The three frequency bands from the original 1073® EQ were carefully selected by Rupert Neve to produce musical results on a wide range of signal sources. These three bands include optimal presence frequencies for male and female vocals, air band and selectable frequencies for bass control.
Exclusive to Neve, the 1073® inductor circuitry follows the incredibly detailed ‘pencil-on-paper’ specifications drawn up by Rupert Neve and his team of engineers in the ’70s. These hand-wound inductors “sing” when applying resistance to selected frequency bands to create that famous 1073 EQ character.
The Neve 1073LB EQ cut and boost amplifiers, for all three bands, are Class A design. The discrete audio circuit found in the classic 80-series 1073® EQ has been faithfully maintained – including original Tantalum capacitors and chokes for the high pass filter and presence band.
The Neve 1073LB and Neve 1073LB EQ make perfect partners by using the unique audio processing insert circuitry. The special circuitry places the LBEQ after the transformer-balanced input stage of the 1073LB but before the transformer-balanced output stage. When paired up this way, both units create an accurate, complete classic 1073® module signal path.
The revered high pass filter from the classic 1073® modules is included in the 1073LB EQ. Using the original circuitry and components, the 1073LBEQ HPF delivers 18dB per octave filtering at 50Hz, 80Hz, 160Hz, or 300Hz.
The Neve 1073LB EQ input and output stages are electronically balanced, delivering a pure signal path from both sides of the EQ circuit; this transparent I/O design means that only the classic 1073® EQ discrete circuit adds colour to the signal allowing for perfect pairing as an insert into the 1073LB preamp.
The signal presence LED illuminates green at -25dB and red at +26dBu to indicate analogue signal overload.