Fairchild

Fairchild, founded by Sherman Fairchild in the mid-20th century, is renowned for its iconic valve-based compressors. The 660, introduced in 1958, gained popularity for its warm and transparent sound, while the 670 became a benchmark for adding depth and character to recordings. Although Fairchild also produced preamplifiers and equalisers, its compressors remain its most celebrated legacy. Despite being acquired by Klein and Hummel in the 1960s, vintage Fairchild compressors are still highly sought after and widely used in studios and live sound for their unparalleled audio quality.

Related Articles: The History of Compressor/Limiters

Released in 1959

Fairchild 660 Limiting Amplifier

The Fairchild 660 is a legendary tube-driven, single-channel audio compressor, designed by Rein Narma and first produced by the Fairchild Recording Equipment Corporation in 1959.

Released in 1960

Fairchild 670 Limiting Amplifier

The Fairchild 670 Tube Limiter was the brainchild of Estonian immigrant to the USA, Rein Narma. Rein licensed the design to Sherman Fairchild and the rest as they say, is history…a legend was born.

Released in 1962

Fairchild 666 Compressor

The Fairchild 666 compressor was a rare hybrid design combining solid-state control with valve amplification. It offered cleaner gain reduction than earlier all-valve models and featured automatic attenuation and built-in de-essing. Though technically advanced, it was less popular than the 660 and 670, but remains a notable step in Fairchild’s evolution.