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Post by christopher on Jul 22, 2021 11:09:50 GMT -6
I now have the Heritage 73 eq jrs, and it does a lot for me on the eq that the 1073/500 did, to my surprise. Thanks, yes! The EQjr is exactly what I have too. Sorry about the confusion, I forgot they also have the full channel 500 EQ. The EQjr has both line in and out transformers and same inductors, that’s why I went for it. For my often too bright Rode Classic the EQ helps big time, I often roll off 20k a few dB, boost low shelf @60hz a little. It sounds like I didn’t use any EQ. Then I often boost 360 or 700 a hair which can help mask the 2k area. Or if high mids are really annoying, can always back those off as well. I can’t live without neve EQ I don’t think, haha. I’d probably take the alctron over not having any, (although I’ve never tried it .. decades of reliability like the OG might be a concern)
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 22, 2021 11:40:29 GMT -6
I wonder if the handwired vs non-handwired thing has anything to do with the laser beams (pew pew!). I had the 500 series version which I don't think is handwired. In any event, these things definitely are subjective and I could see the right mics and sources being a good fit with the AMS! Yeah I think the Handwired one sounds better but I still feel it it's in the same family of sound and is rather clean compared to some clones. I've used the 500lb but not enough to really form on opinion on it, it definitely didn't sound bad to me though. I had the DPA for years and still use it all the time at a studio and often recommend it to friends as a great first do it all preamp, but that's just my personal taste! I can see how somebody expecting an abundance of color would be a bit disappointed, the BAE would probably be a better fit for people disappointed with the DPA.
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phil
Full Member
Posts: 32
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Post by phil on Jul 23, 2021 7:22:12 GMT -6
Guys, thank you very much for sharing your impressions, it helps me a lot. Please don't get me wrong, AMS 1073 DPA is a good preamp, but in my opinion it lacks the "glue" that can make the transients sound more pleasing to the ears, without that sharpness in the upper mids. This is very difficult to explain. bricejchandler Thank you, your detailed answer helped me a lot! I also found some feedback on the forums where people said that AMS handwired modules sound rounder than Ams 1073 Dpa. Unfortunately I have no experience with BAE preamps, but judging by the Internet shootouts, BAE has a BIG, smooth and pleasant sound. But I also understand exactly what you are talking about when you say that it may sound a little unbalanced compared to AMS. From what I've heard, the Bae also has a slightly muddy low end, while the AMS in this area sounds tighter and more balanced and natural. It seems to me that BAE has a great color and "mojo", but it is probably undesirable to have this preamp as the only one, perhaps the AMS module can be more versatile due to a more balanced sound. I could be wrong in many ways as I had no experience with AMS handwired modules and BAE. But in some internet shootouts, I can clearly hear the BAE character (Big, slow, smooth, vintage, sleepy, soft) and the AMS SMD mic pre's character (Faster, cleaner, tighter, but with thinner low end and with harder upper mids). Considering that people here also wrote that the 1073lb and 1073 SPX sounded with these laser upper mids, I'm wondering, maybe the reason is in their SMD design?
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 23, 2021 8:11:54 GMT -6
Guys, thank you very much for sharing your impressions, it helps me a lot. Please don't get me wrong, AMS 1073 DPA is a good preamp, but in my opinion it lacks the "glue" that can make the transients sound more pleasing to the ears, without that sharpness in the upper mids. This is very difficult to explain. bricejchandler Thank you, your detailed answer helped me a lot! I also found some feedback on the forums where people said that AMS handwired modules sound rounder than Ams 1073 Dpa. Unfortunately I have no experience with BAE preamps, but judging by the Internet shootouts, BAE has a BIG, smooth and pleasant sound. But I also understand exactly what you are talking about when you say that it may sound a little unbalanced compared to AMS. From what I've heard, the Bae also has a slightly muddy low end, while the AMS in this area sounds tighter and more balanced and natural. It seems to me that BAE has a great color and "mojo", but it is probably undesirable to have this preamp as the only one, perhaps the AMS module can be more versatile due to a more balanced sound. I could be wrong in many ways as I had no experience with AMS handwired modules and BAE. But in some internet shootouts, I can clearly hear the BAE character (Big, slow, smooth, vintage, sleepy, soft) and the AMS SMD mic pre's character (Faster, cleaner, tighter, but with thinner low end and with harder upper mids). Considering that people here also wrote that the 1073lb and 1073 SPX sounded with these laser upper mids, I'm wondering, maybe the reason is in their SMD design? I'm leaning towards the AMS modules for now, because if I don't like it, it will be easier for me to sell it. The reason is probably the "N" logo heh. Bae will be harder to sell in my country. Also the 1084 is not much more expensive than the 1073, which I guess is the better option? The DPA is definitely a little faster and brighter compared the handwired and the BAE. I think you'll be extremely pleased with a handwired Neve module. I know quite a few people who have them and have never heard a complaint and as I've stated previously I find they're probably the best balance between color and versatility. The Bae has a very recognizable character, whether it's to your liking is anyone's guess but like you said, you can clearly hear the difference between the DPA/SPX and the BAE in numerous shootouts on GS and the differences are consistent across all shootouts. Tbh I'm not that interested in the whole Neve debate anymore as I've been using tube preamps for I'd say 90% of things I record for the last several years. I've recently settled on the Coil Audio preamps and find they sound better than any Neve I've ever used for most things. They sound big ( way bigger than BAE) with smooth transients and yet they still remain faithful to the source/microphone whereas I find anything going through the BAE always comes out sounding like the BAE ( which is a wonderful color when appropriate ). If money is no object, definitely get the 1084, the extra eq points and low-pass filter make it quite a bit more versatile.
