Neve 1073 vs. Stam 1073 Pre-amp - Shootout & Sound Test Comparison
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Sound test comparison of a STAM 1073 EQ (using only the pre-amp) vs. an actual Neve 73LB pre-amp by CMA nominated music producer Brad Hill and international singer/songwriter/producer David DiMuzio.
Neither Brad or I is sponsored by Neve or Stam. We both bought our units. Now I want to try the Stam vs. the Neve pre-amp plugins that I have. I plan to do that next. Doing A/B tests I find helps me learn a lot about the gear I use. ...Also, made me realize I want that mic! haha
/ daviddimuzio - Follow me
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You guys are not getting it: Stam audio neve is based on vintage neve preamp while the 73lb is newer tech with SMC components made in China by machines. "The Neve Sound" is the Stam Audio one, that's what made Neve famous, not the "modern" SMC component Neves that we can buy today from the company. The idea of "the neve sound" is to have a certain character, not a clean mic preamp. If you want that, buy yourself a Grace Design m101 and you don't get much cleaner than that, if you want it to sound like a vintage Neve, buy yourself a clone identical in schematics and components to the original ones.
The Neve was abit more open and clear but the Stam def made it sound way more warm
Totally! Yet I think the neve is so warm! My dad finally gave me his 1073!
Fantastic shootout. Kudos guys.
I’m always amazed when I look at these Neve clone shoutouts. To my ears, the Neve sounds ‘more compressed’ (Brad thinks the opposite).
One of the things I hear quite often with the clones is a bump in the low mids/mids. Like someone took 1K and decided that should be a thing everyone should hear more of.
The Neve doesn’t have that. The harmonics it imparts (mainly in the lows and lower mids) all swirl around and just make anything cohesive. Folks talk about ‘clarity’ vs ‘character’, I mean… who wants ‘clarity’ out of a pre? You want magic!
I did close my eyes before the shootout began. And mind you, I was listening thru garbage iPhone earbuds (but I turn them sideways for more frequencies when I try and do ‘serious’ listening thru trash - sometimes you wanna get a mix A/B’d so you know what the majority of consumers are going to hear…) but I still heard that silkiness right away.
Brad, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the Chandler LTD strip (the lower serials).
In all cases, fantastic post.
Cheers, Mates
100% the 'swirling' in the lows creates depth and makes the sound more 'real'. I think its basically compensating fo the limitations of reproduction vs actually hearing real 3D sound with your ears.
Thanks for the nice properly done shootout. STAM is definitely useful almost ready for mix. If filters were engaged then it would almost be indistinguishable.
You're welcome :)
Nice shootout. The Stam sounds great. The Neve sounds good, but suffers from being a 500 series unit. Neve style modules in 500 series are never quite as rich sounding as their 500 series counterparts. I wish this had been a shoot out between two 19’ rack units.
Yes for this somg the stam, but the clarity of the neve is awesome, i definitely see my self using it in a more busy mix.
Would’ve been cool to see the waveform from each mic. I liked the Stam a bit more...not much.....just a bit. Great video!
Happy to help :)
David, as always, thanks for your time & effort! This video made me sell my stam mpa, & buy a Neve 1073 lb. Hands down, to my ears, it's night & day where it counts. If eq could fix the difference, I'd do that. It won't.
. I own 2 killer Stam mics, Stam & Josh are awesome, but I'm inspired by the Neve's sound. The Neve DI sounds amazing on bass guitar, too
Happy to hear you found the sound you've been looking for! :)
I wouldn't say one is better than the other, just a tad bit different flavors. The Neve sounds a bit softer and creamy, and the Stam is a bit more in your face. The terms are probably overused, but the Neve sounds more "vintage" and the Stam sounds like a tad more "modern" version of it, which makes sense. Both sound good.
Same here. The more of these reviews l read the more l wonder if different people's interpretations of terms are not the same as others. l have a set of high-end cans and every 6 months or so buy a set of low budget Sony headphones then use both when listening to the same music and it's amazing how naked sounds, good and bad become.
Finally the right way to compare. Thanks so much
You're welcome!
Great shootout, thanks. I think the Stam could be EQ'd to sound just like the Neve, but then you also have more tonal choices because of the EQ. That gives you more options to dial in the tone for each vocalist and instrument. So the Stam is more flexible. They both sound excellent. For David's voice, the Neve got thin at times, so the Stam wins by a nose.
I agree. On every system I've ever listed to this shootout back on I prefer the Stam on my voice. Sound consistently fuller.
Wow...Vocal was Awesome. I like Stam. Great video. Keep do more videos guys.
What draws me to the Neve is the sustain on lower volume passages. The switch from loud to intimid is carried better and not noticeable in contrast with the stam.
