MANLEY Massive Passive Stereo Tube EQ Use Review

This is a review of the MANLEY Massive Passive Stereo Tube EQ(´◔౪◔)◞

Well, I finally got it, my dream EQ!

I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, but I’ve used it for a couple of songs, so here are my impressions.

It’s overwhelmingly good, it’s still good!!

What is the MANLEY Massive Passive Stereo Tube EQ?

For those of you who already know, this is a monster tube EQ from Manley.

MANLEY ( マンレイ ) / Massive Passive Stereo Tube EQ サウンドハウス

There are two versions of Massive Passive: the normal version and the mastered version.

Mine is the regular version(`･ω･´)

MANLEY ( マンレイ ) / Massive Passive Stereo Tube EQ Mastering Ver サウンドハウス

The mastering ver is,

All knobs are stepped
Left and right sides are perfectly matched
Recall is perfect
More expensive

There are differences such as

and,

Normal version EQ boost/cut up to 20dB
Mastering ver boost/cut up to 11dB

This is a pretty big difference.

I had a hard time deciding which one to choose, but after watching the video, I decided to go with the normal version, which seemed to have a better EQ.

I have to be careful about matching the left and right sides to put it on a stereo source, but I’m generally satisfied with the controls.

I mean, I liked it a lot.

What the heck is this…?

Actual Review

So, I’ll review the actual product first, leaving the details of its structure and sound for later.

As you can see, there are a lot of knobs, and it looks difficult to operate.

But, if you look at it in parts, the parameters are the same as a normal EQ.

However, the way it works is quite unique. I’ll get to that later(`･ω･´)

From the left, it goes from low to high, and the coverage of one band is unusually wide.

The low covers up to 1K.

Each band can be EQ’d by selecting boost or cut.

The center is equipped with gain and high/low pass filter.

Since this is a normal board, the gain is trimmed steplessly.

Since there is a volume difference when the EQ is turned on and off, it is easy to use if the gain is used to align the listening experience.

The back.

The power supply of the latest MANLEY products has been revamped and is now a switching power supply.

Mine is the old AC100V input linear power supply version(`･ω･´)

According to HOOKUP(Japan distributor)’s explanation, the new power supply has lower noise and clearer sound.

To be honest, I don’t know how much the power has been increased.

However, I don’t mind the noise at all even with the old version.

It may depend on the environment.

The connection is quite simple.

Basically, I want a balanced connection, so I use XLR.

So, I took a look at the top cover.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!

It has a structure that I can’t get enough of as an equipment enthusiast. I mean, it has an amazing structure.

A lot of WIMA film capacitors are used.

In the back, you can see what looks like an inductor.

Is it a coil for a filter?

It looks like MANLEY’s original choke coil (inductor).

Cool(´⊙౪⊙)۶!!!!!

What made me laugh was that the huge film capacitor was also made by MANLEY.

It was amazing that even the capacitors were made in-house.

The small capacitor also has the MANLEY mark.

I haven’t seen the schematic, so I don’t know if it’s an important audio path or not.

I’d like to check it out next time.

You’re the best, Manley.

It is truly a monster!

It is one of the most luxurious pieces of equipment I have ever owned.

The structure inside is also the most shocking thing I’ve ever seen.

It’s crazy. In a good way, of course.

I don’t know how they thought of making something like this( ･ὢ･ )

I’ve become a big fan of MANLEY.

Massive Passive is a passive EQ

As the name Massive Passive implies, the EQ is all passive circuitry.

It uses the coils and capacitors that were in the contents of the previous section to EQ without using electricity.

After going through the passive circuit, the volume is attenuated, so the vacuum tubes are used to compensate for that.

The most famous passive EQ is the Paltech.

There is no doubt that Massive Passive is also inspired by the Paltech EQ.

In contrast, APIs and the like are active EQs.

They use an electric circuit to EQ.

About the sound of Massive Passive

I’d like to make a sample or comparison sound using Massive Passive, but I can’t find the time…

I’ll try to upload it some other time.

It’s not that anyone is asking me to do this, but I always leave it as my memorandum.

I had heard the Massive Passive sound before with the UAD plug-in, but this was my first time to hear it live.

It’s just so rich and mellow( ･ὢ･ )

The sound is very clear, as if it were a well-designed tube device, and the EQ reacts very smoothly to it.

Clear yet mellow. The EQ is clear but mellow, with a clear aroma.

The direction of the cut is good, but the change in the boosted sound is especially cool.

Just as the product description says, the sound is extended in a way that is not annoying at all.

There is no jittery, jarring, or guttural texture at all.

It EQs the sound as if it had always sounded like this.

I don’t think there are many EQs like this.

This is the kind of EQ that can make you sound the way you want to sound.

Anyway, you can change the sound so quickly that it’s uncomfortable (but it feels good).

It’s a very sneaky piece of equipment in a way….(`･ω･´)

Operability of Massive Passive regular version

To be honest, I would have preferred the mastered version if I was going to use it for 2 mixes…

However, I’ve recently gotten used to using the regular version.

However, I think the rotary switch is easier to set the EQ.

However, if you can take your time, the normal version is not bad.

Or rather, I think this ver is more interesting to use because it has a much goofier EQ.

In fact, it’s fun(`･ω･´)

Also, in my case, there were cases where I had to EQ to around 11dB (the maximum value in the mastering ver), so I think the normal version is stronger here.

If you’re in a time crunch and need to bash out some EQ to finish, the mastering ver might be better!