New Gear Review: Dizengoff D864 Varimu Tube Compressor
The Dizengoff D865 Varimu compressor.
Chicago-based Dizengoff Audio has created quite a buzz for itself by by making shockingly affordable recreations of classic gear with mostly locally-sourced components.
You could think of it as something like “farm-to-table” audio, and the care taken by this new outfit’s designers and builders really shows in the quality of their work.
The team has released two preamps so far with the D4 and DA2, and their new D864 Varimu compressor, which has caused quite a bit of anticipation, and is now finally available and shipping.
This tube compressor is a tribute to the classic Federal AM-864 military compressor. The original was designed for the US Army and Air Force, and its great sound, musical vari-mu design and simple one-knob control made it a favorite of savvy civilian engineers as well, and these 5 rack space behemoths can be found in many of the hippest analog-centric studios from coast to coast.
Features
The compression circuit in the new D864 is based around is the same 6SQ7 tube design as the original. While this is not necessarily the most efficient design, it does creates a great “soft knee” style of compression curve. With this type of compressor, each of the variables in the incoming signal will affect how the compressor responds.
This means that getting used to the somewhat unconventional behavior of the D864 can take a little bit of practice. This likely isn’t the best choice for a Swiss Army Knife, “do-it-all” compressor, but if you’re looking for a very musical unit with tons of tone, you’ve come to the right place.
Dizengoff added many of the most popular AM-864 mods to their new model, incorporating variable attack, release, threshold and ratio controls, making it quite a bit more flexible than the original, with its single input control and fixed threshold and 10:1 ratio.
There are also a few unique new controls here as well. “Growl” switches in a parallel Germanium compression mode that does exactly what the name implies, adding a trashy growl and a lot of character to the tone. “Glow” is also aptly named, shifting the way the output transformer saturates and adding a very pleasing forwardness in the high midrange.
“Dim” reduces the maximum gain to 25 dB by padding the output of the unit. Throw in a Bypass/Link switch and an Output/Gain Reduction Meter switch and you’ve got a flexible modern compressor with a vintage pedigree.
In Use
My D864 arrived just in time to put it to work mixing an album from Googie, member of Queens hip-hop collective The Karma Kids. Googie has a bassy, slightly raspy voice, and the album is full of huge sample-based beats, so it’s important that his voice is big and full to cut through.
The tubes in the D864 provided that size and definition with a surprisingly gentle touch. The Dizengoff grabbed Googie’s voice and pushed it right to the front, and in a smooth way thanks to the soft knee response of the detection circuit. The D864 doesn’t really pump, and even with Growl engaged you won’t get that “all-buttons-in” smash you can get from some FET compressors. What you can get is a lot of gain reduction going before you even hear it, retaining the high-end in all but the most extreme compression.
While we’re on the subject of gain, it is important to note that you need a good deal less input level with the D864 than most other compressors. The manual suggests optimum input level is “about -10 dBV to about +6dBU,” and recommends setting your preamp gain lower than usual when tracking through it. Too much gain will drive the input section into distortion, which is great if that’s what you’re going for, but if you’re looking for clean, then keep your input levels down.
The Dizengoff is also exceptional on bass, where it really shows off the full range of its versatility. The low end response is prominent and tight, and the aforementioned midrange forwardness is perfect for adding definition to electric bass. I didn’t find much use for the Growl switch with vocals, but it is fantastic for a dirty and distorted bassline. Glow is also rather useful, highlighting the higher frequency slaps and pops of funk bass.
Kick drums were full and solid running through the Dizengoff, as were snares and toms. I only had a single unit, so I was unable to try it on a full stereo drum buss, but with its clean high end in the face of heavy compression I imagine it would perform just fine with cymbals as well. Again, this isn’t a smash-and-pump compressor, but the D864’s smooth control could be just the ticket for certain applications.
The Dizengoff D864 is an impressive achievement—a boutique compressor with surprisingly low price tag of $669. True vintage legacy, incredible tone and flexibility set the D864 apart from most other compressors in this price range.
If I had to nit pick, I would say the grey text on black color scheme is a bit hard to read in dim studios, but I’ve seen some recent pictures from Dizengoff and that grey seems to be a much brighter white in newer versions. (There is also a blue text on grey option that is just gorgeous!)
With an original Federal AM-864 costing nearly twice as much to start (and with far fewer features) the D864 is a flexible, great sounding compressor and a steal at this price. The D864 is a complex piece of equipment that requires some time to get accustomed to, but it has earned a permanent spot in my racks, and could easily find a spot in yours too.
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