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[Allen Corneau]

It's been a little quiet here lately so I'll stir up the pot...

I know many of you folks own and rave about the NSEQ-F but lament the lack of stepped/detented controls.

I came upon this last night and I wonder if anyone else has this unit:

http://soniccircus.com/Millennia-NSEQ-2-with-MAST-Quasi-Mastering-option?sc=18&category=95680

"A "quasi-mastering" version of NSEQ-2 offering loggable, resettable detented controls on all functions."

I've never heard it mentioned before. I would think that, short of a fully custom build with the Forssell circuit board, it would be the closest option for the needs of us ME's.

Sonic Circus' price of $4,900 for the unit, plus $850 for the Forssell board, plus taxes and shipping = ~$6,000. Would it really be worth it to go that far to get this kind of EQ?

Also, a curious question: what are people doing with their old NSEQ boards? It seems like a waste to rip out the old board and just let sit there.
 

[JimK]

Hi Allen,

I have an NSEQ-F. Mine doesn't have the detented pots on the freq and Q controls, only on the gain pots as all units do. I've been okay with it this way. I'm sure some of the other guys will chime in about the option and whether or not they prefer it. There is a thread on the old forum with a lot of info there. Jerry Tubb posted a very nice chart that reflected the freqs of the steps on the pots.

With regard to price, I bought mine used and had it shipped directly to Fred Forssell so he could install the new board. They do show up used now and again and the savings compared to buying a new unit is substantial.

I have been very happy with the eq and I can't say enough about how great Fred Forssell is to deal with. I had an issue once and he made himself available on a Sunday afternoon to help. Customer service doesn't get any better that that!

As of now, the original board sits in a box.

[jdg]

i had one of these (my first NSEQ-2) with the "quasi" mastering setup.
they're just the same "detented" pots as the gain controls, not switches.

amazingly, it did track L/R really well per "detent" on all settings

[MatteskyK]

http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/mv/msg/27462/0/0/0/  Had this in a saved folder.  I was investigating this for a bit of time.

[Allen Corneau]

Thanks folks.

Apparently I'm the only one around here that hasn't heard of the detented option on the NSEQ-2.

Ok, move along... nothing to see here.

[jdg]

it was an expensive add-on option when i bought my first one.... painfully, for such a lame ergonomic "upgrade"

[Jerry Tubb]

Still my go-to EQ, sounds amazing!

(and er the Sontec too)

The detents do help with precision & documentation.

You can find em on the online auction sites for reasonable.

The Forssell board is well worth it, took it to a whole new level(s) of musicality.

[Treelady]

Allen,

I think the blurb on that catalogue has a mis-type or mis-speak.   They say detents on all controls, but, as noted, its not on all the controls - hence the "quasi" name in the title.

A long time back I was going to grab one of those and I was on a conference call with Millennia and they were very straightforward in explaining the detents, while stepped, are not the same as those found on gear that was designed from the ground up for mastering.   So, yes, they're easier to document, but no, they do not guarantee that they'll track (they might, but they might not).

I had an NSEQ-2 for a while.  Fred F. was behind on his boards and while I was on the wait list I decided I couldn't deal with the stock model so I sold it.  I'm sure those of you with the FF mod would kick me in the pants were you here in person... ugh.

[lowland]

A long time back I was going to grab one of those and I was on a conference call with Millennia and they were very straightforward in explaining the detents, while stepped, are not the same as those found on gear that was designed from the ground up for mastering.   So, yes, they're easier to document, but no, they do not guarantee that they'll track (they might, but they might not).

I spoke to Fred on the phone a few years ago, and he explained that the stepping is achieved by adding a plastic insert to each pot. As Treelady says, it won't have the accuracy of a true switched arrangement, but may still be useful.

[Jerry Tubb]

The "steps" have been pretty reliable for me, haven't noticed any oddities.

All the controls are stepped, as you can see in this pic:

http://www.terranovamastering.com/studios/pics/a3.html

Obviously switches would be superior, but would require a serious mod.

Occasionally I'll need to work the knobs and switches a little, if it's been sitting unused for a few days with high humidity.

Guess I just got lucky. This unit showed up at my place about ten years ago, I immediately bought it for a great "slightly used" price, added the FF board about 4-5 years ago, been my main EQ since.

Yeah the original PC board just sits in a box in the shop.

There are many great EQ choices out there, this is one.

Cheers, JT

[Bob Olhsson]

I spoke to Fred on the phone a few years ago, and he explained that the stepping is achieved by adding a plastic insert to each pot. As Treelady says, it won't have the accuracy of a true switched arrangement, but may still be useful.

It seems totally repeatable as I would expect provided you are using the same unit. That's what's important.

[zenmastering]

I've had the 'all-detented' control NSEQ for a while now. I think that I paid about $2K for the already detented base model on eBay and got Fred's board for it. Then add about $100 for the new knobs from DigiKey. I'm not so sure that I'd pay $6K for the thing...at that price there are other EQs that might even sound better.

Changing from the stock board to  Fred's was a 'Meh' to 'Yeah!' experience. The new knobs (Kilo International brand - similar to Manley knobs)  actually help the so-so ergonomics more than I thought they would.

Graemme

[jdg]

pix or it didn't happen

[DOMC]

pix or it didn't happen

+1

[Gold]

I've never opened one up. It seems like everyone who has tried to install rotary switches has given up. Why?

Are the filter networks on daughter boards along with the pot connections? There must be some practical reason no one has done this for the FF board.