Manley REF CARDIOID, REF SILVER, REF GOLD Owner's Manual

REFERENCE TUBE MICROPHONES

REF CARDIOID REF SILVER

REF GOLD

OWNER’S MANUAL

REFERENCE

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i) Table of Contents

XLR Cable

IEC Power Lead

Spare Suspension
Rubbers

Suspension

Capsule
Protector

Microphone

Power Supply

Swivel

Pattern Adjust Tool
(REF-S Only)

Package Contents

CHAPTER

PAGE
i) Table of Contents 1
ii) Introduction 2
iii) Reference Models 3

1. Power Supply 4

2. General 5

3. Microphone Controls 6

4. Polar Patterns 9

5. Circuit Topolgy 10

6. Troubleshooting 11

6. Servicing 12

7. Specifications 13

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ii) Introduction

Thank you for selecting a Manley Reference Series Microphone. This manual covers
the Reference Cardioid, the Reference Silver and the Reference Gold Microphones.

Our microphones are all hand crafted in the USA for maximum performance and
reliability.

Each microphone system has been

carefully designed to operate in a rugged studio environment.

These designs are optimized for extremely wide frequency response and

exceptionally accurate transient response.

The sensitive gold plated
capsule and tube
electronics are housed in a
machined body which
requires little maintenance.
A double suspension
system is employed in all
three models, minimizing
any mechanical interaction
whilst recording.

The entire working “guts”
of the microphone may be
removed for servicing in
one piece, no need to
remove the microphone
from the suspension. We
also provide a very useful
Manley swivel, its T-bar
handle and locking clutch
action require no tools.

The Manley Reference Cardioid has a fixed cardioid pattern.
The Manley Reference Silver has two variable patterns, cardioid or omni-directional.
The Manley Reference Gold has three continuously variable polar patterns, from
omni through cardioid to figure of eight.

All three microphones are supplied with a separate power supply unit. The Ref­Cardioid and Ref-Gold uses the MICROPHONE REFERENCE PSU1 with a 6 pin XLR
cable. The Ref-Silver uses the MICROPHONE REFERENCE PSU2 with a 7-pin XLR
cable.

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iii) Reference Models

REFERENCE CARDIOID

The REF-C microphone as it is commonly known, went into production in the early
nineties. Its distinctive black and red body makes it very recognizable. Used by
countless artists and engineers, becoming the “GO TO” microphone for many
studios as the preferred vocal microphone. The capsule features a 6 micron gold
sputtered diaphragm which is based on the vintage U47.

REFERENCE SILVER

The Reference Silver is our newest microphone in the Manley stable. It went into
production in 2017. This microphone is very distinctive with its silver, scale like
body. The hand made capsule features a 5 micron evaporated gold diaphragm
which is based on the vintage C37A. This microphone has an adjustable
mechanical vent on the rear of the grille, which changes the polar pattern.

REFERENCE GOLD

The Reference Gold microphone is our flagship
microphone, it went into production in 1993. Its
very distinctive housing with impressive 24 karat
gold finish on a solid brass body confirms its
quality and performance. Featuring our own
custom designed large 1 inch diaphragm capsule.
The 5 micron gauge gold film exhibits inherently
stable characteristics over years (unlike thinner
diaphragms) while still maintaining the speed, “air”,
and ultra-high frequency response. Its precise nature and highly detailed response
makes this microphone very popular for strings, piano and orchestral.