News
Another Legend for your Lunchbox™
5 April 2011
Neve 1073LBEQ launches and sells out in under two hours
Following the runaway success of the Neve 1073LB preamp, AMS Neve has released the 1073LBEQ. Like the preamp, the new EQ unit offers true Neve 1073 circuitry and components, but in a format that fits the Lunchbox™ and equivalent portable racks. Configurable for standalone operation or in tandem with the preamp module, the 1073LBEQ was launched to dealers the day before the 2011 Frankfurt Musikmesse/Pro Light + Sound show, and sold out its initial production run in under two hours.
The original Neve 1073 has been one of the most sought after preamp/EQ units since the early 1970s, when it was first developed as the preamp section of Neve desks such as the BCM 10 and 8014. In its conventional rack format it has been an integral part of the sound of producers and engineers such as Roy Thomas Baker, Allen Sides, Greg Kurstin, Frazer T Smith and Al Schmitt, on top-selling recordings across every musical genre.
However – despite a clamour from dealers and users wanting a Lunchbox™-sized version – it proved impossible to fit the entire workings of the original 1073 into a 132mm (5¼”) x 145mm (5¾”) x 38mm (1½”) format without compromising the original Neve design. The solution was to make two separate units: one – the 1073LB – for the preamp section, and another – the new Neve 1073LBEQ – for the EQ.
“Trying to fit both the preamp and EQ functions into those dimensions simply wasn’t an option – not if we wanted to retain key features like the hand-wound transformers which are proprietary to AMS Neve and are such an important part of ‘that Neve sound’,” says David Walton, AMS Neve’s Outboard Products Manager. “That would have risked diluting the Neve quality offering and we weren’t prepared to short-change our customers.”
Customers now have the choice between full quality standalone Neve 1073 preamp and Neve 1073 EQ. Even better, the two units can combine. A simple configuration process allows the 1073LBEQ signal path to be inserted between the input and output stages of the 1073LB module, using the supplied connector, to create a true Neve 1073 classic audio path.
“We knew we were on to a winner when the first unit – the 1073LB – consistently outperformed even our most optimistic sales projections,” adds Walton. “And to have sold our entire initial production run of the 1073LBEQ on the strength of a dealer announcement – before any dealers have even seen, let alone tried out the unit – speaks volumes both for the quality and reliability of the classic 1073 and the market response to being able to get a piece of Neve magic in a modern format.”
For technical specifications, click here.
The Neve 1073LBEQ is available from all official Neve dealers from the end of April.
