the $99.00 1073

[pucho812]

I have decided to go as low as possible and do a 99 dollar 1073 copy. 

1. will need to be electronically balanced. No transformers here. Gotta fit the 99 dollar price tag.

2. will be all ic's, again gotta fit the 99 dollar price tag

any other ways to cut corners? cheap pots, knobs, yeah that's a given.

About the only thing in common will be  the look and the number  ;D

 

[mjrippe]

Please don't be offended because I know your history here and respect you as a tech, but WHY???  If it is just another 5532 preamp and eq that happens to have the same frequencies as a 1073 it seems to me to be a waste of time.

 

[pucho812]

Please don't be offended because I know your history here and respect you as a tech, but WHY???  If it is just another 5532 preamp and eq that happens to have the same frequencies as a 1073 it seems to me to be a waste of time.

oh I am not offended by any stretch.  but it's the race to the bottom.  ;D
If people can by things that rhyme with harm, or ham, why not beat the clones to the bottom.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I suspect this is already happening (I had to google 1073) to see what that is, and it should be easy, certainly possible to do that on the cheap using modern technology.

I also am inclined to agree with the query "why?"...

An ironic catch-22 about esoteric audio products if they are not expensive, they are perceived as lesser worth.  I ran into this in the hifi biz back in the 80's with an $150 phono preamp that (IMO) was as good as could be done (certainly better than the medium)... nobody took me seriously at that too low price. I got a good review in an audiophool magazine quite by accident. I sent a prototype to a friend to listen to and he shared it with a well known reviewer without my knowledge. To fully exploit that I'd have to spend significant funds on advertising (I did reprint the favorable review).

What is your ideal... Make a good mic preamp for <$100, or mimic the exact transfer function of the legacy Neve mic preamp? An effort to null deeply against an original Neve unit might give you a selling hook. 

I see little explanation for crazy high prices (for anything) other than that people have too much money.

JR

 

[alexc]

Great idea - even a moderately close version won't be a piece of cake to do for that price. Rotary switches are always difficult to deal with; might need some clever circuit adaptions to provide a similar functionality.

I think there could be quite some interest out there in something like this.

I'd like to see a version with some modern ics, especially for the front and back ends  ... for example, the drv134 balanced driver is cheap and startlingly great.

The lme49860 opamps are  superb and not many dollars - they even have a series that takes higher rails, if one wants to add some of that old time 'high voltage rail' magic. It can be a marketing point too.

Might even be able to work some 'magnetics' in too ... there are cheap as chips little transformers avail that one could conceivably use to give some 'magnetic thd'  as an option.

Good luck with it   I'm already excited by the idea!

 

[pucho812]

The end goal here is simple.  We can clone the function of said piece and even copy the look,  then skip the electronics in favor of purely ic's and no transformers. To fit a 99 dollar price tag.

 

[zamproject]

To fit a 99 dollar price tag.

I suspect you try to reach the 9999 post tag here  ;D
Then you can design a 10k 1073 clone  :

sorry for -funny- off topic  8)

Best
Zam

 

[pucho812]

I suspect you try to reach the 9999 post tag here  ;D
Then you can design a 10k 1073 clone  :

sorry for -funny- off topic  8)

Best
Zam

;D

 

[L´Andratté]

neve 34128 schematic (ics are 5534)
https://i0.wp.com/www.littledevilstudios.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Neve-34128-Schematic.png
just skip the inductor for gyrator and skip the transformer for using something like
http://sound.whsites.net/project66.htm

Just an idea

 

[mjrippe]

A 34128 still has an input transformer and an inductor in the limited EQ.  At the $99 mark a plugin will probably sound better.  But it's up to you how to spend your time and money...

 

[ruffrecords]

You need to delete the transformers, the inductors and the expensive ELMA switches. The switches could be the big problem especially if you want to retain the dual concentric controls. Other than that one good front end mic chip and a few 5532 and you are home and dry. You could call it the 1073F (for fake) or 1073C (for cheap). Your biggest cost is then likely to be the front panel.

For the gain switch, how about sing a rotary encoder connected to a$2 micro driving a few $1 relays to set gain and switch mic/line inputs.

Good luck.

Cheers

Ian

 

[weiss]

I like the idea, but i'm not sure it still can be named 1073..
The warm audio clones are already shit cheap but don't sound like a neve 

 

[midwayfair]

Really, once you remove the transformers and go with chips, exactly what about it is characteristically. 1073?

Seems better at that point to just build something that's supposed to use chips. I really like the simple little  5532 pre I built, so I can't imagine that what you make will sound bad.

 

[pucho812]

I like the idea, but i'm not sure it still can be named 1073..
The warm audio clones are already sh*t cheap but don't sound like a neve 

Why not? A name is just a name.  You would be surprised at how much you can add value to something with the right number string. For example a mic with the number 47 attached to it really adds value.

 

[weiss]

Why not? A name is just a name.  You would be surprised at how much you can add value to something with the right number string. For example a mic with the number 47 attached to it really adds value.

yeah, you're right. I'd give it a try. Looking forward to how it goes..

 

[Jarno]

How much of the sound of the 1073 is in the inductors, and how much of it is in the output iron?
I myself wanted to try making something that uses inductors for the eq, and then one of the gain stages from the schematic, followed by the output stage.

Edit:
Sorry, it obviously has inductors for the EQ already, I meant gyrators.

 

[clintrubber]

I guess that if it'd be possible to keep most of the 1073 sound and really make it cheap, then it'd have already been part of the Klark Teknik 1176-KT, EQP-KT, KT-2A range ?

Perhaps it's still upcoming...

I do like this thread though!

Apart from all this, it's interesting that the passives & mechanics determine the 1073-BOM...
the active devices (just several simple discretes) are just some cents*

*: ignoring for now that one should only use certain 2N3055 & whatnot

 

[pucho812]

oh lord the KT73 ;D

 

[clintrubber]

oh lord the KT73 ;D

Yep!    So do hurry up!  8)

 

[ruffrecords]

oh lord the KT73 ;D

That sounds like a tube. Bound to have a warm sound.

Cheers

Ian