Manley EQ 500 COMBO User Manual

MANLEY

LABORATORIES, INC.

OWNER'S MANUAL

MIC EQ 500 COMBO

MANLEY LABORATORIES, INC.

13880 MAGNOLIA AVE.

CHINO, CA. 91710
TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]

email: [e-mail]

http://www.manleylabs.com

CONTENTS

SECTION PAGE

INTRODUCTION 3

MAINS CONNECTIONS 4

CONNECTING YOUR PREAMPLIFIER 5

CONNECTION EXAMPLES 6

HINTS 7

EQ CURVES 8

BASIC MAINTENANCE 9

FIGURE 1 FRONT PANEL 11

FIGURE 2 REAR PANEL 12

OPERATIONAL NOTES 13

SPECIFICATIONS 14

WARRANTY 15

WARRANTY REGISTRATION 16

TEMPLATE TO RECORD SETTINGS FREE

INTRODUCTION

THANK YOU!...

for choosing the Manley Laboratories "MIC EQ 500 COMBO". Designed by David Manley, The
MIC EQ 500 COMBO uses the best available parts with the, cleanest, signal path possible. This preamp
features a new fully differential Mic preamplifier with transformer coupled input and output. This circuit
is similar to the Manley Variable Mu Limiter/Compressor and is considered the finest line amplifier
currently being built. 48 volt Phantom power is available and switched from the front panel. The switch
is a safety type that must be pulled to toggle. Gain is variable from zero to +55 dB (46+9). There is also
a line stage with EQ and variable gain. Like our Pultecs, we chose to model this EQ after an existing
vintage design. This EQ is highly praised by Mastering engineers and collectors of the best audio gear.
The original passive EQ was designed by Arthur Davis who seems to have worked for Altec Lansing,
Cinema Products, Universal Recording and Langevin... always taking his seminal design along with him.
The complexity of the switching (using Greyhill custom build gold contact switches in our reincarnation)
is solely for the purpose of having no more than 3 components in the signal path (1R, 1L, 1C) at any
given moment for maximum signal purity. True, there are many equalizers around with more doo-dat
knobs but they sacrifice a great deal of musicality for the sake of "more buttons". The feature we hold as
singularly important is "sonic beauty" because without this an equalizer with 128 knobs is not worth
using. Passive equalizers do not boost the signal. There is an insertion loss of about 10 dB in the passive
EQ. To return the signal to "unity gain" and simulate boosts we have added our differential amplifier
which then allows variable gain.

The input / output structure of the MIC EQ-500 COMBO allows unusual flexability. One can
"insert" compressors and gates before or after the EQ, One can use the MIC PRE for "direct to tape"
recording and use the variable gain and EQ for monitoring. If the user desires, the unit can be pushed to
distort by turning up the MIC GAIN and turning down the LINE GAIN. The built in VU meter is useful
for any of these purposes.

Thank you again, and please enjoy!

GENERAL NOTES

LOCATION & VENTILATION

The Purist Preamplifier must be installed in a stable location with ample ventilation. It is recommended,
if this unit is rack mounted, that you allow enough clearance on the top and bottom of the preamp such
that a constant flow of air can flow through the ventilation slots. We also recommend that the unit not be
'sealed up" in a 2U road case as these will not provide the neccessary ventilation.

WATER & MOISTURE

As with any electrical equipment, this preamplifier should not be used near water or moisture.

SERVICING

The user should not attempt to service the preamplifier beyond that described in the owner's manual.
Refer all servicing other than tube replacement to Manley Laboratories.

SPECIAL NOTES

Tubes may become loose during transit. Straighten and press down each tube before plugging the unit
into the mains socket. Furthermore, do not touch the tubes after the unit has been switched on, as the
tubes do become very hot during operation. Be aware that high voltages exist in this unit and that at least
15 minutes should be allowed for capacitors to discharge after power is turned off.

MAINS CONNECTIONS

Your MIC EQ-500 COMBO has been factory set to the correct mains voltage for your country.
The voltage setting is marked on the serial badge, located on the rear panel. Check that this
complies with your local supply.

Export units for certain markets have a moulded mains plug fitted to comply with local require­ments. If your unit does not have a plug fitted the coloured wires should be connected to the
appropriate plug terminals in accordance with the following code.

GREEN/YELLOW EARTH terminal
BLUE NEUTRAL terminal
BROWN LIVE terminal

As the colours of the wires in the mains lead may not correspond with the coloured marking
identifying the terminals in your plug proceed as follows;

The wire which is coloured GREEN/YELLOW must be connected to the terminal in the plug
which is marked by the letter E or by the safety earth symbol or coloured GREEN or GREEN
and YELLOW.

The wire which is coloured BLUE must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is
marked by the letter N or coloured BLACK.

The wire which is coloured BROWN must be connected to the terminal in the plug which is
marked by the letter L or coloured RED.

DO NOT CONNECT/SWITCH ON THE MAINS SUPPLY UNTIL ALL OTHER CON­NECTIONS HAVE BEEN MADE.

CONNECTING YOUR PREAMPLIFIER

Setting up your Mic EQ-500 COMBO is rather easy.

1. Please refer to page 12 for an illustration of the back of the preamplifier. The following
page shows some slightly more involved examples. On the left end of the back panel is
a standard IEC mains connector. This should be connected to a standard mains outlet
with the supplied cable. This unit has been hard-wired for the mains voltage in your
country

2. There are two main XLR male outputs. The MIC PRE OUT can be used to send the
amplified mic signal direct to tape (without EQ) or to feed compressors and gates. The
LINE OUT is normally the output to the tape machine The pin out for the XLR is as
follows:

PIN1 - ground
PIN2 - POSITIVE going phase (+)
PIN3 - NEGATIVE going phase (-).

3. There are two XLR female inputs. The first is the MIC INPUT. Connect the mic to this.
The second is a LINE INPUT. To use the EQ in a mix use the console INSERTs to feed
a line level signal into the LINE INPUT and return it from the LINE OUTPUT. The
LINE INPUT can also be used to insert a compressor and gate into the signal chain.

4. Power up the MIC EQ-500 COMBO with the gain controls initially set off or low and
with the EQ bypassed.

5. If a dynamic or ribbon mic, tube condensor mic or passive DI is used then PHANTOM
should be OFF. If a solid state (FET) condensor mic is used then the PHANTOM
switch may have to be turned on. This switch must be gently pulled before toggling.
This is a safety switch meant to protect your speakers, recordings, mics and input
transformer. If the 48 volt phantom power is fed into a unbalanced line or shorted mic
cable then you risk damaging the input transformer. Manley Labs uses the technique of
feeding the 48 volts into the center tap of the bifilar wound input transformer. While
this may occasionally damage the transformer or current limiting resistor in a mis-wired
situation, it allows certain mics to truly reach their potential sound-wise.

6. Select MIC or LINE on the toggle switch depending on the set-up, turn up the LINE
GAIN to 12:00 and slowly turn up the MIC GAIN until the meter reads just under the
red area or 0 VU.

7. If EQ is desired, switch from BYPASS to EQ IN and adjust the dB and FREQUENCY

and SHELF as needed.

8. Final adjustment of levels should be trimmed while looking at the tape recorders meters
or console meters and by ear. While the VU meter on the unit is of good quality and
calibrated, digital recording goes hand in hand with PEAK meters. VU meters while
standard for analog recording are not a guarantee that the recording will be clean.
Percussive sounds with lots of highs are very good candidates for a lower recording
level.

The following page has diagrams of typical set-ups.