Overview
The Heritage Audio HA-609A DUAL MONO STEREO COMPRESSOR/LIMITER is a professional diode bridge-based dynamics processor in a convenient 2RU format. It features Carnhill/St. Ives transformer-balanced inputs and outputs, and the outputs are driven by means of '73 type Class A amplifiers. It also features St. Ives interstage transformers to isolate the diode bridges in a fully floating configuration. Therefore, there is a total of no less than 6 Carnhill/St. Ives transformers per unit, 3 per channel, tone for days.Unlike vintage diode bridge designs, the HA-609A has dual attack times both in the compressor and limiter sections and expanded threshold and limit level ranges that easily accommodate the hotter modern input signals. Gone is the classic problem of the unit always compressing even at the highest limit level and compression threshold that used to drive mixing and mastering engineers crazy.Finally, the all-discrete Class A construction departs from other vintage and current diode bridge units, (which still rely on class A/B amps), and reacts so much better to compression, in a much more musical way.