Setup
Contents
We connect the Neve to studio monitors, including the HEDD Type 07. To approach a more conventional home setup, we also connect the Neve Precision DAC to the Bryston 4B3 power amplifier and the Focal Sopra No1 of the Alpha Audio reference set.
As sources we use ROON endpoints (Ambre and Baby Ambre) and on the balanced input the Primare R35 phono preamp (review follows!).
Surgical
Because the headphone amplifier part is completely separate from the preamplifier part, we are curious how this part performs. In our notes the word ‘precision’ always comes back. With every source we connect we hear the difference. For the test of the Primare R35 phono preamp we try four different turntables and elements. The R35 offers a lot of adjustment possibilities and we hear the difference in adjusting the capacity value back in the soundstage.
In Roon we hear differences between different versions of the same track and we hear how playing through Roon differs from music players like VOX. Also here we hear the roots of Neve. It’s surgical precision what we hear, without it getting clinical or chilly.
Compared to the Pass Labs XP12, our reference preamplifier, the Pass adds a little more warmth and smoothness. But it has to be said that the Bryston-Pass combination is a match made in heaven. It just works. At this level it is not so much about good or less good, but much more about whether one audio component fit well. And that can only be done by listening carefully. What a rotten job we have…
The sound signature is neutral and powerful. And fast, very fast. The Fidelice sends out a strong signal and that means that in practice we turn up the volume control to about a quarter; that’s more than enough to fill a room. And then we’ve already set the gain at the back to -10dB. At this level, we’d expect a more finely tuned volume control, like with the Benchmark HPA4 or the Burson Audio Conductor V3. Now we have to turn the volume knob very cautiously within a too small margin.
Neve uses volume controls from Alps in his mixers and also in these pre-amp; it can hardly get better. It would be nice if the volume control can be adjusted in smaller steps. In our opinion a more refined volume control would fit this device (in this class). What we also miss is a remote control. For the headphone amplifier this is not necessary, but with a preamp a remote control is just a requirement.
The Neve DA Converter
The DAC is from AKM (4497) and accepts DSD formats up to 32 bit, 384 kHz (PCM) and DSD512 (22.4 MHz). On the back you can use dipswitches to set the different digital filters. The differences are subtle and can best be heard with a solo piano-track; with one filter we hear that the piano dies out a bit faster than with the other filter. for the connoisseurs, so.
We don’t have much else to criticize on the DAC. It’s well-implemented, fast and precise, so it fits well in this Neve preamplifier.
