The Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5024 is a 1U, 4-channel mic preamp with two DI channels, M/S decoder, custom transformers and Class A circuitry. It is designed to improve the front-end performance of any digital or analogue recording system.

The Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5024 uses the same preamp design of the highly popular 5012, providing up to 72dB of gain. All four mic pres include individually selectable phase mute phantom power. A high-pass filter with selectable frequencies on each channel is also provided.

Two channels of DI inputs are designed to connect your instrument-level sources. Channels 3 and 4 include an M/S switch which enables Mid-Side decoding. 

Rupert Neve’s highly popular Silk circuit design is also included adding rich warmth and the presence of classic mic preamps.

A Unique Mic Input Design

The microphone input uses a unique circuit design based on a Transformer-like Amplifier circuit design (T.L.A.). It includes a toroidal Common Mode Rejection Low Pass Filter set to exclude any frequency beyond 150kHz.

A proprietary input transformer designed by Rupert Neve immediately follows the T.L.A. circuit. It handles up to +25dBu at unity gain over the entire audio spectrum without needing an input pad. This innovative design delivers all the benefits of electronically balanced audio and true transformer input.

The microphone input can also be used for line-level applications with an impedance of 10k Ohms.

Low Noise, Low distortion but Full Analogue Sweetness

The Rupert Neve Designs 5024 has been carefully designed to deliver low-noise and low-distortion performance. Special attention was given to the signal path implementations to ensure ultra-quiet performance.

The 5024 also employs a Class-A circuit design with input and output transformers and entirely discrete component amplifiers. This design enhances the sonic qualities of signal sources. As a result, the Portico 5024 is unobtrusive and provides very high-quality audio performance.

Simply using the 5024 as a Line level amp will enhance the sonic quality of many sources. Digital signals coming from an audio interface or Digital-to-analogue converter will especially benefit from its subtle analogue sweetness.

The Role of Transformers

Like most of Rupert Neve’s long legacy of mic pres, the 5024 includes input and output transformers in the signal path. These are employed for several reasons.

The first reason is a technical one. Transformers provide full galvanic isolation and a balanced interface to reduce hum and R.F. interference noise. It also provides a way to boost or cut signal levels to match different devices.

Rupert Neve and his team suggest transformers are preferable to other topologies, such as electronically balanced circuits. While electronically-balanced circuits offer similar performance, they provide inferior stray field rejection that occurs in the working environment.

Furthermore, Rupert Neve has always believed that frequencies above 20kHz were extremely important to our perception of sound quality. Transformers can provide subtle harmonic distortion, which makes the 5024 somewhat sweet.

The Transformers also play an important part in the Silk Circuit. By slightly overloading the signal at the output transformer stage, the 5024 delivers a subtle and pleasing character. The result resembles some classic mic preamps with a natural warmth and presence.