Seventh Circle Audio T15 First-Hand Experience?

G

ghetto3jon

New member
it's been nearly two months since the introduction of the SCA T15 preamp module, just wondering if there are any first-hand reviews out there. since it's such a new product, it's tough to hear from people who have actually used it...there are a lot of assumptions about it out there based on its construction (which are still helpful, don't get me wrong), but how about its actual performance? i'm thinking of jumping into the SCA thing with a pair of T15s...i've heard their construction compares to the DAV BG-1, can it really keep up with that?
 
I have personally never used these modules but I am sure they have a simular sound as all these Types of Preamps (Based on the THAT 1510/INA217 Type Preamp chips) It should be very clear and Transparent with no color...It uses good quality components and has it"s own Onboard Regulated PSU which is a Good thing......

I actually just finnished designing a 2 Channel Mic preamp Based on the INA217 Preamp chip that has it"s own regulated Supply and Ballanced inputs and Impedance Ballanced cap coupled Outputs with 48v Phantom power and 66DB Gain....I designed it to be able to build it inside of old CD/DVD Drives so it is Small but should perform pretty well.....


:D
 
thanks minion, your feedback is appreciated.

but that's sort of the problem. everyone seems to think they "should" sound good based on their construction. but as someone who is ready to buy a SCA kit, i'm interesting in hearing from someone who has used the T15 and can compare it to the other SCA kits...i just want to be sure i'm not making a mistake by not going with one of their more (very well) reviewed kits (A12, C85, N72).

but your assumption certainly seems educated, so i do appreciate it.
 
If nothing else, it will be a good starter kit to get your feet wet before trying to build the more expensive ones. I don't think it will be a waste no matter what.
 
The Problem with DIY Kits are that you really don"t learn anything about DIY from doing a Kit, The PCB is allready there and all the Parts are there and the Instructions are there, so as Long as you can read and Solder you you can do a Kit....You can probably build several Kits and not really know anything more about electronics after the last kit than you knew about electronics after the first kit....

Most of the Projects that I have done have been Circuits that I designed myself or at least designed the PCB myself and I have etched every PCB I have ever used and have sourced every Part of every project I have done...

I have of cource had many Failed projects but also many very successfull projects but you can"t learn without Failure, 2 Years ago I couldn"t have told you what a Resistor or Capacitor was but now I have at least a workable knowlege of electronics and have started getting fairly good at PCB Layout and Curcuit design......

If your Purpose of doing Kits is to learn about Audio electronics and to Build yer self some good gear I can point you towards some Good reading on the Subject that might help you understand what is going on in a Circuit and will help to teach you how to design and build your own curcuits.....


Cheers


:D
 
Agreed. It will teach you basic sweatshop skills, and give you a basic idea of what components go into a preamp, but that is about it. Still saves you the cost of someone (or machine) else putting it together though.
 
i'm not necessarily interested in learning about electronics. i just want great sounding pres without having to spend a boat load of scratch. i just placed the order for a T15 with the power supply and chassis...we'll see how everything goes. thanks for your input.
 
I haven't heard the T15, so I have nothing worthwhile to say. :D

Except that, I have heard other preamps by Seventh Circle, and I've been very impressed. I think they've established themselves as a trustworthy company with high standards, and I'd wager anything they put out will sound good, assuming it gets built correctly and is a match for the type of preamp the user really wants.
 
ghetto3jon said:
i'm not necessarily interested in learning about electronics. i just want great sounding pres without having to spend a boat load of scratch. i just placed the order for a T15 with the power supply and chassis...we'll see how everything goes. thanks for your input.
Click to expand...

Well That is why i started doing DIY accept that i realized quite quickly that with a Little real world electronics Knowlege I could build Pre"s that are on par or even better than some kits and For MUCH less $$ than a kit would go for.....

My Last Preamp project was a 4 ch transformer Ballanced Input Mic preamp , The whole 4ch unit probably cost me less than $50 in parts and a couple Hours of Labor....They were so cheap because I found a great deal on E-bay for 6 Bogen Preamp Modules which I ended up getting for $1 ,so I just made a Rough Box to put 4 of them in and Built a Regulated 24v PSU and upgraded all of the capacitors on the Modules and replaced the Screw terminals for XLR Jacks and I was done.....They sound Quite good and have that Transformer Mojo that none of my Present pre"s have ,The only Down side is that the Gain Pot and the EQ Pots are screw turn pots which makes it a Bit of a hassle to adjust ......

The project I am working on now is a 130w SS Bass amp with a 15 Band EQ, This is also a very cheap project for me (Probably still under $50) as It uses Two LM3886 Power amp IC"s in a Bridged Config and one Channel of a Rane ME15 EQ that I salvaged from the Junk Heap for the Tone controlls and it has a Very Basic Preamp with a Mild Overdrive and a basic Compression Curcuit...I should have it finnished if all goes well by the end of the week.....

So Basicly the more you learn about electronics the cheaper things will get as you don"t have to pay for someone elses developement costs and his house payments ect, and if you know were to look you can get most parts for quite cheap.......



Cheers
 
So what's the verdict, ghetto3jon? I've convinced the wife that I need a preamp kit. Will the T15 meet with her approval or will I be sleeping in the doghouse? Can I expect it to do well with plucked classical stuff or should I look at the C84?

Anyone had experience with both units?
 
I agree... I'd STILL like to know. :)

Even though I doubt I'll get one as I already have some INA217 pres. ;)

Brandon
 
I think the T15 is great. Very transparent, not too bright, very quiet. About as neutral as they come. Compares favorably to Sytek. Doesn't have the heft or excitement of a Neve or API circuit, but the sound quality is worthy of professional use. I think they're good for getting "more channels" on the cheap for drum tracking, etc. I don't own any currently but I'm about to get 3. Used to own a pair. My DIY experiment is going to be adding Cinemag CMMS-2 audio transformers to the front end of the circuit for the dual purpose of a little bit of color, and, CMRR and ground loop isolation when (eventually attempting) live recording using a splitter snake from the stage, one side to my DAW, one side to the front of house. I can't afford a high end transformer splitter box, we are talking $1,000 or more, but I think I can achieve similar results by having each and every preamp in my rack using transformer coupled inputs. Then I can get away more comfortably with a Y-splitting cheap snake, less of a chance of noise gremlins in the heat of the gig. I like the sound of transformers anyway.
 
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