Neve 1272 better than Great River MP-1NV?

[doriangrey]

At $695, wouldn't this be a better deal for a Mic Pre than spending $975 on a Great River MP-1NV?

I would be using it for tracking guitar, vocals and bass.

Neve 1272

Derek

 

[doriangrey]

I answered my own question. I did some research and found out what exactly a Neve 1272 is:

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"A 1272 is a line amp/summing buss amp from the circa 1970-76 era of neve consoles, such as 8048,8014,8016,and bcm10 portable consoles.

A 1272 is not a mic pre, nor was it ever used by neve as such.

However, when asked what he thought about people rewiring the 1272 as a mic pre, Ruperts' answer was" why not? It's all the same stuff in there".

Inside of a 1272, one finds an input transformer, a line amp card, and an output transformer.
Some enterprising techno gentlemen rewire these components and with the addition of appropriate volume and gain switches, build a preamp that emulates that found in a 1073( or other class a) input module.

The only problem occurs when one attempts to get much over 50 db of gain, which is accomplished in a 1073 by the insertion of an additional amp card. When wringing that extra gain out of one amp card, one encounters frequency response and distortion anomalies. However, assuming that the wiring is done properly, a 1272 can be made into a mic pre that exactly emulates the classic neve class a preamp 1073/1064/1066/1089/1084 type of circuit and of course , done right, that sounds wonderful...."

The above was an excerpt from danalexanderaudio.comhttp://www.danalexanderaudio.com/neverap.html

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So with that knowledge, there is really no way to tell if that particular Neve 1272 on Ebay is wired properly to perfectly emulate the classic sound of the Neve preamp. It would be $695 worth of a chance.

I think I will stay safe and stick with the Great River MP-1NV

Derek

At $695, wouldn't this be a better deal for a Mic Pre than spending $975 on a Great River MP-1NV?

I would be using it for tracking guitar, vocals and bass.

Neve 1272

Derek

 

[c9-2001]

i can tell you his pres sound very close to the real neve 1272's.
i've delt with him a few times. i just got a email from him the other day saying he'd build the neve pres that my friends want. at under $700 they sound better than the vintech dual72...its only 1ch though..
if your looking at a 1272 or 1nv check out BAE.
http://www.brentaverill.com/

 

[doriangrey]

When you say "him, are you referring to "mmatrix", the seller on Ebay?

Derek

i can tell you his pres sound very close to the real neve 1272's.
i've delt with him a few times. i just got a email from him the other day saying he'd build the neve pres that my friends want. at under $700 they sound better than the vintech dual72...its only 1ch though..
if your looking at a 1272 or 1nv check out BAE.
http://www.brentaverill.com/

 

[c9-2001]

yea i've delt with him through harmony-central

 

[doriangrey]

"mmatrix" is brent averill?

I'm wondering if the $695 for his Neve would be a better route than spending the $975 on a Great Rivers MP-1NV. I've heard the MP-1NV and it sounds really good to my ears. I wonder how those 2 would compare side by side?

yea i've delt with him through harmony-central

 

[doriangrey]

Again, I just answered my own question. mmarix from Ebay just emailed me back. His name is Jim.

his email said:

"Our 1272's are wired correctly to spec except for the additional stepped gain stages on both the input and output amp stages."

"mmatrix" is brent averill?

I'm wondering if the $695 for his Neve would be a better route than spending the $975 on a Great Rivers MP-1NV. I've heard the MP-1NV and it sounds really good to my ears. I wonder how those 2 would compare side by side?

 

[Fletcher]

I wonder how those 2 would compare side by side?

The intention was for them to sound different... which will sound "better" to you will depend on your sense of aesthetic... I'm pretty sure you can tell which one I'd prefer.

Also... you do have the impedance choices on the ME-1NV as well as the 'transformer loading' option as well as an insert point and the ability to play with the input/ouput gainstaging and input and output meters... however on the sonic level, you're the only one who can really make the determination as to which one will work best for you.

 

[c9-2001]

"mmatrix" is brent averill?

no. his name is Jim Kaye of Matrix Audio.
i figured if you looking at the great river or matrix you should check out bae too.though they cost a little more but well worth it. i'ma order a api 312 through bae in a few weeks.

Again, I just answered my own question. mmarix from Ebay just emailed me back. His name is Jim

his email said:

"Our 1272's are wired correctly to spec except for the additional stepped gain stages on both the input and output amp stages."

like i said they're well built units. we found him on harmony-central.com under the classifides. we say the price and it said neve 1272... i emailed him later that day and we got 1 pre from him. though i haven't had a chance to really use it much, my partner has it.

 

[doriangrey]

Thank you for the input Fletcher. From listening to those clips Dan provided on "thelisteningsessions.com", you have a supurb product. From what I have read, the MP-1NV is your modern improvment on the classic. Not that it counts much in the audio world, but it's aesthetially more appealing as well.

Derek Neece

The intention was for them to sound different... which will sound "better" to you will depend on your sense of aesthetic... I'm pretty sure you can tell which one I'd prefer.

Also... you do have the impedance choices on the ME-1NV as well as the 'transformer loading' option as well as an insert point and the ability to play with the input/ouput gainstaging and input and output meters... however on the sonic level, you're the only one who can really make the determination as to which one will work best for you.

 

[doriangrey]

Yep, that's it. I'll do some research on the bae. Thanks!

no. his name is Jim Kaye of Matrix Audio.
i figured if you looking at the great river or matrix you should check out bae too.though they cost a little more but well worth it. i'ma order a api 312 through bae in a few weeks.


like i said they're well built units. we found him on harmony-central.com under the classifides. we say the price and it said neve 1272... i emailed him later that day and we got 1 pre from him. though i haven't had a chance to really use it much, my partner has it.