Seventh Circle Audio

[mayfly]

ok, I am weak.  I find myself really wanting this stuff:

http://www.seventhcircleaudio.com/

Especially these:

http://www.seventhcircleaudio.com/N72/n72_about.htm

 

[swarfrat]

The project stack is already 17 levels deep. I really didn't need to see that. As i descend into Alzheimers they'll probably find me escaping to steal sand from the preschool next door to the nursing home, in order to make my own integrated circuits and bottles for vacuum tubes.

 

[Cagey]

Gonna need to be more than weak. Rich will help a lot, too.

 

[McGuyver]

Seventh Circle stuff is great.  I used the N72 and A12 throughout my college career, and the local studio here couldn't hear any differences between those preamps and what they were emulating.  Personally I'd love to build a modular "board" of sorts with just those N72s and A12s, throw on some 512 API EQs and you're in business!

 

[sixstringsamurai]

A friend of mine just built a couple of these preamps for his home studio, the sound amazing. :icon_thumright:

 

[mayfly]

You guys are not helping. 

 

[sixstringsamurai]

You guys are not helping. 

We aim to please.....
:icon_jokercolor:

 

[Pelagaard]

You guys are not helping. 

You're the one who fed them after midnight.

 

[sixstringsamurai]

Besides, if your gonna invest that kind of time and effort, you may as well do it right.... :evil4:

 

[Patrick from Davis]

Try this forum for stuff that will make you drool.  Some marvelous crazies out there.

http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php

And don't forget my personal favorite CAPI, or http://www.classicapi.com/catalog/  Not the best site, but go to kits and pcbs and there are some treats...
Patrick

 

[Kadmium]

Q: WHO MAKES THE BEST PREAMPS FOR THE MONEY?
A: YOU DO.

Hah! Clearly they haven't seen my atrocious soldering or the general depth of my incompetence.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

This guy will build and test them (CAPI kits) for you.  I am sure you could negotiate other kits as well.

http://www.customanalogservices.com/catalog

But, man o man, if I had the capitol...
Patrick

 

[Volitions Advocate]

This is evil....

I just watched a time lapse on youtube of a guy putting one of these pre-amps together.

I'm mesmerized, this is right up my alley.  I just wish I knew more about the engineering of it.

 

[mayfly]

ok, I just pulled the trigger.  I've ordered a pair of the N72 preamp modules, with a pair of one shot cases to put them in.

The goal is to have a pair of really nice pres for stereo recording.  I hope to do a bunch of recordings of the entire band together 'old school' style- with all of us hovering around a pair of mics - probably using Blumlien pair configurations.

 

[Cagey]

Good for you! That ought to be a fun little project.

 

[mayfly]

Thanks man!  Now I just need some microphones...

 

[McGuyver]

Check out Avantone, they've got some great stuff for an appropriate price.  You can get a tube C12-style condenser for $500.  Compared to the AKG or Telefunken prices, the CV-12 is much cheaper, and sounds amazing.  I've never had the AKG or TF to A/B them with, but I have been thoroughly impressed with anything I've heard from the CV-12.

 

[mayfly]

I have heard those mics.  To be honest, I was not that impressed - they are very hyped in the top end to my ears.  Not at all smooth for acoustic instruments and female voices - which is exactly where I plan to use them.

There are multiple threads on GroupDIY on how to mod them (and many other of the various C12 clones made by the same factory) to make them better though.  I plan to go that route. 

Preamps first through.  Onward!

 

[mayfly]

So I got a nice package from SCA yesterday:

Inside the box there were two complete kits for the N72 preamps and two side shot boxes to hold them in:

PCB seems nicely laid out

More pics as we go.

 

[Cagey]

Pretty cool! I'm excited for you! That's gonna be great fun!

Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet? Is it done yet?  :icon_biggrin: