In this instance, i can say I feel more or less EXACTLY opposite to Fletcher!


I would take an 8078 over any of them, but I would vastly prefer the sound of an 8068 over a 9098, even though I hate the rotary inline monitor and three band eq, a LOT.

for me, unless I knew I simply needed the number of inputs for mixing that the 9098 provided, it would be an easy choice for the discrete Neve.

but the bottom line is that if you're seriously purchasing a $200,000 desk, the opinions of OTHERS (unless they are your actual, direct, potential or known clients) really shouldn't enter into it


surely, before you drop that kind of money, you know what YOU like?

Hi

If they were unmodded, as they left the factory, I would take an 8068 over an 8078. Sure, an 8078 has 4 band EQ, 24 busses, etc., but it was also crawling with silly design flaws...

The optos that switch mic and line... grossly overdriven so they burn out and levels drift. The fix is a resistor change but I have seen famous/infamous/notorious Neve console modders fit trim pots to try and trim out the error... a real band-aid fix.

The loopy way of getting a 4T bus from the 24 bus selection buttons was a recipe for feedback for the unknowing...

The monitor/mixdown section has barely 16dB headroom because of the cheap design of the monitor routing module. If you pull back the master fader on the mix bus on a hot mix... you will get clipping once past -15dB.

And the buffers for the quad faders were over compensated so that the response could be several dB down at 20KHz.

This won't apply to the 8078 at Blackbird, or Thresholds ex Sony, or a couple of 78's in LA because I sorted out the sillyness... but none of those foibles exist in the 8058/68.

but these things ARE (mostly) easy fixes, and I frankly don't find mixing through groups 17-18 to be much of a hardship
And much LESS of a pain in the ass than the rotary in-line monitor


But in any case, an 8078 isn't actually in the mix here is it?


the bottom line is still that *I* would prefer the 8068 to the 9098 unless size is the determining factour.... but I also wouldn't make the decision based on the advice of distant internet strangers!

cheers Geoff

w2

Basically I would agree with Fletcher. IMHOP perhaps the last man standing SELLING studio time will have a Neve 80 series. Ultomately its the only thing that has the attraction to really get clients.

If you aren't selling studio time you only have to please ONE person....yourself.

For me personally, I love Neve 80's, but O also love the amek and would probably opt for more time working and less time maintaining.

Still, think for you you probably made the right choice.

Since you're in OKlahoma you should come by to see, hear, and work on my desk. I'm more than sure once you do the choice will be made for you... I still say one of the greatest things the desk has going for it, beyond its amazing sound, is its extremely low maintenance requirements. Tim and others will attest to this. They built and engineered it right. It is a tank, NOTHING cheap about it. They spent absurd monies building quality into this thing.

Ted.

Precious info!!

How much are you selling the desk for?

Hi Tobias,

I'm asking 135K, actually have several very interested people, may be close to sold. Somebody's going to get an incredible desk... I will greatly miss it.

Thanks,
Ted.

I've had my 9098i for 2 years now. I am a commercial facility and have "centered my room" around my 9098. Business is great. My clients love it, I love it. Maintaining it has been quite easy, I have a great tech and I never see him because the console runs day in day out flawlessly. I've worked on 8068's and I will have to admitt, that console is superb, but I could not afford to have one based on the maintainence requirements. The 8068 is my favorite Neve, but the 9098 has so much depth and character it's an extremely close second and based on maintainence the 9098 comes out on top. As far as the 9098 being a difficult platform to learn, no way. It's easy as hell, makes complete sense. The eq is quite versatile, and takes just a few mins to absorb. Any engineer that has experience would need a quick tutorial and they'd be fine. I read the product overview that's available on the Amek site (which is still up btw) and I no problems. I have G, G+, J, and K experience as well as 8068,8078, 8232, V, VII, VIII, and Legend experience. The 9098 isn't really any more quirky or difficult than any of them, just different in it's own way. Whoever ends up with Ted's console is going to be thrilled daily by it's sonic elegance.

Without hesitation the 8068. The only console that's better tan a 8068 is a 8078. I cut my teeth on the 8068 from Media. It had a half dozen 32264a's in the master section. A friggin beast of a desk