On a 1073 style pre, do you find EQ useful on the hardware?

And… regarding single or dual unit. If that’s going to be one of your go to pre’s and your sound. Get a dual if there is a risk you will be tracking acoustics, overheads, room mics or any live singer song writer stuff and what not. Most of the time my second one stands useless but when it gets used it’s worth it’s weight in gold.

If you’re recording yourself then skip the eq. You can always move the mic a bit for broad strokes changes, and fine tune with software after. If you’re working as an AE for other folks, then eq on the way in is incredibly helpful, and the eq on a 1073 is great as the changes tend to be dramatic, and you can quickly make decisions.

Overrated how? I get that all this is subjective and its about getting a sound you are after. A 1073 is known for having a certain characteristic about it that for whatever reason appeals to a wide audience of users. How is the Coil and/or Olympic different in what its doing with the signal? I don't mean from a technical perspective but from one of sonic characteristics

Thanks.

I had a pair of Olympic modules for 6 months, tried to like them really hard, sold them both. There was always something about the top end that didn't work for me. I'm sure in the right context it rocks. These things are all so personal and subjective. I do love Neve pre's and the Coils are just wonderful on everything. Both always bring out the most in the music to me. I would take a pair of 1073s over one unit with eq.. especially if the pair have a HPF.

I love the Vintech stuff, but for me the low-shelf doesn't replace the HPF for clean-up duties...main reason I never bought the 273 or 473 and stuck with 73i, 73, and 81 units. If Vintech had a two channel pre with just the HPF, would be my first recommendation too.

Another pre that I REALLY like is Aurora Audio's GTQ2 which has a single-frequency HPF that I think works well (it also has a limited but useful EQ) --> but the GT500 unit for the 500 series is a preamp with adjustable frequency HPF -- if this pre were to sound as good as the 19 inch units, I would totally recommend checking that out too - but it's probably best described as 1073 adjacent, not really a clone.

Also, I agree with some of the posts above (notneeson, etc.) that external compressor more useful than external EQ, typically --> if you aren't going to compress going in before the converter (pre straight to ADC), even the HPF isn't of extreme importance (although still my preference to have one) - you can apply it easily in your DAW. Main point - probably best to focus on getting the "best" pre you can, the filter (and more-so EQ) are "nice to haves".

And there are compressors output there that provide a HPF in the side chain to stop it from reacting so much to bass frequencies (Chandler Germanium compressor, Buzz Audio SOC, Manley Vari Mu & ELOP, etc.) --> so if you happen to get a compressor with that feature, the HPF on the pre may be of lessor value too.

As time has gone on, I've just tried to use less and less plugins and more hardware - but just my personal preference.

-Chris

I'm just waiting for the "Special" Olympic to come out.
I wish I had typical/local access, to an exceptional Room (let alone Paul's ). Then on "Which Pre?" I could compare better.

FWIW I'd be cautious on getting anything Aurora.
(I hope Geoff's health is as good as possible BTW)
But...

There have been some repair/replacement issues.
That also hopefully were/are being resolved since. IMHO contacting them would be wise.

Great initial question BTW.
I've wondered about the EQ thing for years.

I may semi-$lum it someday, with a GAP 73jr.
But for a little more, the Useful Arts Hornet has already got a good Buzz.
Chris

Just as a curiosity, what is a "real Neve" in this case? A vintage unit or AMS-Neve or is BAE the closest? Just curious.
Thanks.
-Chris

Never heard one directly with my own ears...maybe someday :-)

I spoke with some very esteemed forum members about the “importance” of the EQ section on the 1073. I was interested in assembling some DIY options for mixing/saturation, and I eventually settled on a pair of AML 1084s which I assembled myself. They’re the double-wide preamp/EQ.

For my purposes (pushing the input/output), I don’t think I’d go for the full 1084 again. I can’t tell an enormous difference between pushed w/o flat EQ and then pushed with flat EQ engaged. So, that’s basically just testing the audio difference with and without the EQ engaged. My ears are not so discerning as to pick up on those subtleties. I seem to recall you can see some harmonic changes on a spectrum analyzer, but it wasn’t a huge forest of peaks. Again, even visually, it was a subtle difference. Maybe I just need to run more audio through them to learn.

However, the EQ section is bonkers amazing. It’s just if you’re already driving the unit into submission, even a little if that EQ can start to muck things up if you’re not careful haha.

Had the DIYRE 1073 kit been available (I believe it’s still pending, as of this post), I would have gone with those, just for the looks and regular knob-type options. The similar AML Line 1073 was out of stock. I also prefer having an actual knob for the output gain, as opposed to that little screwdriver knob thing.

Don’t get me wrong though. I really prefer having the EQ options available right there on the hardware. But the AML1084 kit was very time-consuming. It’s a great kit, but it’s a lot to assemble if you’re not really going for an EQ all the time.

Yes