Recording - February 2021 - 33

Use

I put the Neumann V 402 to use with
a variety of mics from Manley, Chandler,
TELEFUNKEN, Lauten, AKG, LEWITT,
Roswell, Josephson, AEA, Royer, Shure,
Sennheiser, Electro-Voice, Pearlman, Peluso
and Aston. I was not let down with any
of the above. The V 402 offered ample
gain and clarity, and as advertised, it let
the mics' sounds and sources shine. Three
mics to highlight with the V 402 are my
vintage Neumann KM84 pencil condensers and my Milab DC-96B, both of
which can be on the lower output side but
deliciously dimensional when used with
the right clean preamp. When paired with
a stereo pair of RØDE TF-5 pencil condensers, the lifelike clarity was stunning.
For further comparison, I did a few
side-by-side tests against my Millennia
Media HV-3D (super-clean preamps)
and the stock preamps in the Universal
Audio Apollo x8p (no Unison Powered
Plugins enabled). Each one offered varying degrees of neutrality. The V 402 was
airier and a touch more present than the
x8p, which is not an entirely fair comparison, as the dual-channel V 402 is

almost the same price as the entire eight
mic pre-equipped UA interface. The
Millennia pres had more top-end sparkle (one of its hallmarks), but the V 402
hung in good company.

Let's be direct

The Hi-Z input on the V 402 holds its
own, with the preamp section offering
stunning realism of direct bass, guitar
and keys. If you want a DI to add weight,
texture and tone to your direct instrument
capture, look elsewhere. This is a 'what
you put in is what you get out' Hi-Z input.
I loved how it captured the rumble and
girth of my Rickenbacker 4003 bass.
On the other hand, it was too dry and
lifeless with my Telecaster six-string. I'm
seldom a fan of direct acoustic guitar,
but I recently acquired a John Lennon
signature Epiphone acoustic that uses a
vintage 60s-style magnetic pickup. Here,
I loved the blend of my KM84 in one
channel blended with the pickup in the
other-very rock 'n' roll! The biggest surprise came when I plugged in my Rhodes
piano. I don't think I've ever heard my
Rhodes captured with this much clear

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gain; as soon as I let off the keys, the
sound fell eerily silent.

By ear

The headphone preamp is clean and robust and had zero issues driving any of my
headphones from Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, AKG or Audeze. I found it very handy
to plug straight in and get my sound and
levels set before messing with any DAW
and interface routing. However, it would
have been nice to include a simple stereo
input from a mixer or DAW to allow extra
latency-free monitoring while tracking.

Conclusion

Neumann quality carries a significant
price tag, but the price point here is not out of
line with many competing boutique preamp
options. With the V 402, Neumann has
more than delivered on its goal of pristine
microphone (and instrument) capture. The
V 402 hangs proudly in the realm of boutique,
uncolored preamps, and is an excellent addition to the Neumann legacy.
Price: $2900
More from: neumann.com

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