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Post by hadaja on Jul 23, 2021 15:32:59 GMT -6
Hey Brice, nice comment about you using Coil amps more then Neve lately. What Coils amps do you use on vocals or are you sticking with Neve style here? Thanks
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Post by teejay on Jul 23, 2021 22:14:12 GMT -6
Hey Brice, nice comment about you using Coil amps more then Neve lately. What Coils amps do you use on vocals or are you sticking with Neve style here? Thanks "What is a CA-286S into a CA-70S?"
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 24, 2021 2:09:45 GMT -6
Hey Brice, nice comment about you using Coil amps more then Neve lately. What Coils amps do you use on vocals or are you sticking with Neve style here? Thanks I've been switching to Coils mostly though I find the Agressive tone of the BAE can really fit the right singer/song. On instruments I'm using Coils on 99% of tracks. I still use the BAE on the occasional electric guitar or bass that needs to be extra gnarly. I haven't used any eq when tracking with the Coils, I've been able to get what I wanted just with the NF and Low knob. For vocals, as Todd mentioned I've been cascading one Coil into the other, I'm still experimenting, I've been working quite a bit on other things and haven't been able to use the Coils on vocals as much as I'd like to but the little I've tracked I'm getting some great tones. I'm finding that I usually need a little passive eq after the preamp to brighten it up a tiny bit. I'd been using a Tree Audio Branch or A 1073 for the last couple of years for vocals, and the Tree had an openness and clarity on vocals that didn't need any eq, but I'm still liking the general vibe and depth of the Coil better but it needs a little eq to give you that modern vocal sound.
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 24, 2021 6:23:50 GMT -6
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Post by nudwig on Jul 24, 2021 11:23:20 GMT -6
Well, that definitely sold another 286! The BAE example had all the stuff I'm usually fighting with mine, or if not fighting trying to make sound like the Coil example. I've been following the Coil thread at the other place and it's great to see they're going to be available again soonish.
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Post by Vincent R. on Jul 24, 2021 12:19:40 GMT -6
Thanks bricejchandler. The coil sounds great. I’ve been really curious to hear those units. However, this proves to me that my personal preference is still the Neve family. Can’t explain why, but it is.
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 24, 2021 15:38:09 GMT -6
Well, that definitely sold another 286! The BAE example had all the stuff I'm usually fighting with mine, or if not fighting trying to make sound like the Coil example. I've been following the Coil thread at the other place and it's great to see they're going to be available again soonish. The Coils have a very natural, elegant sound but still sound really big. My voice sounds like my voice through the coil, through the bae it comes out sounding like the bae which I like when appropriate but it’s hard to get rid of that transformer sound if you don’t want it. The 286 is way more flexible in that regard. The 286 can also be brighter on lower gain settings. Î’m chandlersonic on GS and I’ve posted quite a few samples on the coil thread if you want to hear the 70s also
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 24, 2021 15:40:31 GMT -6
Thanks bricejchandler. The coil sounds great. I’ve been really curious to hear those units. However, this proves to me that my personal preference is still the Neve family. Can’t explain why, but it is. The Bae definitely has a familiar sound! I thought I’d end up selling the bae after getting the coils but I’m finding the bae is still useful for some applications !
