High Quality Mic Pre Kits!

[SeventhCircle]

Get the color and character of classic solid state preamp designs with Seventh Circle Audio preamp kits. Improve your signal chain, save money, and learn something while you're at it. All preamp kits feature:

* High quality double sided circuit boards, made in USA. Single board design eases assembly and minimizes errors.
* Grayhill rotary switches for stepped gain control. 5 dB steps provide precise, repeatable gain settings.
* Bourns conductive plastic pots for gain trim (full fader on the N72). Allows "in between" gain settings.
* Gold plated toggle switches for phase and phantom power switching.
* Neutrik XLR connectors.
* Local voltage regulators for improved channel isolation, reliability, and flexibility.

There are currently two power supplies and three preamp modules available, with more on the way. All modules are designed to fit our rugged 2U chassis, the CH01, and work with the PS02 power supply.

Preamps:

N72 - A modern recreation of the BA283 circuit used in the Neve 1272. Two carefully implemented gain stages provide up to 70dB of gain with better bandwidth than many racked "vintage" modules.

J99 - A kit version of the famous Jensen Twin Servo preamp. Dual gain stages yield high gain, wide bandwidth, very low distortion, and extremely low noise.

A12 - A full-featured single op-amp kit modelled on the API 312. Fully compatible with the 2520 discrete op amp. Adjustable on-board voltage regulators for easy swapping of op-amp modules.

Power Supplies:

PS01 - +27V, +48V supply for N72-only systems.
PS02 - +/-27V, +48V supply for mixed systems.

Chassis:

CH01 - Rugged, heavy gauge cold rolled steel chassis provides superior durability and shielding from external magnetic fields. Heavy mu metal power transformer shielding. 3/16" aluminum front panel. Black powder coated chassis and beige panel, drilled and punched for 8 modules and a power supply.

For more details and prices, have a look at our web site, and be sure to check out the message board while you're there.

[DeafinONEear]

hey man,
just looked at the website again and noticed that your pictures get the ol' red-X and weren't available.
Seems like your kits are doing good! Right on!
Hope you're well.
zach

[greatmagnet]

Hope you work out a system for replying to emails from potential customers some day as well.

[aurelialuz]

yeah, that site is mega F-ed up.

[nlmd311]

I wrote on Friday night and got a reply Monday.? Have you guys tried recently... maybe things are a little smoother now.

-Darrill

[dejacky]

yea website works great now...i'm thinking of saving some money for that N72 neve single channel preamp kit

[greatmagnet]

Website always worked fine for me (I'm on a Mac), but I emailed them last week to ask a simple question about whether they have any future plans to create E.Q. modules to compliment their pres, which it seemed to me would be a cool thing if they could all rack together in the same shell/power supply.

Nobody ever emailed me back, which I found kinda surprising. Usually everyone in this business is so affable and helpful to others who share the same interests...it's rare to get bad customer service. Those kits are really cheap for what they are, even as fully assembled. Very tempting. But it kinda makes me worry about what kind of help I'd get if I ordered one and couldn't get it to work. Not responding to one email, I'm probably way overreacting, but it kinda peeves me...just 'cause it never happens to me (unless I'm emailiung MOTU for tech help!). I like to get answers.

Maybe things are real busy over there right now...but he somehow found time to make free advertising for himself on our message board! Can't help but notice that he hasn't contributed to the thread since his first post, either.

Hellooooo?????

[Miko of Kensington]

If you actually looked around his site you would see what he has in the works.

It's an AD. Get over it. He's got his own threads on his own message board.

I can understand wanting to get answers. Maybe you can use the human powers of deductive reasoning to get them yourself, cryass.

[aurelialuz]

woah.

[greatmagnet]

yeah...scary.

[justin]

you guys all need to calm down a bit

[thearnicasync]

I'll throw in my two cents, as I've dealt with Tim now a couple of times.

