So a combination of the above is always great. You have Shelf or Bell choices for the Hi and lo bands. It's EQ section is much much more versatile though. But I wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crakers. I is Class A/B and not quite as full sounding as the channels mentioned above. The 1081 is a competely differrent anaimal. The 1084 is the best of these three in that the top band has a selection of Freqs. The 1073 is the same but the toip band is 10k. The 1066 has a fixed top band 12K, a mid band with selectable freqs. If you want a more flexible EQ, the 1084 (not 1081) is the one you want.1066, 1073, 1084 = Class 'A' with 3 band EQ and Hi-Pass filter. Later in life Rupert Neve founded a new company called Rupert Neve Designs that produces his more recent designs.1073.

The exact transformers in the vintage units are no longer made today so technically nothing produced today is an exact clone of the vintage units, but it's the same circuit and generally sounds the same. There are also other companies that make 1073 clones like BAE, Heritage, etc. In the 80's Neve was acquired by Siemens and later merged with AMS to form the company AMS Neve that exists and produces many products today based on the 1073 circuit (rack versions, 80 series, 500 series). When people are referring to a Neve 1073 they are generally referring to the vintage units from that era, but that company no longer exists. Don’t both make a rack version, 80 series vertical and horizontal versions, table top version and 500series version ? Or AMS Neve makes certain ones and Neve makes the other ones ? Which company makes which ones ? Very confusedRupert Neve founded Neve in the 60's and produced the 1073 preamp/eq. The 80-series ? Or the AMS Neve 1073 DPA or 1073N ? Good luck in the bar.Which 1073 with EQ section is that ?

Brent Averil which sound different but not bad different just a little rounder in tone. Yet, this doesn't mean there aren't perfectly usable other brands that a lot of people like i.e.

If you really want the closest thing to an original, it would be AMS with the EQ section. Some people will compare preamp only models to other preamp only brands and this is at least apples to apples. Note however: some people are going to compare preamp only units to the sound of an original 1073 which has more transformers and EQ and try to convince you one is better than the other. That said, AMS Neve do a really good job with their remakes. So, your results will be a brawl and you're going to get beat up. This is what you have done with your question only the bar is full of home recorders, pro engineers and manufacturers who sell preamps. Say you walk into a biker bar look around and yell out what's the top 3 motorcycles.

Name of the neve 1073 preamp without eq