A new product made by the Spanish Heritage Audio has been available for some months now. We are talking about the compressor \ limiter stereo \ dual mono HA-609, clearly inspired by Neve.
Looking at it, we cannot fail to connect it to the historic 33609 made by the English company now more than thirty years ago. The first question to ask is whether there was actually a need to create "yet another Snow clone", given that the market is now quite overloaded with copies that are successful, much less well or that have only the Neve aesthetic, but quite different. features. In this case, however, we are talking about Heritage Audio, probably the company that most manages to get closer with its products to the historic Neve sound (probably on some machines, even more than the current reproductions of the English company), recreating historical devices with maximum precision. Also in this case, we are faced with the first real product that manages to match the original sound quality and construction.
As already extensively explained in the article concerning theHeritage Audio Successors, the technology on which this HA-609 (and its predecessor 33609) is based is also a diode bridge, only that as already mentioned above, unlike the Successor which is only stereo, in this case, the device also has features dual-mono with sections of compression e separate limiters.
A LOOK AT HA-609
From an aesthetic point of view, the HA-609 differs from the 33609, for adopting the aesthetic of the series 1073 unlike the original Neve. The number of knobs available, the displays and the ranges of values for ratio and release times remain the same.
The limiting section starts from the left. The threshold can be set between 0 e +20dBU, the release time varies in four steps from 50 ms a 800 ms. There are also two automatic modes that treat the level peaks differently from the more homogeneous signals: A1 gives the peaks a release time of 50 ms, otherwise up to 800 ms. Meanwhile, in position A2 it is a bit slower with 50 ms e 1,5 s. The attack time can be selected using a switch that varies between “ATTACK FAST” or normal. Heritage Audio does not provide any information on exact timing. The limiter can easily be bypassed without affecting the sound level.
The compressor has a similar structure; here too is the button for quick attack, threshold and release. The release times from 100 ms a 1,5 s they are slightly slower than the limiter. The compressor also has two automatic programs. The compression ratio varies from 1,5: 1 a 6: 1 (obviously unlike the successor, here we do not have the step limiter, as it is already present).
Lo stereo link initially it is difficult to understand. The settings of one channel are not adopted for both, but the higher gain reduction is passed on to the other channel as well. Release, gain make up and attack must be done manually.
Therefore, in stereo operation it is worth defining one channel as the master and setting the threshold to the maximum in the other channel so that the channels do not get in the way of each other, as in the original, the two VU meter they are arranged offset from each other and are very well lit with two LEDs each. Below are two more bypass switches, this time for the whole device,
THE TEST
From a construction point of view, Heritage Audio is a guarantee, the machine is very solid, the knobs are of excellent workmanship (even if lighter than the '73 series), the only flaw (also present in the original) is that the vu meter (as well as in the Successor), it only indicates the gain reduction, not the input level of the signal. Unlike the Successor, however, there are no additions not present in the 33609, such as the side-chain filter and the dry \ wet mode.
In terms of sound, the Heritage Audio HA-609A is a versatile instrument. It ensures a very pleasant enrichment with harmonics that dynamically react to the signal. It is evident how color is felt even at very low levels. However, before you can get a lot of character, you have to send very high signals. A great use we have found is on both Bassand drum bus, even if as said also with the Successor, it is really difficult to find a source on which it is unsuitable.
We've been reading about some complaints about the HA-609's background noise. Well ... compared to the original we are at significantly lower levels, but in any case as amply explained by the company, the construction follows in all respects the original. Of course if you are used to the UAD plugin, things change, but we are talking about two completely different sports ...
PROJECTED IMPACT
In conclusion, we are faced with a machine that is totally worth the amount requested, among other things much lower than the original Neve and with a very close sound. More than anything else it remains a mystery that the Spanish company has included the HA-609 in the Elite line (ie the more "economic" one with the various Pre and Eq 1073), compared to the Successor which is instead in the higher range . We found very few sonic differences between the two, far fewer than between the series 500 73jr and the series 1073 Elite. The small differences we found were probably more due to some design differences than to a qualitative difference in the components. It is likely that Heritage this time did not feel like joining a similar product in the same range as the historic 33609, as happened instead for products of undoubted value such as the 73 series (rack or 500) or the 80 series.
Useful Information
Producer: Heritage Audio
Product: HA-609A
Italian distributor: Midimusic SRL
Price: 1.920 Euro
