The AMEK 9098 is not anywhere near a Neve 1073. The 9098 is much more neutral or bland in comparison. The real beauty if the 9098 is the celan and smooth eq. If you want the flavor of the 1073 for cheap (in comparison to a new or used Neve 1072) then audition one of the many 1073 clones on the market such as Chandler or Vintech.

Yeah...I agree with AG -
The Amek is anything but colorful. In fact, it's incredibly clean. It'd be a good "blank slate" preamp for a lot of things, but I'd hesitate to use it for vox. If I were leaning towards uber-clean for voice, I'd go Millennia or Grace. Otherwise, I'd be looking for a bit more bite or character.

The thing to know is this. Rupert hates the old stuff. He has always intended to make the cleanest, natural sounding stuff, but was limited by technology. Listen/watch his interviews today. He thinks that today he is making the best stuff that he can make.
[GALLERY=media, 363]NAMM Oral Histories: Rupert Neve Part 1 (1 of 4) - YouTube by audiokid posted Mar 27, 2015 at 11:56 AM[/GALLERY]
This is not to say that he is not proud of his acheivements. He is. He should be. But there is a BIG difference between Rupert "Neve" and the multiple "Neve" companies that followed.

Go to Vintech's webpage. They have a shootout blog on there, where Ainlay and some other hot dogs could not tell the difference between a Vintech made to Neve specs and a vintage Neve. Infact, multiple vintage Neve's of the same model were tested and sounded very different from one another.

Totally disagree

I use the 9098 on vocals almost exclusively becuase it is sooo beautiful, which to me does not mean neutral. So I have to disagree with the previous comments. I have (in some cases had) TLA classic tube mic pre's, Nightpro mic pre's, and currently the API a2d as well as the Grace designs. I think it's strange that one of the comments says the neve is neutral and to use a grace pre instead, which, if you read any review, describes it as one of the least colored pre's out there.

Re: Totally disagree

hisroyalsucculence wrote: I think it's strange that one of the comments says the neve is neutral and to use a grace pre instead, which, if you read any review, describes it as one of the least colored pre's out there.

Uhhhhh....Exactly what thread were you reading?

While I will say that there isn't a problem with ANYONE disagreeing with ANY comment made on this board....and certainly the comments made by the previous posters are not exclusive of this, these are some serious gear hounds with racks of this stuff sitting around so these comments weren't made lightly.......The problem I have is NO ONE said that a NEVE was neutral in any way, that the consensus is that the AMEK 9098 pre isn't a particularly coloured pre( not a bad thing at all) and that someone wanting a very clean uncoloured pre should look to the Grace or Millennia stuff.........

I say this simply to warn you of a backlash that is sure to come your way soon.

Disagree all you wish, but be sure you're reading the quotes properly before you tackle the guys with all the gear.

BTW...I also like the 9098 on vocals. And its mostly because of the EQ...the preamp section is really okay.

Hey guys. Rupert must to say this, because he must to sell own new produts. This is marketing. History would be say about new and old preamps.

sheet wrote: ... Infact, multiple vintage Neve's of the same model were tested and sounded very different from one another ...

just thought that needed to be repeated

many old units are not currently working to spec
and probably need a tech to give them some luv and care ... TLC

not quite a clone
but the GreatRiver is also worth looking at when chasing a transistor pre with colour
" Im looking for a transistor pre that i can also well use for recording vocals "

Hi all, i spotted this while looking on the net,
i know its a very old thred but felt i had another light to shine on the 9098,
I have been using the 9098 for a long time now and have tried it with a few things,
vocals, some of you are using the word neutral, a very subjective word depending on what you are use to
so i can only write from what im use to, so go easy please its just my view.
on vocals i can dial in warmth and bring out the hi's, mids and lows with ease and more to the point for me
it seems to expand the range of my mic compared to others i have tried, almost like its really sucking out
every last detail that my mic has to offer which i can not hear using the desk preamp, it seems to bring it more forward
clearer and the boost is there in any of the freq i need to and the same with cutting,
so thats all i know about it and thats all i need from it, it works for me.

Here is the other light i want to shine on it,
As a bass pre amp its fantastic.
I have been right through the mill on getting a great bass sound and so far the best preamp is right there in the swr
super red head, 2x10 combo ( pre out) now this thing kicks ass when you want that marcus sound, its right there
( as thats what he used) its a valve pre, and its as good as it gets.
Now when i have used the 9098 with the bass as well as a split chan 1 swr and 1 9098 and done an A and B test
its as clean as the swr and surprisingly as fast acting, when your pulling/snapping them notes alot of amps sound more like a dull thud, the 9098 like the redhead is snappy sharp and quick.
I like it, and so its place in my studio is well respected and i think it will there for a long while yet.
Just my view.

Nice. I kinda like that the Amek stuff has been devalued somewhat. Makes it a great value for what it really does......

personally not a huge fan of the AMEK consoles like the BIG, HENDREX or ANGELA's but i once owned a pair of 9098 pre /eq's. i really really really liked them. both the pre and the eq sections are killer and a bonus is you can use them both at the same time on different things. is a 9098 a 1073? no. 9098's don't have any transformers. they use a topology Rupert called a "transformer like amplifier". they do have their own sound. i found that bass players in particular appreciated them. a countryman di into the 9098 and presto!

Davedog, post: 451505, member: 4495 wrote: Nice. I kinda like that the Amek stuff has been devalued somewhat. Makes it a great value for what it really does......

Hi dave, it did indeed, i remember them dropping to around £500 ish but they seem to have gone back up abit now
around 6 to 800ish.
https://www.ebay.co…

Kurt, i have never tried the desks, but as was very tempted to go for one when one came on ebay a short while ago, but i was checking out a cd that had some tracks done on a soundtracs, and thought that is the sound im after, not got it yet tho, any thoughts on the soundtracs ?