When fidelity is the goal, the Manley Reference Gold Mic is the solution. Its nimble CK12-style American-made capsule, open grille, and continually adjustable pickup pattern design allow it to hear deep into a room, capturing nuances and subtleties that other mics miss. It is real. It is the truth. The MANLEY GOLD REFERENCE MULTI-PATTERN MICROPHONES are a statement, quite simply, of the finest microphones that money can buy in the pursuit of truly accurate musical recordings. The Gold Reference Series employ our own design of large capsules (1.25 inch overall, 1 inch diaphragm diameter) which are executed to precise tolerances made possible by modern micro-milling machinery available today in California. The capsule rings and back-plates are milled from solid brass. The gold diaphragm film comes from Germany and is tensioned using proprietary techniques by David Josephson ensuring capsule-to-capsule constancy, combined with the speed, "air", and superb ultra-high frequency response you have only dreamt about. The all-tube electronics in the MANLEY REFERENCE SERIES MICROPHONES are built around two triodes in cascade forming an entire gain-block. We have recently switched to a dual-triode 12AT7 tube, easily obtainable and replaceable, mounted in a ceramic socket. (We originally used 6072A until it became impossible to find quiet ones out of the NOS dreck left on the market, then we used 12AX7 for awhile.) The output is coupled through a MANLEY output transformer of unparalleled quality and substantial physical size employing nickel laminations with "hum bucking" bi-filar windings, encased in mu-metal. The polar pattern control is continuously variable between the OMNI, CARDIOID, and FIGURE 8 positions vastly increasing this mic’s versatility. The Gold Mics make it possible to exactly tailor the proximity effect to achieve the desired character.