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Post by kaleida on Jul 24, 2021 16:10:10 GMT -6
In the past few years, I’ve had the AML, AMS, Aurora, and BAEs. Frequency-wise, from darkest to brightest, I’d rank them BAE, AMS, AML, Aurora. In terms of harmonics and “color,” in order of least to most, I’d rank them AML, AMS , Aurora, BAE. I haven’t tried an AMS unit with EQ so I plead the 5th on that one, but among the others, I found the BAE’s EQ section far more colorful, euphoric, and useful. Aurora and AML just don’t stack up in that regard.
For me, the BAEs are go-to kick / snare and occasionally guitar pres / EQs. Their low end bump, high end roll off, and overall color and distortion characteristics are typically appealing on those sources.
I may buy another Aurora someday just for vocal / snare usage. I’m not a huge fan of the BAEs on vocals in contrast - for whatever reason, the midrange and distortion just get harsh sometimes. I did find the Aurora EQ to be really bland somehow, so I’d go for the pre and couple that with another EQ if needed.
I think the AMS is a great all-rounder that works pretty well on most things. It’s got plenty of color too and is a bit flatter and more versatile to my ears. That said, as the “middle of the road” Neve option, while it generally sounds good, I don’t recall finding it exceptional on many sources.
The AML is a good budget pick. I found it to have less depth than the others. The EQ is definitely usable, but less exciting than the BAE. It was surprisingly comparable to the UAD 1073 EQ plugin when I compared them.
I’m down to just BAEs for my Neve-ish preamp options now, but that’s in large part due to having other preamp options that I find better suit things like overheads, vocals, bass, etc. If I were to start over, I think I would make different decisions depending on what I was typically tracking. If you’re doing drums I think the BAE‘s are an excellent option, but if you’re mostly doing vocals and acoustic instruments, the Aurora might be better and if you’re really needing to rely on them for a lot of diverse tasks, the AMS are easily the most flexible in my opinion.
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Post by mike on Jul 24, 2021 20:06:25 GMT -6
In the past few years, I’ve had the AML, AMS, Aurora, and BAEs. Frequency-wise, from darkest to brightest, I’d rank them BAE, AMS, AML, Aurora. In terms of harmonics and “color,” in order of least to most, I’d rank them AML, AMS , Aurora, BAE. I haven’t tried an AMS unit with EQ so I plead the 5th on that one, but among the others, I found the BAE’s EQ section far more colorful, euphoric, and useful. Aurora and AML just don’t stack up in that regard. For me, the BAEs are go-to kick / snare and occasionally guitar pres / EQs. Their low end bump, high end roll off, and overall color and distortion characteristics are typically appealing on those sources. I may buy another Aurora someday just for vocal / snare usage. I’m not a huge fan of the BAEs on vocals in contrast - for whatever reason, the midrange and distortion just get harsh sometimes. I did find the Aurora EQ to be really bland somehow, so I’d go for the pre and couple that with another EQ if needed. I think the AMS is a great all-rounder that works pretty well on most things. It’s got plenty of color too and is a bit flatter and more versatile to my ears. That said, as the “middle of the road” Neve option, while it generally sounds good, I don’t recall finding it exceptional on many sources. The AML is a good budget pick. I found it to have less depth than the others. The EQ is definitely usable, but less exciting than the BAE. It was surprisingly comparable to the UAD 1073 EQ plugin when I compared them. I’m down to just BAEs for my Neve-ish preamp options now, but that’s in large part due to having other preamp options that I find better suit things like overheads, vocals, bass, etc. If I were to start over, I think I would make different decisions depending on what I was typically tracking. If you’re doing drums I think the BAE‘s are an excellent option, but if you’re mostly doing vocals and acoustic instruments, the Aurora might be better and if you’re really needing to rely on them for a lot of diverse tasks, the AMS are easily the most flexible in my opinion.
Was your AMS model a handwired unit or a surface mount construction Kaleida?
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Post by kaleida on Jul 24, 2021 22:52:37 GMT -6
Was your AMS model a handwired unit or a surface mount construction Kaleida? I have no idea. I had a pair of 500 series units manufactured maybe 5 or 10 years ago? Not sure if that’s any indication.
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Post by bricejchandler on Jul 25, 2021 3:31:49 GMT -6
Was your AMS model a handwired unit or a surface mount construction Kaleida? I have no idea. I had a pair of 500 series units manufactured maybe 5 or 10 years ago? Not sure if that’s any indication. The 500 Neves are SMD. Your observations are pretty much in line with mine. I forgot about the Aurora. I really like the Aurora too. Really a cool sound on vocals. I was planning on buying their single channel preamp last year but my dealer stopped selling their products because apparently their after sales service is terrible.
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