First of all, do believe the hype: Tim is tough to get hold of, his stuff is always backordered, and he obviously prioritizes his email. That said, Tim has NEVER FAILED TO GET BACK TO ME WITHIN THREE DAYS.

Why is it like this? One reason seems clear: the N72 is amazing, and people are buying them up quick. Seriously, it's the nicest preamp I own, and the enclosure/power supply is both beautiful and bombproof. Compare it with the Averill 1272's and it's pretty obvious why he's always sold out and keeping it together.

Yeah, he's busy. I think the best way to deal with him is when you can afford to be patient, and you have the cash to pre-buy. Personally, I think Tim will bend over backwards for you, but you have to be prepared to work a little closer to his schedule than your own, maybe.

I really can't say enough about how amazing the N72 is. I was worried about recording everything with it, and while I prefer my hamptone tube pres for overheads, the N72 is MAGICAL on vocals, acoustic guitar, and a cagillion other things. It's weird, you start hearing the mix stack up and it sounds like your favorite classic rock records. Totally awesome!

Be patient and get one. Again, Tim is busy, but he won't just take your money and blow you off or something.

And to "Miko" of wherever the fuck you're from: How is Caldo71 suppoosed to figure out the answer to his question about future products, other than to ask the designer/manufacturer? Deductive reasoning? If you had a bad day and tore into someone on the internet, whatever...everyone has bad days. Just do your best not to be a FUCKING JERKASS.

it's only rock and roll,

[drunton]

I had some problems getting Tim to respond on a few things (before I bought), so here are my conclusions:

1. If you want to order or get order status use the email link
2. If you want any other type of info, use the messageboard.

Tim lurks around on the messageboard for these types of discussions, and the others that are over there will most likely enjoy your suggestion on EQ's. It will probably generate some good interest.

I ordered my stuff about 6 weeks ago (2 n72's, 2 API min kits, and 2 min J99 kits) and I think he is just now starting to get stuff in stock again, so he's probably busy filling those previous orders. Plus, they run a studio too.

I can't wait to get mine - oh and I need to get that hamptone tube pre finished also. Good to hear the comparison I have been wondering how those two stack up.

[greatmagnet]

Hey thearnicasync and drunton,

Thanks for the soothing words...I really did want to try some of his stuff out, and this makes me feel a thousand times better about it. Not only as far as his slow "response times" (he actually did eventually email me back), but just the amazingly glowing review that thearnicasync gave of the products.

I'm myself am quite new to having half-way decent preamps with a "vintage vibe", but I just got a couple of old Neotek channels strips, and I can already see what you mean. On one track alone, you notice the upgrade inquality a bit. Just a tad more defined and detailed. As the tracks begin to stack up though, the richness really comes out, and the clarity of the individual tracks as they sit in the mix becomes quite amazing. I think that's where the difference between bad and good pres really shines...in your larger track counts. Glad to hear I'm not just high on solder fumes.

I ordered my stuff about 6 weeks ago (2 n72's, 2 API min kits, and 2 min J99 kits)

That's the way to do it! I have wood. Sounds like the "dream team" to me.

Sorry I brought out an angry lurker...my sarcasm doesn't always come through in print and I tend to attract angry Target security guards who live in their mom's basement and hang out in their underwear playing D&D.

[Miko of Kensington]

That's kinda funny actually. I not trying to be a jerk here. When I read your post I had you pegged for the basement D&D type. I'm not here to harass. I was trying to be a smart ass, however. But I came off like a dumbass. I don't normally post on this forum, so I guess you wouldn't understand my sense of humor. So with that said, I give you my apologies. Sorry if I pissed anyone else off,too.

Perhaps we can just get back to the subject of the novel idea that Tim has going here. They seem to be so cost effective, that they would be hard to pass up. Tech Newbies, like myself, owe a lot to guys like this. It's nice of them to put in long hours for narrow margin to put things within the reach of basement dwelling, D&D'ers like myself. Actually Target fired me from their patrol. Wal-Mart put me on their team faster than I could say Rollback Prices.