The Fairchild 670 is the grandaddy of all tube-based compressors, and has joined the ranks of the Immortals due to its rarity, price, sophistication, and, above all, sound. Estimates vary as to how many were ever produced – somewhere between five hundred and a thousand – but regardless of original numbers, very few survive today. The remaining Fairchilds that that do live on command an enormous price tag, making them probably the single most expensive piece of mass-produced audio gear. And it all started in someone’s basement.
