sweetnubs said:
Stay away from ART (applied retarded technology) what you got here is a solid state gain stage (crispy IM odd-harmonic distortion) and a tube stage which accounts for your haze and mud. It is not a true tube leveling amplifier but it is a true toob leveling amplifier. (starved plate design) Just save up yourself a little more cash and get yourself a LA4. (about $600 off e-bay.)
Here is the schematic for
the LA4. I really wish I could post the one for the dual levelar as I bet it is really similar.
http://www.waltzingbear.com/Schematics/Urei/LA_4.htm
Yes that's right folks it is a solid state optical compressor with a tube output stage. The design is very similar to the ART optical and art even says so in the manual for the VLA I have. So sweetnubs if you think you have some amazing variable transconductance tube compressor, think again and save your pennies man because a real one will cost you about $4000 a channel. you have the very same odd harmonic solid state compressor you described in your flame.
So It is an optical compressor NOOB!!! It has a tube output stage, at what point does that become crap? the best non variable mu compressors are optical NOOB!!!!! so again at what point does a tube output optical compressor = crap? ART should be commended for producing an Optical compressor with a tube output stage that "IS" modifiableat this price. I got my single space ART VLA dual levalar for $65 used and put 2 vintage, matched lo gain RCA 12bh7a tubes in it and it is very nice. I spent a couple of days going thru my huge collection of tubes and comparing them with the same recording and taking notes. These were the only tubes I thought were flat and smooth enough for this unit. Tubes are a different animal and if you think you can get the right tone be trying a couple of different types you are likely wrong unless you get lucky.
I have been making live recordings of bands thru this thing for about 4 years and nobody has said anything but wow.
Here is a link to a guy who mods these.
wow can you belive that, a guy who knows his shit actually spent the time to improve what you say is a POS.
http://www3.telus.net/public/vintage1/record.htm
So fear not and get the ART modified, optical compressors are really transparent and with the right tubes, tweekage and proper parts swapped, it should sound fantastic. Again shame on all you newbie naysayers. You guys don't know shit and you should all take your place in line and paint all of your faces green for all the world to see that what you say is a load of BS.
You all are the reason I stopped looking at these things because you think you know something and you muck up the works with all of your newbie BS. If you don't know shut it and let those who do help the people who ask.
