It’s been four years since Heritage Audio launched the Herchild Model 660 and 670, a pair of no-expense-spared recreations of the legendary Fairchild 660 and 670. The Grandchild 670/500 followed, achieving something that many had considered impossible: packing the sound of the iconic Vari-mu compressor into a 500-series module.
The company say that the experience they gained over the course of those two projects left them with a clear idea of which direction to head in next, and so they set about designing a new full-size version with some added functionality. While a new version that introduces some new features sounds like a logical step, what may come as a surprise to many is that the Herchild Next Gen Model 670N actually comes in at less than half the price of the Model 670!
Being a faithful recreation of an original Fairchild, the new model shares a lot with the existing Model 670 — if you’re not familiar with the unit, you can check out our in-depth review from the February 2023 issue. Make-up gain is taken care of by Heritage Audio’s transformer-coupled HA-880 op-amp, and the same NOS valves that power the Model 670 are joined by six new custom transformers. The choice of six attack and release times promise to make the new arrival even more flexible than the original, while the unit’s progressive DC Threshold control offers combined control of ratio and knee, facilitating everything from subtle, smooth compression to hard limiting.
Heritage Audio have summed up the new release with the following statement: “The Next Gen will essentially provide the same sound quality of the Herchild 670, but with 150% functionality... at a fraction of the price.” An SOS review is already in the works, so keep an eye out to find out more!
Pricing & Availability
The Herchild Next Gen Model 670N is available now, priced at $€2999.
