Brand: Warm Audio

Warm Audio WA-1B Tube Opto Compressor

Name: Warm Audio WA-1B Tube Opto Compressor
Brand: Warm Audio
SKU: WAR-WA1B
Price: 1789.00 AUD
Availability: InStock

SKU: WAR-WA1B

$1,789.00

Available to Order

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Rent from
$149.08/mth for 12 months interest free

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$447.25 Pay in 4 interest-free

Late fees apply
$447.25 Pay in 4 interest-free

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Stock Availability

0 Mega Music Myaree
0 Mega Music Wangara
0 Mega Music Warehouse

Both our Myaree and Wangara stores are open 9–5:30pm Monday – Friday, with Myaree open 9–7pm Thursdays, both stores 9–5pm on Saturday and closed on Sundays.

Stock is live across all three locations and updates as stock is sold, however we still encourage you to call ahead to the store if stock indicated here is low at your preferred location.

Click and collect is a service offered at both store locations, which may require stock to be moved between stores or from the warehouse, as such we request that if you have ordered online, to please wait for a confirmation message before heading to the store.

If stock is only indicated at our warehouse location it can still be transferred to your desired store, even if you just want to try it, just get in touch with your desired store during store opening hours and make a request!

Please also be aware that unless you have paid a deposit to hold an item, it will remain free for sale on the web even if it has been set aside in-store. To avoid disappointment we always recommend a 10% deposit, this can be done in-store or online, just get in touch!

Legendary Compression At The Touch Of a Button The WA-1B accurately recreates the finest Scandinavian compression, combining the gentle warmth and precise control of optical tubes. Like the original model favored by producers and engineers from Chris Lord-Alge to Rick Rubin, the WA-1B delivers the revered "forgiving" musical compression of optical tube circuits with the speed and control commonly associated with modern dynamics processing. As the compressor of choice for many of the deepest vocal performances, this style of compression has inspired the sound of recordings by artists such as Adele, Dr. Martin, Dre, Lenny Kravitz, Norah Jones, The Black Keys, and more. With premium components and careful circuit design, the WA-1B has all the sound and character of the most famous compression, combining vintage tone with modern control. Tube-Optical Tone, Modern Dynamic Control Hand-wired to authentically recreate the sound of a renowned circuit, the WA-1B uses carefully selected components to recreate a style of compression that remains sought-after, yet unattainable. Select tubes are paired to achieve the perfect balance between vintage tone and modern performance. The WA-1B uses custom, large-core transformers from Lundahl Sweden, which help transfer all of the rich, articulate, “forgiving” analog tone from the tubes to the signal. As a catalyst for its impeccable “transparent” compression, the WA-1B features a premium optical attenuator for smooth and musical compression, making it a clear choice for vocals, instruments, and any highly dynamic source or program material that requires control without sacrificing tone. All of these critical components are handwired with through-hole soldering in a true-to-spec, 100% analog 270 volt circuit. Following the Warm Formula of true-to-original tone driven by premium components, all WA-1B compressors are carefully hand-inspected & tested at Warm Audio Headquarters in Austin, Texas. Natural, Musical, & Forgiving: Even At Fast Settings The WA-1B compressor delivers a signature Scandinavian style of compression renowned for its exceptional analog performance with modern features. Delivering the sonic versatility of the original, the WA-1B spans pristine, transparent compression that maintains the clarity of audio sources to create rich and harmonically saturated tones when the tubes are driven to saturation. Ready to take recordings to the next level, the WA-1B has all of the key controls normally absent from more vintage optical compressors. Using the threshold, ratio, attack, release, and makeup gain controls allows for precise dynamic control and tone shaping without sacrificing vintage tube-optical tone. The controllable attack time with faster available speeds and program-dependent release controls contribute to the very forgiving character of the compressor. The dedicated sidechain bus selector offers three positions (Off, Bus 1, Bus 2), allowing you to interconnect and link up to 10 WA-1B compressors in your signal chain. Rounding out the set of critical pro recording features on the WA-1B is the front-mounted meter-adjust control. By having this knob on the front panel, there’s no pause in creativity and no need to unrack gear in the middle of a session when you need to zero out the VU meter. The original style of Scandinavian tube-opto compression has earned its place among the most coveted studio compressors, and the WA-1B makes all of these tones and features readily available to producers and engineers - no waitlist required.

Premium Components - Elite Build Quality - Superior Sound

Premium Name-Brand Tubes One of the key elements of the WA-1B’s sonic signature is the analog warmth of the makeup gain. Using premium vacuum tubes, the WA-1B adds rich character after the compression stage to deliver a dynamically-balanced signal without sacrificing tone.
Custom Transformer From Lundahl Sweden We paired the true-to-spec Scandinavian circuit design with two custom large-core transformers from Lundahl in Sweden. Transformer selection plays a critical role in the rich analog tone and signal transfer that help deliver smooth compression with more control.

Specifications

Accurately Recreating World-Class Scandinavian Compression Combining Smooth Tube-Optical Warmth With Precision Controls
True-To-Spec 270 Volt, 100% Discrete Analog Signal Path - Handwired With Through-Hole Components
Premium Vacuum Tubes
Transformer-Balanced Fully Floating Input And Output - Custom-Core Large Transformers From Scandinavian Manufacturer, Lundahl In Sweden
Frequency response @ -3 dB: 5 Hz to 25 kHz
Self-Noise: < -75 DBU @ 30 DB Gain
CMRR: > 60 DB @ 10 KHz
Ratio From 2:1 To 10:1
Variable Threshold: Off To -40 DBU
Output Gain: Off To +30 DBU
Input impedance: 600Ω
Two Bus Connectors To Connect Multiple Sidechains
Meter (VU) Input, Output, Or Compression Amount
Linear, Low-Noise Power Supply With Toroidal Power Transformer
Continuously Variable, Fixed, Or Fixed/Manual Attack And Release Times
- Fixed - Attack: 1 Millisecond | Release: 50 Milliseconds
- Manual - Attack: .5 - 300 Milliseconds | Release: .05 Seconds - 10 Seconds
- Fixed/Man Mode Blends The Release Times Of Fixed And Manual Mode

Pair With

Our Perth workshop offers expert servicing for guitars, drums, amps and more. From restringing to full rebuilds, most repairs are completed within a few days.

We ship Australia-wide with reliable couriers, dispatching most orders within two business days. Unopened items can be returned within 7 days for a refund, while opened items may be eligible for store credit.

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