Neve 1073 copies?

well i know the focusrite greens and maybe red units are great cheap alternatives.

 

Vintech X73
Brent Averill 1073

Those would be the first two I'd look into.

 

Haven't tried the Aurora but used both the Averill and the Vintech...owned a Vintech for a while which I favored over the Averill.

 

Unless you want to super close to the real thing, try a Chameleon Labs 7602. Really nice pre (slightly brighter than a real 1073) but the EQ is sublime for the money.

-T

 

I have heard some good reports of the Vintech range... but I have yet to hear them. Would love to hear some user feedback on the X73, the 273 or 473 range.

 

I like the Great River MP-2NV and Phoenix Audio DRS-1 and DRS-2

I mostly use Seventh Circle Audio N72s now, but that's a 1272 circuit, not 1073. Of course the 1272 wasn't a mic preamp...it was a line amp...so the SCA gets around that by putting two stages back to back and splitting the gain between them, like Neve did when they originally used 1272 circuits for their talkback mic amp. Either way, the N72 is a great preamp.

 

I have a Vintech X73i and Dual72. Both excellent, sweet sounding things.

You can hear them by clicking on the music page link below.

 

Loved: Averill, Avedis ma5

Liked: chandler ltd1, aurora gtq-2

Sorta liked: vintech

Hated: mp2nv

 

LTD was alright...that would be a score @ $1200. The Averill killed it on amps, though. Had em both side by side on a session once. The LTD didn't have the same girth.

 

i own avedis ma5

i like it a lot

 

I love my Seventh Circle Audio N72's.

 

Bingo!

Look into this modular, expandable option. It's one of the better-sounding clones at any price, and it just happens to be one of the less expensive of any options.

http://www.seventhcircleaudio.com/

You buy the rack, then as many modules as you want. Build it yourself or have them do it, or a 3rd party.

It has been discussed here a bit already, but one very important plug, offered by the same Geoff Tanner who was mentioned above, says that the 7th Circle N72 is the only clone which "got it right." Quite a plug from an ex Neve guy.

Depending on your budget, I'd suggest:

-Neve 1073 reissue - these will sound the most legit, because they ARE legit. Expensive. A shade above $4k, depending on who racks it for you.

-Brent Averill - his clones are used as replacements for actual Neve modules in Neve consoles. They will sound nearly identical to original Neves, with the exception of their "newness" which gives them a little more top end, just as Neves have when they're new. A bit over $3k. Maybe less.

-Aurora GTQ2 - Tanner's evolution of the Neve design. He states clearly that he's not looking to nail the classic Neve sound, but take it a step further. GTQ2 owners, many of them top engineers, love these things. Stereo pair for around $2500.

-Avedis - This guy is nuts about anything Neve, a gifted designer, and could be trusted to emulate that sound with his designs. Not sure of his prices.

-Seventh Circle - mentioned above. Price depends on who builds it.

I would NOT suggest the Vintech stuff if you want a true clone. Calling these "clones" would be quite a stretch of the imagination. They're not very well thought of. Some people do like them, and I'm sure good recordings have been made with Vintech pres, just as you could say about almost any preamp.

 

interesting divergence of opinion. I've heard much about the Great River MP-2NV. This is one of the short list items I was considering, the others being Focusrite and Earthworks.

What is the long and the short on why you like this (blueguitar0 or did not like (chrisgraff).

 

It's been a long time since I used one but looking back at old notes, the Great River was able to maintain clarity and openness without sacrificing size. It wasn't as "big" sounding as other pres (Chandler TG2, Pheonix DRS-2, DW Fearn VT2) but those weren't really going for clarity like the GR. I wrote in my notes "like a much more expensive sounding version of the RNP". Out of all the preamps I described as "clear", the GR was the biggest sounding of the bunch.

I dunno that this jives with others' experience, certainly didn't make much sense to me given its Neve heritage, but I try to call them like I hear them.

FWIW, I did like the Great River, but I like the TG2 (not a Neve clone) and the DRS-2 better. And the Fearn was wicked, but I dunno if I'll ever be able to justify $2k/channel...

 

I owned the mp2nv for about a year. It never beat any other preamp I put it against. The only thing I liked it for was a bass DI. IMO, it is nothing like a Neve; really shouldn't be considered a clone, whatsoever.

Great bulid quality, lots of features, not much mojo.

 

Get the Avedis Ma5, put in an 2 space A-designs (or similar) rack. The Avedis sounds fantastic!

 

The MA5 is great. I owned a mp-500nv and couldn't bond with it. You could load a 500HR or Revolver rack with a MA5 and a Purple Biz and have all the preamp a guitar player needs. Also check out the JLM NV500.