The 1023 is completely handwired using Carnhill (St. Ives) transformers. It has the exact same mic/line preamp as the 1073, but with significantly more frequencies in the mid and hi sections. Aside from simply offering more frequency settings to play with, these expanded eq sections also allow you to play the mid bell curve directly against the high and low shelves where they overlap. This capability opens the tone shaping possibilities in very interesting and musical ways.