Go here:

seventhcirclestudios.com

3 very different, classic sounding preamps to choose from - API type, Neve 1272 type, Hardy Twin Servo/Jensen Tranny type - all available to put in pairs or however you wish in an 8 slot chassis with power supply.

They are also coming out with an FET based preamp design that will bring the total to 4.

I've heard many good things about these clones..and the availability of having them all in a lunchbox rack is a very good thing.I HAVE heard most of the DADDIES of these pieces and can only hope that the clones get at least 90% of the originals.At 90% you'll have a hell of a set of kit.

Matched pairs are nice but sometimes I want several channels of the same type pre.

The cool thing about this, you can have some mixed pairs as well as some extras to give you more matched pres for when you want a few channels of the same thing.

The flexibility of this approach is pretty cool.

thanks for the replies guys, the seventh circle stuff sounds interesting... i'd love to hear from someone who's tried them out. while i don't want to complain about spending less money, the question is how they compare to the real deal. i think 90% probably isn't quite enough to cut it. they use the words "virtually indistinguishable", but i hate the word "virtually" because it can mean anything. but then there's the whole argument about the real vintage gear sounding different to how it did when it was made because of it's age, so i'm pretty confused right now. i guess what i really need to know is what do you guys consider the four most important pres ever, and is it better to get originals or high quality remakes (if they are vintage designs to begin with, that is!)
speaking about non vintage designs, for a clean pristine modern pre, was i on the right track with the avalon ad2022?

thanks again!

In any discussion of the "four most important Preamps" you will invariably hear the names Neve and API.

1) SCA's N72 (Neve 1272) has been touted by no less a luminary than Geoff Tanner, former Neve and Phoenix Audio employee and current owner/designer of Aurora Audio. In his estimation, the SCA design is closest to the way a 1272 should be wired, since it was originally created as a talkback circuit, not a mic preamp.

In his own words (from rec.audio.pro)

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I had a quick peek at the circuits and it would seem that they have taken note of the numerous posts I've put up about the wiring of 1272's.

This is the first circuit I've seen that even approaches the correct way of wiring the module.

The circuit that most folk use, I can't remember the link, is BS but that doesn't stop folk using it and thinking that what they have sounds like Neve intended it to!

Sad really...
Geoff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2) The A12 (API 312/512) was recently spoken of at Lynn Fuston's 3daudio website.

(dead link removed)

If you start reading from the 8th post down from the top of the page, you'll see Lynn mention a very favorable review of the A12 from a friend in Nashville named "MW" - Michael Wagener - who claimed that he chose the A12 over even the original API when he could hear a difference between them.

I have personally used the N72 and J99 from SCA, and they sound stellar on a large number of sources.