Fairchild 670 [top] Jun 2026

The Fairchild 670 is a highly regarded, vintage audio compressor made by Fairchild Recording Equipment Corporation in the 1950s and 1960s. It's considered one of the most iconic and sought-after compressors in the history of recording.

Unlike later VCA or optical designs, the 670 controls gain by varying the bias voltage on remote-cutoff pentodes (6386s), which changes their plate resistance — a smooth, non-linear, musical gain reduction. fairchild 670

The Fairchild 670 is known for its specific timing characteristics that differ from faster modern compressors: The Fairchild 670 is a highly regarded, vintage

At unity gain, noise is ~ -75 dBu (A-weighted) — high by modern standards. Acceptable for mastering only if you never need more than 6 dB GR. In tracking, fine for loud sources. The Fairchild 670 is known for its specific

The Fairchild 670 is ever made. But it is one of the most musical .

The Fairchild 670!

In an era of digital emulation and "in-the-box" mixing, the Fairchild 670 remains the undisputed holy grail of compression. It is the sound of Sinatra, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and pretty much every classic rock record pressed to vinyl. But to understand why engineers still mortgage their cars to buy one (or pay top dollar for faithful plugin emulations), you have to look past the legend and into the circuitry.