Manley Labs Reference Silver

aking inspiration from the fabled Sony C-37A, Manley Labs introduces the Manley Reference Silver Microphone. Featuring an American built capsule by David Josephson and a Manley designed circuit, this microphone has warm and rich tone.

The Manley Reference Silver Microphone offers a mechanical selector on the rear of the head basket that is switchable between cardioid and omni pick-up patterns. Boasting a mic grade 5670 vacuum tube, Manley IRON transformers, and a low-noise switch mode power supply, the Manley Reference Silver Microphone is a studio workhorse. This microphone is at home in-front of instruments that range from female vocalists, to saxophones, from drum overheads to banjos. Use the Manley Reference Silver Microphone where you might be thinking about a ribbon, and use it with confidence!

The audio inspiration for this handcrafted beauty begins with the 1950s classic Sony C-37a microphone, and specifically with California capsule maker David Josephson's fantastic recreation of the C-37’s C-3 capsule which features in adjustable acoustic chamber on the rear of the capsule for the user to switch between cardioid in omni pickup patterns. This distinctive capsule is the heart of the rich and creamy tone that the Manley Reference Silver Mic delivers today, and reliably with a five year factory warranty. The old SONY mics are super-rare at this point, if you can find a decent working example of one!

Inside the mic, there is a different circuit from Manely's other two microphones. The fragile high impedance signal from the capsule first hits a FET sitting underneath the 5670 vacuum tube’s cathode which then amplifies the signal into a more robust voltage that our hand-wound Manley IRON microphone output transformer sends out to your microphone preamplifier. Output level from this mic is a wee bit lower compared to the other two microphones, but after careful consideration coming through the Beta-testing phase of development, Manley decided to leave it there as this mic will find a forever-home in front of your loudest instruments such as snare drum, guitars, and toms. It's a real natural there!

Sonic character of the Reference Silver is on the rich and warm side. You'll find this microphone stunning with female vocals and saxophones, with a round character that is never sibilant or boxy. A brass section will sound rich and cohesive. This microphone with its bountiful and warm middle tonality also is a natural for drum overheads where you might have too much brightness off the cymbals from other microphones. It is a very classic sounding microphone, which is to be expected since its innovative capsule design harkens back to the 1950s. Use the Manley Reference Silver Microphone where you might be thinking about a ribbon, and use it with confidence!

The trailblazing power supply is a brand-new derivative of the wildly successful SMPS already in use in the Manley CORE Reference Channel Strip, Manley FORCE 4-channel microphone preamplifier, and Manley Nu Mu and ELOP+ Stereo Limiter Compressors designed for us by the worldwide experts in this technology, Bruno Putzeys and Nand Eeckhout. This power supply was designed for Manley, designed for vacuum tubes, and designed especially for audio fidelity. Numerous listening comparisons again prove the sonic superiority of this power supply. All lines are regulated, all rails come out at super-low impedance, and there is zero 50/60 Hz ripple component present in the chassis as the module runs at a much higher frequency well above the audible range. It is an efficient design in the high 90th percentile, and it functions it any mains input voltage from 90 to 250 V AC meaning no reconfiguration is necessary when traveling around the world. Just plug it in! It is a well-smart invention light years ahead of older linear power supply designs.

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