean, intimate sound, then probably the Reference Gold would be the safest bet. Specifications: Microphone type: Dual large diaphragm capacitor Polar patterns: Fixed Cardioid Diaphragm size: 1 inch ; 1.25 inch overall Diaphragm thickness: 3 micron; gold sputtered Frequency response 10 hz to 30 khz, amplifier to 60 khz Maximum input spl: 150 dbspl at capsule Sensitivity: 19mv/pa Amplifier type: 2 triode gain block lo z output Active components 1) 12ax7lps tube (2 for stereo mics) Output type: transformer with a feedback loop Output polarity: balanced xlr, pin 2 hot, pin 3 low Amplifier distortion: less than .05 % Amplifier noise: typically -120 db ein (tube dependent) Body: 24 karat gold over machined brass
