GAP Pre-73 MKII vs Neve Portico 5012 mic preamp shootout soundest

thanks for the shootout. It just goes to show that you get what you pay for. The Portico sounds way better. The low end is tighter and the Highs are present, the GAP sounds smeared in comparison. The Gap must be really veiled because the Portico is not what I'd call a bright Preamp.

Definitely Rupert Neve! :)

I had my Gap pre 73 modded by Revive and carnhill transformer upgrade its a different beast altogether now and the 54 comp is amazing now

Just got myself that GAP pre-73 mk-II; sounds a smidgeon coloured compared to the 512 ... like ‘em both. The GAP’s more affordable 4 us jnr-burger studio tweaksters.

oh man.. hahaha that Neve there, I tell ya.

Enlightening comparison! It could be the headphones I'm listening on (Sennheiser Momentum 2's) but the low end seems a bit too much on the Neve (i.e. a little more than is actually present on the original sound). By comparison the GAP falls slightly on the other side (i.e. a little less than the original sound).

I wonder how the Golden Age Premier would fare against the Rupert Neve Portico. Since that has Carnhill transformers in it by default and brings the sound much closer to that of an original 1073.

Neve!

The portico is the best!

Dope comparison. What i hear especially in the vocal test is that the neve brings all the frequencies forward. Not compress but more displays all of the information where the GAP leaves a few holes...imn comparison. The Gap sounds damn good dont get me wrong. The 5012 seems a bit more honest while slightly adding some sweetness to all the frequencies

The Neve sounds better to me however the Golden Age is still impressive for the price!

With CARNHILL the GAP get a nice low end...

The Neve is a little more in your face and full sounding. However, the GAP didn't do a bad job either.

Hi Tom - the Neve seems to be the ticket here for sure! I actually had one for a while but it broke quite regularly to the point i had to get rid of it back to the company i bought it off... don't suppose you've had any similar experiences with the 5012 or maybe i just got a bad unit? Thanks!

The Neve is so tasty for spoken word... I can't believe it, it's really sad that I can't afford it.

How much gain did you used here and output knob for vocals?

do i need a D.I to use it? Or can I plug it straight to the mic

Really, really close to my ears. I'm not hearing any drastic difference. Slightly more high end and detail in the Neve. But guys, I mean literally nobody will tell a lick of difference in a mix.

In the voice test, the GAP sounds a bit brighter, but the Neve a bit smoother. Sounded nearly identical on drums. On the piano, the low mids sounded richer on the Neve; but maybe a bit prominent. Again on the Neve, the GAP sounded brighter, but the Neve, smoother.

There's a difference in sound when solo'd but that difference will definitely get lost in a full mix.. I guess it's not worth spending so much on a preamp rather on more important things like mic, room treatment and most important eq'in skill etc..

Hi Tom! I have a question for you.. with the GAP PRE 73 MKII, would i be able to record 2 mic simultaneously with 48v for both?

They sound exactly the same