Recording - February 2021 - 32

REVIEW

Neumann V 402 Dual Channel
Microphone Preamplifier
Let your mics shine with this new handmade German mic pre
Inside

REVIEW BY PAUL VNUK JR.

fter building some of the most famous and well-loved microphones
in history, and after expanding its roster to include precision
studio monitors and headphones, Neumann introduces its firstever standalone microphone preamp, the V 402. Designed and handassembled in Germany, it boasts the same craftsmanship and attention to
detail as the company's current top-shelf microphone offerings.

Neumann preamp history

Neumann preamp history begins with
the TMV 60, introduced in 1963. It was
a module for the Neumann AK 3 console,
using germanium transistor technology. The
discrete, transformer-balanced Neumann
PMV 70 was manufactured in the mid70s, and this was followed by the V 476
B released in 1980. Both existed only as
modules designed to populate Neumann
broadcast and studio consoles. Not an
update of any past V series preamp, the
standalone V 402 is a fresh, transformerless design with a stated goal of " maximum
transparency and sonic purity. "

The controls

The two-channel, 2U, 19 " V 402 is
unmistakably Neumann and matches the company's microphones and
NDH20 headphones' look and styling.
It's accented in red, including a flat, red
Neumann diamond-logo badge.
32 RECORDING February 2021

Each channel starts with a 1/4 " Hi-Z instrument input. Next is a 41-position, gently
stepped gain pot with a throw of +20 to
+60dB (0 to +40dB for the Hi-Z input). Following this are five backlit function buttons
for Hi-Z, P48, -20dB pad, phase, and a 60
Hz @ 12dB/oct. highpass filter. Following
this is a 10-step LED gain meter that measures -24 dBu to +24 dBu in 6dB steps, with
the final step acting as a peak hold indicator.

Phone it in

Last is a high-grade headphone amp
(+20 dBu into a 150 Ω load). Each
channel has an individual control pot,
summing into a master headphone control with a mono/stereo button.

Plug it in

On the back are the XLR ins and outs
for each channel, a master ground lift
switch, a self-switching IEC power socket,
and a master power switch.

The V 402 is a modern transformerless op amp design. Rather than a single
large circuit board, each section-power
supply, headphone amp, I/O, metering
and each preamp, is housed on its own
isolated circuit board, connected by a
network of ribbon cables.

Specs

The frequency range of the V 402
is <10 Hz to >100 kHz (-3dB @ 40dB
gain) with 60dB of total gain, (40dB HiZ). The microphone preamps have a 3
kΩ input impedance, a max input level
of +8/+28dB (pad), an EIN of -129.4
dBu @ 60 dB gain / 50 ohm and
-129.2 dBu @ 40 dB gain / 50 ohm.
The THD is 0.00018% @ 1kHz /40dB
gain / +12 dBu. The Hi-Z input has a
max input level of +21 dBu with a 3.3
MΩ input impedance.

Sound

The V 402 is squarely in the 'I'm not
here' camp vis-a-vis transparency; microphones shine through unaltered by
the preamp. The V 402 is in no way a
color, tone or vibe box. However, by
design, the Neumann engineers have
managed to impart just enough musicality to keep the V 402 from sounding
dull, sterile or clinical.

Recording - February 2021

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