Gearank

Gearank High Notes

• 2021.12: Equal Highest Rated Single Channel 500 Series Compressor
  Tied With:
  BAE 500C FET
  Rupert Neve Designs 543
  Rupert Neve Designs 535
  Crane Song Falcon
  

• 2020.12: Equal Highest Rated Single Channel 500 Series Compressor
  Tied With:
  WesAudio MIMAS NG500
  Rupert Neve Designs 535
  Crane Song Falcon
  

• 2019.10: Equal Highest Rated Single Channel 500 Series Compressor
  Tied With:
  Crane Song Falcon
  

• 2018.06: Equal Highest Rated 500 Series Compressor
  Tied With:
  Crane Song Falcon
  

• 2017.05: Highest Rated 500 Series Compressor

Gearank Recommendation

The RNC500 appeared on our recommended list for 500 Series Compressors when we first published it in May 2017 where it remained until September 2022 when it was removed due to a lack of availability.

Overview

The RNC500 is the 500 series version of FMR Audio's well-renowned RNC rackmount compressor. It is a simple and affordable compressor that delivers an improved dynamic fidelity over the original RNC.

It features over-current protection, which protects the whole 500 series rack from external damage, and an early warning power-supply detection that puts the module in bypass mode while switched on to avoid powered down “pops”.

Its highlight features include its Normal and SuperNice mode, which gives you flexible compression options. The Normal mode acts as a regular hard-knee compressor, while the SuperNice mode provides a 3-band transparent sounding compression.

Specifications

• Controls: Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release, Gain
• Input/Output Impedance: Not specified by manufacturer
• Maximum Input Levels/Output Levels: +28dBu.
• Attack: 0.2 to 200 ms
• Release: 05 to 5 sec
• Ratio: 1:1, 2:1, 6:1, 10:1, 25:1
• Threshold: -40dB to +20dB