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[2000F]

Hey.

Looking into buying some old Neve pre-amps/EQs. Already have SSL, API, DISA, Telefunken, Vintech etc. so need the best of the Neves.
I reckon the new re-issues (from the Neve company as well all the other "clone"-companies) aren´t that intestesting.

What´s the difference between the Neve 1076 and the 1073?


And are the prices of the 1076´s as high as eg. the 1073, 1081 etc?

Please see this auction, is this price alright:
http://cgi.ebay.com/2-NEVE-1076-MIC-PRE-EQS-VINTAGE-ORIGINAL S-LIKE-1073_W0QQitemZ320187059657QQihZ011QQcategoryZ119022QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



Thanks in advance!

[MagnetoSound]

These are basically a variation on a 1066.
(Slightly different HPF corners and presence centres.)

They look beautiful, in good cosmetic condition, etc (though no model designation on the front panels, strangely) and the seller claims they are 'well maintained' and 'in great operating order'.

Still, $8,400!

Unless I'm really out of date, that's way. high.
I'd have thought that you could get them for a lot less than that, racked up!

But I may be behind the times - it's hard to keep up with the mad prices this stuff is fetching nowadays.
(Glad I got mine when I did!)

Geoff?

[Geoff_T]

2000F wrote on Tue, 27 November 2007 07:14

Hey. Looking into buying some old Neve pre-amps/EQs. Already have SSL, API, DISA, Telefunken, Vintech etc. so need the best of the Neves. I reckon the new re-issues (from the Neve company as well all the other "clone"-companies) aren´t that intestesting. What´s the difference between the Neve 1076 and the 1073? And are the prices of the 1076´s as high as eg. the 1073, 1081 etc? Please see this auction, is this price alright:    http://cgi.ebay.com/2-NEVE-1076-MIC-PRE-EQS-VINTAGE-ORIGINAL    S-LIKE-1073_W0QQitemZ320187059657QQihZ011QQcategoryZ119022QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Thanks in advance!

Hi

It's all in his Ebay description... Switches for boost and cut instead of pots. Usually used in either film consoles or disc mastering consoles.

Sonically... it shouldn't make a damn bit of difference.... resistors strapped around a switch versus a potentiometers resistive track.

In use, the 2dB steps are nice for repeatability .... but it's a very rare module so the price is subjective. Looks steep to me though...

[Steve Hudson]

The low value of the US dollar relative to the pound sterling would be a factor in how high these modules (or any gear offered by a UK seller) are priced on ebay USA.

[MagnetoSound]

It's still pretty steep in UK money, IMHO.
Still, it might not put me off. They're only going to go up, anyway..

[2000F]

Cheers for the reply, mates. Nice one!

[compasspnt]

What is wrong with the newly made Neve modules?

Robin Porter of Neve, who cares deeply for the original vintage qualities,  worked very, very hard for a long time to source the absolute same original parts, and if they did not exist today, he had the same original manufacturers make them again from the original parts and specs.

Unlike many old ones, these new will work flawlessly for many years to come.

[Tomas Danko]

compasspnt wrote on Wed, 28 November 2007 15:11

What is wrong with the newly made Neve modules?

The price, perhaps.

[compasspnt]

Tomas Danko wrote on Wed, 28 November 2007 10:36

compasspnt wrote on Wed, 28 November 2007 15:11 What is wrong with the newly made Neve modules? The price, perhaps.

Yes, I do understand that they are expensive.

But the OP  said:

2000F wrote on Tue, 27 November 2007 10:14

I reckon the new re-issues (from the Neve company as well all the other "clone"-companies) aren´t that intestesting.

Why would a real, newly made Neve 1073 not be "interesting?"  Because it is not old and beat up and crackly?

Are the new ones so differently priced from good old ones, if you can find them?

[2000F]

Might be an odd remark, but as a collector I don´t rate them interesting. You know, it´s hard  to explain, but the same goes for my record collecting thing.


I´ve got some Vintech pres, and they sound wonderful. And I do of course appreciate if the reissued Neve units sound good, identical etc. But I´m still keen on the originals.
Any one care to comments if the new units just as good as the  original units?

[MagnetoSound]

I own a pair of original 1066's. A friend of mine has a pair of new 1081's.

We've never A/B'd them but I don't believe that mine sound better, to any noticeable degree.

I do enjoy the kudos of the oldies, though, the sense of history that they bring with them.

I don't think there's anything bad to be said for the new ones. As Terry points out, they're likely to need a bit less looking after.

[Dominick]

2000F wrote on Wed, 28 November 2007 17:51

. Any one care to comments if the new units just as good as the  original units?

When Right Track bought a 96 input VX in 1997, part of the package was 32 of the recently reissued 1081's in 4 racks of 8.
AMS/Neve was just ramping up manufacture of the reissues and could not deliver them on schedule. So they procured 32 original 1081's from an 8048 console, racked them up and let us use them until the reissues were ready.
We were quite happy with the loaned originals. They were in good shape and sounded fine.
When the reissues were finally delivered, we had the luxury of comparing them, sonic and technical, for 2 weeks.
The reissues won all contests.
No scratchy pots, no intermittent switches. The originals had a slight veiled sound when compared to the reissues which had more solid bass and extended top end.
We all agreed the reissues sounded like we remembered 1081's sounded like when we first encountered them in the 70's.
We had no remorse returning the originals back to AMS/Neve.

2 years ago Sony purchased 2 of the 1073 reissues.
We've had them side by side with many a cherished original brought in by producers and engineers. No one has had any complaints about the reissues lacking in any way  compared to the originals.

[MagnetoSound]

Dominick wrote on Thu, 29 November 2007 12:03

We were quite happy with the loaned originals. They were in good shape and sounded fine.... We all agreed the reissues sounded like we remembered 1081's sounded like when we first encountered them in the 70's.

