News

Somerville, MA (May 12, 2008)--The sE Electronics International group is producing a new range of Rupert Neve signature series microphones under the sE stable for 2008.

The first of several mics being readied for production in the sE series will be an active ribbon mic featuring discrete circuits and purpose-designed transformers by Mr. Neve. The capsule and manufacturing are being controlled by sE, whilst Mr. Neve is handling the electronics and transformer.

Following the release of the sE and Mr. Neve ribbon will be a large-diaphragm tube mic, and a solid-state condenser. The first three mics will share a common look which both gives a nod to 'retro' whilst moving forward with sE's modernistic "industrial chic."

"Recent developments in the way that humans perceive sound are demanding significant advances both in performance and the philosophy of audio processing," says Neve. "That which was 'good enough' for light-hearted amusement fails to satisfy the thoughtful listener--in fact, deficient sound quality has been shown to result in frustration, even anger. The experienced listener is aware of incredibly small sound pressure levels that in many cases are beyond the conventional range of hearing.

"I have worked for some time on the designs for a new range of microphones--the concepts of which are actually already being implemented in our own Rupert Neve Designs 5088 Console--namely utilizing discrete single-sided circuits and my custom designed transformers," Neve adds. "This new approach to analog sound processing needs extreme care in its manufacture and meticulous alignment of the embedded discrete op amps and the delicate microphone elements."

Siwei Zou says: "I have, for many years, admired the work of Mr. Neve, and now that we have a chance to work together I am able to realize a quality level in microphone technology that no other manufacturer to date has managed to achieve. The excellence we have worked so hard to achieve in production, design and capsule technology at sE, coupled with the best transformers this product area has ever seen, plus new cutting edge circuit board design, which from early tests are already proving to surpass anything I have ever heard before, means we are now able to produce high-end mics, at a fraction of the cost of other high-end brand models, but which have a sound and performance quality the likes of which this market has never seen before. This is a truly exciting time for sE and me personally."

"We are extremely pleased to be working so closely with sE Electronics," says Josh Thomas of Rupert Neve Designs. "Rupert has been studying the mic market for some years with the intention of working on a project like this. After putting a number of big brand names, and countless mics, through rigorous testing, and looking at the manufacturing techniques, build quality, and work ethic of these companies, it quickly became clear that the partnership with sE would be extremely interesting from both a design standpoint and for the market."

"Where most manufacturers we looked into seem to be cutting corners in manufacturing, packaging etc, or subcontracting to OEM to save money, and blindly copy what has been done before, sE have consistently shown us a complete commitment to pushing the design envelope with hand-crafted quality in all their products, and continual efforts to improve every detail possible in their product. sE's ethos is less about making as much profit as possible, and more about making the best product they can, and frankly, that is precisely what Mr. Neve is all about."

sE Electronics
www.seelectronics.com