Audio pioneer Rupert Neve passes away after 80-year career

Rupert Neve Designs has regretfully announced that its founder, Rupert Neve has passed away in Wimberley, Texas, at the age of 94 from non-Covid-related pneumonia and heart failure.

Neve is known throughout the industry for founding several historic companies and creating some of history’s most enduring and sought-after analogue audio equipment. He received countless accolades including a Lifetime Achievement Technical Grammy Award in 1997, Studio Sound Magazine’s Audio Person of the Century Award in 1999, an Audio Engineering Society Fellowship Award in 2006 and 16 TEC (Technical Excellence and Creativity) Awards with Rupert Neve Designs. He remained engaged and passionate about his work, spending most days on design and development projects.

“I’ve known and worked with Rupert for nearly 30 years,” said Josh Thomas, Rupert Neve Designs’ co-founder and general manager. “When Rupert, his wife Evelyn and I sat at his kitchen table and founded Rupert Neve Designs 16 years ago, he had two goals. The first was to set a new standard in the quality of recorded sound, drawing upon his unparalleled depth of experience to create high-end solutions for the modern recording engineer, musician, and listener alike. The second was to pass on his philosophies, techniques, and methodologies to a new generation of designers to carry his life’s work and passion into the future.

“It was always assumed that the company would outlive him on this earth, and for 16 years he poured his energies into creating a team that would become the caretakers of the theories, practices, and ideologies that truly constitute a Rupert Neve design. All of us at the company are exceedingly grateful for the years of careful instruction and mentoring with which he has blessed us, and we will continue to preserve his legacy in everything we do moving forward. The world certainly sounds better because he was here.”

Reportedly in great spirits to the end in Texas, his home for the past 27 years, Neve remained engaged on a perpetual series of audio electronics projects, continuing to mentor his engineering team. He is survived by Evelyn, his wife of almost 70 years; five children, nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Arrangements for a celebration of his life for family and friends will be made when it is safe to do so.
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