Shows the value of good, regular maintenance (recapping, etc) of the old ones.

Those rotary switches do wear out. Thankfully, now that the reissues are on the market, the switches are available again.

[Geoff_T]

MagnetoSound wrote on Thu, 29 November 2007 04:07

Dominick wrote on Thu, 29 November 2007 12:03 We were quite happy with the loaned originals. They were in good shape and sounded fine.... We all agreed the reissues sounded like we remembered 1081's sounded like when we first encountered them in the 70's. Shows the value of good, regular maintenance (recapping, etc) of the old ones. Those rotary switches do wear out. Thankfully, now that the reissues are on the market, the switches are available again.

Hi

The rotary switches have always been available. The tough issues are the illuminated TJ switches on the 1081 that AMS-Neve use the Toko/Shadow switch with a custom cap to replace. Dialistat push buttons on everything after and including the 8108 stopped manufacture but you can get them now also.

All of this is issues with switch manufacturers, none is related to reissues on the market.

[MagnetoSound]

Thanks Geoff. See PMs.

[Jeff Goodman]

I worked at AMS-Neve during the time that the new 1081's were just ramping (slowly) into production, and while Robin spent endless hours deciding to/ convincing Crabtree/ and sourcing the entire 1073.

Let me tell everyone: The new ones are not only at least as good as the old ones, almost everybody I know that has spent any time with both will tell you that new 1081s, 1073s or 1084s are BETTER.

Robin will not compromise any detail for these modules.

They are very expensive, but not much more than old ones and their required maintenence.

If you must own something Neve, these new ones are, without doubt, the way to go.

There are no commercially available clones that can compare. NONE.

Jeff Goodman
Tonelux

[MagnetoSound]

Jeff Goodman wrote on Thu, 29 November 2007 18:03

Let me tell everyone: The new ones are not only at least as good as the old ones, almost everybody I know that has spent any time with both will tell you that new 1081s, 1073s or 1084s are BETTER.

Thanks Jeff, can you tell us how or why they are better?

[compasspnt]

Jeff Goodman wrote on Thu, 29 November 2007 13:03

I worked at AMS-Neve during the time that the new 1081's were just ramping (slowly) into production, and while Robin spent endless hours deciding to/ convincing Crabtree/ and sourcing the entire 1073. Let me tell everyone: The new ones are not only at least as good as the old ones, almost everybody I know that has spent any time with both will tell you that new 1081s, 1073s or 1084s are BETTER. Robin will not compromise any detail for these modules. They are very expensive, but not much more than old ones and their required maintenence. If you must own something Neve, these new ones are, without doubt, the way to go. There are no commercially available clones that can compare. NONE. Jeff Goodman Tonelux

Hopefully for once, Reason will reign.

I am so tired of mystical feelings.

[Tomas Danko]

compasspnt wrote on Thu, 29 November 2007 19:32

I am so tired of mystical feelings.

That's because of that green stuff you insist eating!


On a more serious note, as great as the new preamps are I'm thinking people find it hard to invest when the value will decrease pretty quickly from the get-go compared to the big wad of money you chunk into a vintage unit.

Then again, there are professional facilities that need their stuff to work while they get their income by recording music... The choice to get the new units would be a no-brainer in that case.

[Jeff Goodman]

Quote:

Thanks Jeff, can you tell us how or why they are better?

Well, the consensus seemed to be that all the regular 'Neve-y' adjectives apply as normal yet the new ones were, just as Dom C said above, maybe a little clearer and a little 'bigger'. Plus, as has been noted time and time again (and rightly so) all the pots and switches are new and you get a warranty for not much more cost than a used one.

On top of that, the production process for nearly every component in everything has improved in the last thirty years and the tolerances are better overall. This means that the new modules will sound consistently exactly the same as one another and will probably not drift much for a very long time.    

The one thing that I will say though, as Geoff T reminded me, is that the metal work on the new ones is a little bit thinner, and slightly less reinforced.

I haven't seen that as a problem myself, maybe someone else has. The difference is small and they are still more than sturdy enough.

Hope that answers something.

Too tired to write more.

Jeff Goodman
Tonelux  

[Jeff Goodman]

Quote:

Hopefully for once, Reason will reign. I am so tired of mystical feelings.

Hi Terry,

I completely agree.

Best,

Jeff Goodman
The Reasonable Tonelux Guy

[MagnetoSound]

Good points well made, Jeff.

[2000F]

Thank you so much, mates. Really appreciated!!!

[Chris Moore]

compasspnt wrote on Wed, 28 November 2007 10:11

What is wrong with the newly made Neve modules? Robin Porter of Neve, who cares deeply for the original vintage qualities,  worked very, very hard for a long time to source the absolute same original parts, and if they did not exist today, he had the same original manufacturers make them again from the original parts and specs. Unlike many old ones, these new will work flawlessly for many years to come.

A friend of mine has these Neve 1073 reissues, and while they sound great, the knobs seem extremely flimsy and cheap. I'm not sure if this is an issue with his specific unit, but it certainly gave the impression that it wouldn't be long before it needed to be sent to the repair shop.

[Dominick]

 We have a pair 1081 reissues at Sony over 8 years old that bounced (literally) between studios. Haven't had any issues with knobs. The Isostat switch caps are just as crappy as the originals were.
Like Jeff said, the only only physical difference is the slightly thinner metalwork, which has been an issue with vertically racked units (racks of eight)
The "bumps" of metal that sit in the plastic guide flatten due to the module weight, causing the improper seating between module & frame connectors. Easily remedied by bowing the flattened "bump" back out. Not an issue with the horizontally mounted racks of 2.