The MANLEY GOLD REFERENCE MULTI-PATTERN MICROPHONES are a statement, quite simply, of the finest microphones that money can buy in the pursuit of truly accurate musical recordings. The Gold Reference Series employ our own design of large capsules (1.25 inch overall, 1 inch diaphragm diameter) which are executed to precise tolerances made possible by modern micro-milling machinery available today in California. The capsule rings and back-plates are milled from solid brass. The gold diaphragm film comes from Germany and is tensioned using proprietary techniques by David Josephson ensuring capsule-to-capsule constancy, combined with the speed, “air”, and superb ultra-high frequency response you have only dreamt about.

The all-tube electronics in the MANLEY REFERENCE SERIES MICROPHONES are built around two triodes in cascade forming an entire gain-block. We currently use a dual-triode 12AX7 tube, easily obtainable and replaceable, mounted in a ceramic socket. (We originally used 6072A until it became impossible to find quiet ones out of the NOS dreck left on the market.) The output is coupled through a MANLEY output transformer of unparalleled quality and substantial physical size employing nickel laminations with “hum bucking” bi-filar windings, encased in mu-metal. The polar pattern control is continuously variable between the OMNI, CARDIOID, and FIGURE 8 positions vastly increasing this mic’s versatility. The Gold Mics make it possible to exactly tailor the proximity effect to achieve the desired character.

We have chosen a very open weave stainless-steel grille for the capsule window which allows all the highs to reach the capsule unimpaired letting the engineer choose if, when, and how much pop screen is appropriate. As a result, the Reference Gold reaches to the furthest extremes of highs and lows with gorgeous natural acoustic smoothness. Some engineers tell us it sometimes “hears” more than they do! A locking 7-pin XLR connector for the power supply cable carries the stringently filtered and regulated voltages from the separate dedicated MANLEY POWER® power supply. The audio signal exits the PSU via a traditional 3-pin XLR jack. The microphone body is machined from brass providing excellent shielding properties, polished to a high lustre, then plated with 24 karat gold for an impressive finish, inspiring confidence in artists and producers.

Our proprietary precision suspension system is provided with each REFERENCE MICROPHONE (the capsule itself is mounted onto a neoprene-rubber shock-mount.) Because the entire working “guts” of the microphone may be removed for service in one piece from the housing, it is envisioned that the microphone need not be removed from the suspension. We also provide a very useful swivel of our own design with every REFERENCE MICROPHONE; its T-bar handle and locking clutch action require no tools to adjust. And no MANLEY microphone would be complete without a genuine leather capsule protector which slips (and ties) onto the end of the microphone to protect the capsule when not in use.

DRIVEN BY MANLEY POWER™

As of June 2020, the Reference Gold also utilizes our new MANLEY POWER™ Switch-Mode Power Supply.

This new power supply is empirically quieter than the older linear PSUs. Sonically, we hear faster highs, generally more clarity, and ‘blacker blacks’ in the silence. The new power supply is also universal – accepting any voltage or frequency – so it works anywhere in the world without a voltage changeover switch or power transformer rewiring