1073SPX

The Neve preamp for the modern era

The stylish 1073SPX adopts the ^1073® Class A design, excellent 3-band EQ (fixed HF plus two selectable bands with cut/boost capability) and high-pass filter – making the 1073SPX the obvious choice for modern studios.

Coveted by top engineers and producers since its launch in 1970, the Neve 1073 channel amplifier represents the Holy Grail of characterful microphone preamp and the epitome of the ultimate “British EQ”. The 1073 mic/line input module defined the strong, authoritative sound of the legendary Neve 80 series consoles that dominated professional recording studios in the Golden Age of Analog. Today, you can get this iconic sound for your studio with the AMS Neve 1073SPX Mic/Line/DI Preamp & EQ rackmount unit. Built to the exact specifications of the original, with matching components to ensure sonic authenticity, and updated with modern features to meet the demands of today's studio workflows, the 1073SPX is a powerful, flexible channel that delivers a rich tonal palette to make bold statements. with your music.

Legendary and authoritative “big iron” sound

Since the 1970s, the Neve 1073 has reigned as the most sought-after microphone preamp and equalizer on the planet – one reason being its inimitable sound; another is its impressive versatility. With a generous 80dB of available gain, the 1073 handles even your lowest-output passive ribbon microphones on quiet sources. While today's 1073SPX retains all of its vintage authenticity, AMS Neve remains an R&D-driven company that continually improves its classic designs to meet and exceed the performance requirements of today's hybrid analog-digital workflows. The name Rupert Neve is synonymous with custom transformer-balanced Class A circuitry, and AMS Neve continues to innovate in this domain with its proprietary state-of-the-art Neve Marinair specification transformers found in the input and output stages of the 1073SPX. With their “big iron” transformers, Neve consoles deliver wide, linear bandwidth while maintaining audiophile quality across the spectrum for rich, full-bodied sound with formidable bass, assertive midrange presence, and smooth, airy highs.

Military-grade build quality

Decked out in classic RAF blue-grey livery, the 1073SPX Preamp & EQ delivers a user experience like no other. The 1073SPX's robust build quality - including its rotary switches, robust metal frame, and internal circuitry - is manifestly superior to even the majority of today's high-end professional audio equipment. And it's a joy to use. In operation, everything feels perfect, from dropping the spoon into the honey in the pans to the satisfyingly precise click of the switches. Like all professional audio equipment of the time, early Neve equipment was built with mil-spec parts and materials – which, along with their extraordinary sound, explains why we still see half-a-century-old Neve consoles in major studios around the world. . That's how they built professional audio equipment – ​​and AMS Neve still does it.

1073SPX Preamp and EQ Overview:

• FRONT button: Switches the audio input to the front mic/line combo jack (the DI input always replaces the mic input, whether the FRONT button is on or not)
• XLR/Jack combo input: Use the XLR input for microphone sources and the 6.35mm jack input for line-level sources
• 48V button: Applies 48V phantom power to front and rear XLR microphone inputs (adjacent LED lights when phantom power is active)
• Lo Z Button: The default input impedance at the microphone input is 1200Ω. Pressing the Lo Z switch resets the input to 300Ω input impedance
• LIFT button: Provides ground lift for DI input; can alleviate buzzing/humming by interrupting any ground loop
• -20 button: Applies 20dB of attenuation to the DI input; resets input impedance from ~1MΩ to ~10kΩ when enabled
• DI I/P button: High impedance balanced input for direct injection; microphone inputs automatically disconnected when connector is inserted
• Line/mic level control with 80dB of gain available
• High frequency: Smooth fixed frequency shelving +/-16dB at 12kHz
• Mid Frequency: +/- 18dB smooth peak, fixed Q, with selectable center frequencies of 0.36kHz, 0.7kHz, 1.6kHz, 3.2kHz, 4.8kHz and 7.2kHz
• Low Frequency: +/- 16dB smooth shelving with selectable frequencies of 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 110 Hz and 220 Hz
• High-pass filter: 18dB/octave slope, selectable between 50Hz, 80Hz, 160Hz and 300Hz
• Phase button: Polarity inversion (180° phase) on balanced output
• EQ button: Turns the circuit equalizer on or off
• INS button: Switches the insert loop to the signal path
• PRE button: When activated, repositions the insert loop from post-EQ to pre-EQ
• LEVEL control: Adjusts the output level; Briefly pressing this button toggles the level meter's starting point through 3 points in the signal path (pre-EQ, post-EQ, post-output stage), indicated by adjacent LEDs
• Takeoff and clip indication LEDs: 1 of the 3 LEDs lights up green to indicate the selected takeoff point; The LEDs light up red if their respective takeoff point is close to clipping
• Level meter: 7-segment peak level meter; pressing the button allows the audio level to be monitored in 1 of 3 locations (Mic/Line/DI input stage, EQ stage or output stage) up to +24dB
• Sample rate indicator LED: Shows the selected sample rate; options are cycled through by long pressing the LEVEL button and selected by releasing it
• Clock source indicator LED: Shows the selected clock source; options are toggled by long pressing the LEVEL button after selecting the sample rate
• POWER: Turns the unit on or off; Adjacent LED lights up when unit is on

AMS Neve 1073SPX Mic/Line/DI Preamp and EQ Features:

• Genuine Neve 1073 in rackmount chassis with additional features for the modern studio
• Built to the exact specifications of the original with matching components to ensure sonic authenticity
• Class A balanced microphone/line preamplifier with Classic Neve transformer
• Flexible, powerful and definitive British 3-band equalizer
• High pass filter, polarity inversion switch, EQ input/output switch
• Front panel connections for microphone, line and DI inputs; Selectable mic/line input connections on rear panel
• Selectable 48V phantom power, Hi/Lo impedance, 20dB pad and DI ground on input stage
• Insert send and return loop, selectable post or pre-EQ
• 7-segment LED signal level meters for each channel, switchable to show mic/line/DI input stage, EQ stage, or output stage level
• Output level control
• Microphone input: +80dB to +20dB gain in 5dB steps
• Line input: 10k bridged input impedance, +20dB to -10dB gain in 5dB steps
• Both line inputs are transformer-balanced and ground-free
• DI input: Input impedance 1mΩ (pad out), 10kΩ (pad in); Gain: +80dB to +20dB in 5dB steps
• Maximum output: >+26dBu at 600Ω, output is transformer balanced
• Distortion: <0.07% from 50Hz to 10kHz at +20dBu output (80kHz bandwidth) at 600Ω
• Frequency response: ±0.5dB, 20Hz–20kHz, -3dB at 40kHz (EQ output)
• Multivoltage external power supply
• Designed and manufactured in England by AMS Neve engineers