Heritage Audio is proud to announce the HA-609A DUAL MONO STEREO COMPRESSOR/LIMITER, a modern,
improved take on the classic tracking/mixing diode bridge compressor. As with the other products in their Elite Series,
the HA-609A takes advantage of the latest in manufacturing technology to offer an unprecedented value without
compromising audio quality — all built at the Heritage Audio factory in Spain.
The HA-609A is a modern take on the classic transformer coupled diode bridge compressor/limiter design, with several
improvements brought in to accommodate the modern workflow. While some classic iterations of this design utilized
some IC chips and a class A/B amplifier stage, the HA-609A features an entirely discrete, Class A design and a total of
three Carnhill/St Ives transformers per channel.
The addition of a fast attack mode for both the compressor and limiter section allow the HA-609A the flexibility to handle
individual tracks as well as groups and 2-bus program material. Thanks to a proprietary system of diode bridge gain
reduction cells introduced with our highly regarded SUCCESSOR, the HA-609A has better channel matching than any
earlier incarnations; while the use of rotary switches and high quality, stepped pots allow for easy recall and maintain a
perfect stereo image.
The Heritage Audio HA-609A is a professional diode bridge-based dynamics processor in a convenient 2 rack unit
format. It features Carnhill/St Ives transformer balanced inputs and outputs, with the outputs being 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 providing
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 levels and compression thresholds, which used to drive
the mixing and mastering engineers crazy.
Finally, the all discrete Class A construction distinguishes itself 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.