Stam is really great gear. Stam gear is like Pacman, slowly devouring my other gear and replacing it with Stam.
I prefer neve, because i hear more headroom which to me can literally be worth
How do you "hear" the headroom?
@@DystopianOwl lol, exactly.
Neve for sure...warmer, fuller but the Stam sounds great for sure
Hey great videos! Just one note, that is a "AMS Neve", which is not a real Neve! AMS purchased the brand from mr. Rupert Neve but it's definitely not the same as the actual units he used to build! Anyway Stam seems to be manufacturing great gear from the heart of South America which in itself is a great achievement! Keep up the good work, cheers!
Thanks for watching, and all the info :)
Hello, I really like the quality of your microphone can you tell me the brand of your microphone I have the neve 1073 plug-in on Universal audio I wanted to know if it is sufficient for logic pro x or I have to buy a preamp , physics I'm looking for a preamplifier with a lot of heat for the studio which will be the best esque the result is as good in plugin version as the physical version thank you
thanks for making this.. Im sold the neve sounds really great... the way it captures the vocal and smooth around the edges with depth to it. Stam sounds good 2 tho.
You're very welcome!
listen to the «s»-es... neve is more comfortable there... stam seems to have a highshelf on it... neve is a step closer to my face
I agree
Stam. Way closer to an original which is never ever harsh.
After relistening, I noticed that the Stam Audio has more midrange texture and more push.
in other words, stam no botom end
@@nickyssquad On the contrary. The Stam has a remarkably thick bottom end for a 73 design.
@@rudolfwormstall1196 sowter transformers has no atack . it s more smoth . keep that in mind.
@@nickyssquad I'm well aware of the Sowter transformer's sonic display. All transformers affect frequency range and therefore seem to hype one frequency band over the other. Also, some have a steel core while others have a nickel core.
But generally speaking, in a stereo field, you also require smoother articulated sounds, which is why there are so many engineers utilizing API preamps in order to have those tracks panned left and right.
Neve 1073LB is a light version of a Neve 1073. It has nothing to do with a Neve 1073DPX or a Neve 1073 Classic. Neve 1073 Classic costs 3 times the 1073LB
Brad has a full size Neve 1073 and actually prefers the sound of the 1073LB.
Stam is more full and harmonically saturated. Get's closer to vintage neve sound but still not quite there to a good vintage 1073.
The transient response it’s better in the Neve. Also the detail in the mids. The Stam seems a bit smeared all over the frequency range and it sounds further back in the sound stage. Great shootout! Cheers!
We both preferred the Stam overall, but the Neve does have a more forward sounding mid-range. The Stam is much warmer and fatter though. Both are great pres 😁
Really great but. The two different takes make it very hard to do scientific (less variables) type comparison. If the mic is the same can’t just one take be processed in post as a send per preamp? Then there’s basically zero variables
That neve has more presence..or a tab bit more gain i think...after coming back the next day....I choose the Stam
stam rocks!!
OG 1073LB wins for me. Thanks.
Stam all the way! 🎧🎙🎶
(Btw, what was really interesting to me was that, when the Stam was in use, the video was brighter and dude sang more "livelier"; vs. when the NLB was was in use, the video was darker and dude seemed melancholy/struggling to smile through the articulation of lyrics. Maybe it's just me, though! 🤷🏾♂️)
Hymn
did you get the optional Sowter output transformer in the Stam? that's why it's an option, for the extra depth & bottom end that it gives... u probably know that, but great video, & wonderful vocal!. I'd like to hear what the Stam sounds like on your voice with the eq turned up & down in the correct frequencies. What do u think about the eq section in that Stam?
Yes, I got the Sowter output transformer. The EQ section in the Stam is great.
I liked stam better for this song both sounds great
The preamps are nice but I'd love that mic!
My favorite condenser mic is the Stam SA800 😁
Use a REAL racked Neve. The lunchbox Neve stuff sounds totally different and IS different. That being said, the LB still sounds richer.
very interesting. I had ordered one but it was taking literally a year to come when I actually ordered it for a project that was a few months away at the time. I may reorder at some point. I do believe in the product but I needed to purchase an option for production and it was sad that they could not deliver.
Yeah, I totally understand. Mine took about a year to receive. I talked to Josh recently and he said that production times should be improving dramatically in the near future. I'm excited for when they do.
@@DavidDiMuzioLessons Yeah, I had a few positive conversations with him as well. A nice guy with a lot on his plate. I was truly looking forward to recieving my unit and knew it may take many months to ship but I was in need of an option that had me choosing between spending money on rentals that add up quickly or buying something else. Doing both works have added up to buying an original Neve unit long before the time a Stam unit would have arrived. at first I only wanted the 73(non eq). they suddenly stopped making it! I said fine, the 73EQ looked great too so I ordered that and well.... So maybe again in the future.
