In this difficult moment that sees many companies involved in the procurement of electronic components, especially for companies such as the Spanish Heritage Audio which makes all its hardware production in Western Europe, we have managed to have a product unit that we are going to review. thanks to the shop Cav. Music House Fifth Fabio. We are talking about the two-channel channel strip Heritage Audio HA73x2eq.
As a rule, we always try to get top-of-the-range models to review from the editorial staff, but in this case we were very keen to have this model in our hands, as they are already happy owners of a pair of 73jr 500 preamp, to understand once and for all what the difference was between the Elite series and the series DMA o 500, obviously without going to touch the band of the 80 series which stands in a price range (and quality), a couple of steps forward.
First approach to the tool
The unit came to us in classic Heritage packaging, as it did for successor e Ha609 within which we find the unit equipped as always with an external power supply (a plus in my opinion not just nowadays). This model also aesthetically follows the iconic two-channel channel strip of the brand Neve.
Front panel
On the front panel we find the entrance from left to right DI . It lacks an XLR input which would have been very handy, especially in home studio situations, the button 48v, path applied before the input transformer, the switch button from microphone input to line input and the button A LIE which changes the impedance of the microphone input from 1200ohm a 300ohm.
Below we find the part of EQ, in classic 1073 style. We are in control 12khz shelving, double control for gain and frequency (with position off) at 7.2, 4.8, 3.2, 1.6, 0.7, 0.36, double control for low frequencies, always with the off position ranging from 220hz up to 35hz and finally a step control for the low cut part, operable at 300, 100, 80 and 50hz. Below we find the button EQL which turns the eq and the phase rotation switch on and off.
Back panel
On the rear panel we have two XLR microphone inputs, two XLR line inputs and two XLR outputs.
Hardware
This unit, as we have already said at the beginning, is placed in the Elite series made by Heritage Audio, but what are we talking about precisely? The project is obviously based on the superior models such as the DMA series and the 73jr, but thanks to a careful development phase, the Spanish company has succeeded in obtaining the classic Neve sound at a fairly lower price, without giving up the quality of its components. First of all, the transformers always remain i Carnhill hand-wrapped in St.Ives to Heritage Audio specifications. In the section eq the company reports that inductors are used potcore high-end Vinkor and high-quality Wima capacitors with tolerance 5%. Unlike many companies that change this type of inductors with generic ferrite cores or worse still the double mid-range inductor replace with a single one, as always according to the Spanish company, the replacement of this type of components affects the dramatically on the equalizer curves. Obviously, to get such a price over the original 1073, various components were used SMD and not made by hand as in the upper bands.
As also happens in the original version Snow 1073, also in this case when the amplification level is raised the impedance is proportionally changed, which is optimal for example for ribbon microphones notoriously low gain. The maximum gain is higher than 80db with an equivalent input noise lower than -125dbu, while as regards the output stage, the impedance is 75ohm to drive a load of 600ohm with an output noise lower than -100dbu . The power supply, obviously I would say for the cost of the product, is of the swtiching type. This unit unlike for example the successor (which is not of the Elite range) and of the HA609 which instead is part of it, is equipped with a set of knobs in perfect Neve style, but this time similar in feeling to those of the 73jr or DMA series and not plasticky, as for the two compressors.
Test
Having the good fortune of owning a pair of 73jr on 500 racks, we made a direct comparison between the two preamps on various sources. In the case of the vocal example we used two Neumann u87ai, while for the acoustic guitar test we used two DPA 4090. The result is quite evident, that is, it is clear that the 73jr version is a step ahead (and God forbid ...), it is especially noticeable in the low range, softer and more present, while it becomes almost imperceptible in the high range and here we can listen the excellent work done by HA.
In fact, having had the chance to test other similar units, for example Warm Audio o Golden Age for example, in this case you actually get the feeling of having access to the real Neve sound, while other companies simply tend to give a tonal color that is sometimes even excessive to make it seem more British, when in fact the real Neve sound is far from it. Even making the input signal saturated, the timbre is not distorted, but rather always remains precise and detailed. It is clear that compared to the 500 rack version, this unit already has a slightly lower dynamics, but nothing to do with the sensation of “bottling” that other units give. The section Eq is the one that amazed me the most, truly effective. We made some bass and drum recordings, using the two Ha73 channels for the internal bass drum microphone, one Shure Beta91 and for the bass line, proceeding to a first equalization already in the tracking phase. Here the snow sound comes out with all its majesty, in fact you can easily hear it from our audio examples, where the sound of the kick drum has acquired a notable punch, while the sound of the bass is rounded and defined, for example by comparing it with the same signal. pre-amplified and equalized through a Midas Venice, which also has among its strengths, a respectable equalization section.
Finally, this unit has among its great advantages also the possibility of being used on the master to give a little life to some mix in the box, preferably with a pop \ rock cut, but the fact remains that it can be used for various musical genres.
Conclusions
Also in this case Heritage Audio does not contradict itself, whether it is high-end or entry level. It is clear that the tonal and dynamic difference compared to the higher models is present, especially for expert ears, in particular when we talk about the preamp section, but at the current market price of this unit I believe there is currently nothing that equals the quality of this product. The alternatives could be, the two-channel Channel strips made by Warm Audio, Stam Audio or Golden Age, but we believe that the product we tested is a step above the rest. At this point one wonders why not create a version by integrating at least the preamp section of the 500 series so as to have a product that could easily compete with the current version made by AMS, adding a few other features such as an XLR input on the front panel.
Registration made at the Trees Music Studio of Cava de'Tirreni (SA)
Voice - Michelangelo Maio - Microphones; Neumann u87ai
Acoustic guitar - Michelangelo Maio - Microphones - DPA 4090
Bass drum - Matthew Esposito - Microphone - Shure Beta91
Low - Luca Masi - FROM
Useful Information
Producer: Heritage Audio
Product: Heritage Audio HA73EQx2 Elite
Italian distributor: Midimusic SRL
Retail price: About 1820 Euros
Audio demo
