500 Series offers some of the best options, checkout DIYRE, Heritage Audio, AML, Stam and Audioscape some of them have rack units too. The best sounding Neve pluginI've heard is VoosteQ Model N, sounds better than UAD & Acustica, which I also have, Lindell is good too when I use 16X OS. Just because something is endorsed or made by the original company doesn't mean its the best, e.g the Neve 1073LB uses all modern SMD components, none of the vintage capacitors or transistors that are part of the tone, and the UAD plugin sounds digital to me.

 

Last edited: Jun 24, 2026 at 8:07 PM

It is off-toipic to the question I quoted and answered. I have pretty much every plugin you just named, minus the Voosteq of course. I tried their color by numbers "material compressor" which was laughable, and have not given their output a second look. I'm also unsure of the reasons for your attempt at snark, and since I learned to edit using a razor blade, on an Otari, I do not feel the need to trade resumes with you or anyone else for that matter. All that does is unanswer a question. His question was simply "what plugins can I test to see what the big woowoo about this preamp really is. If he cares to use such a plugin via UAD interface for external DSP processing on the way in, or applying it after tha audio is already captured was not the point of his question. Nor is answering about 500 series clones when he was clearly asking for a no or low cost plugin option. When you have a 1073 in your rack, we can talk about hardware. Only Drake gets excited when he sees a lunchbox.

I find it amusing even that you state that "virtual preamps" are able to be used externally. Really? Name an interface that allows that? Aside from UA interfaces which actually apply the plugin effect into the signal chain pre-analog to digital conversion,and still only partially, the idea of "virtual preamp" being any different than using a plugin in the box is incorrect for most generally available gear, including stuff like the Helix and whatever other guitar things worth mentioning. Signal chain is: Guitar → Analog Input Stage → A/D Conversion → DSP Effects → D/A Conversion → Outputs. Our typical plugin formats are not coded with any ability to do otherwise. A plugin format like AU, VST3, AAX, CLAP, etc. fundamentally exists after the DAW has already received digital audio. No way around that one.

 

Last edited: Jun 24, 2026 at 8:50 PM

clone at least where im from "this is a little off topic" means that they're the ones who are going off topic a bit.

 

The thing with this premise on which you seem to need to hold on, is that human ears, or the whole transducing of sound waves and pressure into perception, cannot be quantified scientifically.

Of course, you can take any ears and measure their aptitude to frequency response - like dogs'. Likewise with gear - you can read the specs brochure, or the measurements done scientifically by trained engineers publishing reviews, but they are always first to point out that said specs (however superior or inferior on paper to other gear) do not paint the whole picture.

Hopefully this is something you can hear, and draw some conclusions from. Hopefully... cheers!

 

You are entitled to your OPINION, but I'm entitled to ignore it.

 

The question I answered was "a little off-topic", no problem there. But when someone who clearly doesn't know what they are talking aboout wants to directly reply to your comment with snark and incorrect information, is where facts get in the way. And they end up on ignore and having to do some research about how digital audio interfaces and plugins actually work. Because without fundamental facts, all we end up with is snark and incorrect bullshit about "virtual preamps" running as internal DSP processors.

 

snip Unfortunately I do not have an UA interface. But I have quite some of their plugins , it will be easy to just check out the demo . Thank you