You gotta test an original 1073 classic with that to really see whats what
The Neve had better consonant intelligibility. More attack in the lower regions of the spectrum. The reproduction was overall more weightful. The STAM's sonics was less colored which is an attribute I'd rather allocate to 'melodic' instruments such as strings. I would have opted for the Carnhill transformer option though.
Neve has a touch of more low mid, but the stam is impressive
I heard gain on the acoustic from the Stam, Neve is cleaner.
thanks!
neve is more balanced. can def hear the difference. that manly sounds great. might have t pick that one up. currently have the ref c
Guys-500 series racks don’t draw enough power on a single channel to recreate the Neve sound, hence a lot of the 1073 clones on the 500 series format use 2x modules for 1 preamp.
While there is a case to be made that your money is better spent on a stam 73 than a Neve 73 “lunchbox” (or wtvr the model is called), you’re not exactly comparing apples to apples here.
The power rails on each single 500 series slot in a 500 rack are all connected in parallel. It makes absolutely no difference if you use two slots to get your current or draw double the current out of one connector socket. 500 series power supply is +-16V, Neve modules run on +24V, so technically you can get more headroom out of the 500 series power supply or use converters or dropping resistors to get the desired voltage.
Stereons Official thanks for providing the official numbers. By using both rails, you can see how you can more closely match the resistance and impedance and voltage of the original 1073 w/o greatly compromising 1 of the 3
@@FritzGillis Thats not correct, using multiple slots has nothing to do with either "resistance", "impedance" or "voltage". Some modules just need two rack slots because of the physical size of the components (especially the in and output transformers).
Stereons Official I’ll take your word for it. Cheers man
I cannot hear a significant difference. In a mix the differences would be inaudible
Sounds the same! The Neve is a tad more open around 3K?
Brad and I both felt like the Stam was more warm and had an overall more full sound when both Stam tracks where combined vs. with the two Neve tracks combined. The Neve had a little more presence and clarity in the high end, so yeah, probably a bit more 3K sorta range. Both sounded really good, but if we had to pick blind we both picked the Stam for overall tone/sound on this recording.
you can use a saffire scarlett interface too and you will barely listen to a difference..the mixing really matter not that
Stam sounds better to me
Me too
Why didnt they use a stam mic? Arent supposed to be just as good? Make wonder if i should be looking at them.
I didn't have one yet at that time. Now I do. Stam mics are incredible! This video wasn't made by Stam. I'm just a consumer.
Both sound good. The neve sound clearer
The Neve is more present sounding and the Stam is warmer
and thicker sounding. Just depends on what you're going for sound wise. Both are excellent mic pre-amps.
which mic do you like better. The Manley silver or the stam sa 800
Stam SA800
I'm rockin wit stam but then again I do trap music
Not enough harmonics coming through the stam
Neve 1073 was definitely more full to my ears
Great voice 👍
Thank you 💜🤘
This is not vintage Neve tho...
Hi guys. I have just purchased a Neve 1073 3Lb preamp. And the manual says it was designed to work with the API Lunchbox. But the smallest API now is 6 slots which I dont need. So my question is this : Will the Neve 1073 3Lb work with a BAE 3Lb 3 Channel 500 series rack ? Or do I HAVE to buy the API 6 slot ?
The 1073lb will work in any 500 series chassis, not just those made by API. Radial, Fredenstein, and a few other companies make a 2 and 3 slot chassis. API created the 500 series form factor, but just like many companies make 500 series modules, several companies also make the chassis.
Nice vocals, I felt the STAM was better!
What model neve preamp was this
The the NeveLB
Awesome and that mic is amazing 🤩
Neve !!!!!!
Chinese Kung-Fu masters had similar battles where one would poison the other before the fight. Weakening the opponent for a clear cut advantage. The STAM sounded beautiful and can clearly stand on its own. However, this would've gone down much differently if the STAM were up against a real Neve 1073 (not the weakened 500 series).
lol ...Price wise these two cost the same though (plus you don't need a 500 series rack for the Stam) so actually the Stam is cheaper ...so I'd say it's more than fair.
@@DavidDiMuzioLessons I'm just not a cheap person...again beautiful sounding pre but it does lack. For a person considering buying Neve's own knockoff, the STAM is a good contender. For a person like me...nah.
Stam... definitely warmer
These are very very close.....too close..
STAM is actually uncomfortable to listen to next to the NEVE. It's like he's the main voice on the NEVE and on the STAM he is just a background voice or "just another singer"
What? I'm really not hearing that..