The 1176LN Classic Limiting Amplifier is a modern reproduction, yet every effort was made to remain faithful to UA founder Bill Putnam Sr.’s visionary design and intentions. The original UA 1176LN was a major breakthrough in limiter technology — the first true peak limiter with all transistor circuitry offering superior performance with a signature sound — and set the standard for all limiters to follow. The ultra-fast attack time and trademark sound have lured legendary artists and studio moguls alike to the 1176LN — Peter Frampton, Joe Satriani, Joe Chiccarelli, Vance Powell, and Mike Elizondo are just a few names on a list that’s continued to grow, for nearly 50 years.
Carefully trained staff hand-wire and test each unit until it meets our uncompromising standards. This Universal Audio Classic version of the 1176LN captures all the nuance of the original through obsessive attention to detail and delivers that trademark sound. Demand the original. Accept no copies.
- FET-Style Compressor with Class A Output & Custom Transformers
- True to the original 1176 in design, manufacturing and performance
- Class A line level output amplifier
- Custom built Putnam-designed output transformer
- Modeled after 1176LN, blackface, D and E revisions
- Ultra fast attack time – 20 microseconds to 800 microseconds
- Stereo interconnect operation
- Hand-built in USA; backed by 1-Year limited warranty
- True to the original in design, manufacturing and performance
- Modeled after 1176LN, blackface, D and E revisions
- Ultra fast attack time -20 microseconds to 800 microseconds
- Class A line level output amplifier
- Custom built Putnam-designed output transformer
- Stereo interconnect operation
General
Input Impedance
600 ohms, bridges-T control (floating)
Output Load Impedance
600 ohms, floating, damping factor 20
External Connections
Jones Barrier terminals and XLR connectors
Frequency Response
± 1 dB 20 Hz to 20kHz
Gain
50 dB
Distortion
Less than 0.5% total harmonic distortion from 50 Hz to 15 kHz with limiting
Signal to Noise Ratio
Greater than 70 dB at +10 dBm
Attack Time
20 microseconds to 800 microseconds, plus "Slo" 10 ms mode
Release Time
50 milliseconds to 1.1 seconds
Stereo Interconnection
via 1176 SA Network accessory
Meter
dB gain reduction and dB output
Power Requirements
120/240 V
Environmental
Maximum operating temperature 160°F
Dimensions
19" Rackmount chassis, 2U
Weight (unboxed)
11 lbs.
Adam Hawkins
(50 Cent, Maroon 5)
"We used a Universal Audio 1176 reissue recording all of [50 Cent's] vocals, and it ended up sounding great.
Andy Johns
(Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones)
“UA's new 1176LN sounds exactly like the ones I've used on every record I've done over the last 30 years.”
Barry Rudolph
(Mix Magazine)
"The 1176LN reissue, based on the D and E revisions, is as close as you get to 'the sound of '67' without a time machine."
06/2000
Carl Glanville
(U2)
"The sonic picture is completed with the output of the 610 being connected to my LA-2A or 1176 before being committed to tape."
Dave Martin
(Recording Magazine)
"The 1176 is the original -- the standard by which all others are judged."
Frank Filipetti
(James Taylor, Rod Stewart)
“I wish more companies paid attention to what you guys are doing at UA ... it's right on the money."
Gareth Jones
(Erasure, Mogwai)
"I know many of my engineering colleagues would say, if they could only have one compressor, it would be the 1176LN."
Hugh Robjohns
(Sound On Sound)
"Every rack should have at least one of these fabulous [1176LN] processors"
Hugh Robjohns
(Sound on Sound)
"The Universal Audio reincarnation [of the 1176] is every bit as good as the original."
06/2001
Jason Carmer
(Third Eye Blind)
"The 1176s are probably the best all around compressors, in my opinion. I use them on everything."
Jay Newland
(Norah Jones)
"We put two 1176s in series & cranked up the gain on one & this distortion thing happened ... it made the song, it was great!”
Jeff Balding
(Amy Grant, Faith Hill)
"I use those [1176LNs] quite a bit on drums, guitars, even vocals"
Jimmy Douglass
(Justin Timberlake)
“I always use an 1176 on the insert. It tickles but doesn’t take over ... [and] puts the vocals up front.”
Jimmy Mitchell
(Billy Bob Thornton)
"The vocal chain I’ve been using with Billy [Bob Thornton] for years is an M-149 into a Neve 1073 through an 1176LN"
Joe Chiccarelli
(Beck, U2)
"The new 1176s are better for vocals because the old ones are grittier. The new ones are cleaner and just sweeter on tape."
Mark Cross
(Audio Media)
"The re-release of the 1176LN is truly historic."
07/2001
Mark Cross
(Audio Media)
"From percussion to voice to guitars to strings, [the LA-2A and 1176LN] proved to be sonically and technically impressive."
07/2001
Mark Cross
(Audio Media)
"Having this quality of gear [LA-2A and 1176LN] available for these sessions was a privilege that I could get used to."
07/2001
Peter Frampton
“The LA-2A and 1176 have been in my life for so long. I can’t do without those."
Stephen Murphy
(Pro Audio Review)
"[The 1176LN] is one of the tools of our trade that you can make a shape with; it becomes an extension of the sound."
03/2001
Trevor Curwen
(The Mix)
“This is a unit that will definitely delight long term 1176 users and those new to the model.”
08/2000
Stephen Murphy
(Pro Audio Review)
"Like its predecessors, the UA 1176 reissue is easy to use and sounds great."
03/2001
Justin Gerrish
(Vampire Weekend)
"I also always have one mic in the room, my "crush mic," that I run through an 1176LN."
Gareth Jones
(Grizzly Bear, Depeche Mode)
"Mixing Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest, we used all UA gear we could get our hands on - 1176s & LA-2As of course."
11/2009
Adrian Younge
(Black Dynamite Score)
“When I use the [All Buttons Mode] on the 1176 on my drums, it makes the drums hit hard."
12/2009
Adrian Younge
(Black Dynamite Score)
”It's really the 1176 that’s the essential part of my sound. Everything was run through that."
12/2009
Ed Cherney
(Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton)
"You cannot make a classic rock record, in my mind's ear, without an 1176 on the snare drum."
07/2009
Ed Cherney
(Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton)
"I use an 1176 as part of my signal chain on basically on all my channels."
07/2009
Justin Gerrish
(Vampire Weekend)
"Mixing [Vampire Weekend] I put LA-2As on the bass. I also used an 1176 and an LA-3A on the vocal, together in series."
Justin Gerrish
(Vampire Weekend)
"That familiar sound of vocals being very present and clear. That comes from just using an 1176LN."
Vance Powell
(The Dead Weather)
"I wanted 1176LNs in our rack in the Third Man Live booth because I know what they sound like: fantastic!"
Vance Powell
(The Dead Weather)
"1176LN? To say I am a fan is an understatement."
Vance Powell
(The Dead Weather)
"Live bands recorded to 1" 8-track? Sure! But I need some 1176LNs!"
Glenn Rosenstein
(Ziggy Marley, U2)
"There's a very specific reason why pieces of gear like an 1176 or an LA-2A or an LA-3 became ubiquitous."
Greg Parkin
(Capitol Studios & Mastering)
"UA gear such as the 1176 and LA-2A have been staples here at Capitol since their creation."