scipio31975
New member
Well, the only bad part about finishing this project tonight was that my kids are all in bed and I can’t listen to the SEX 4 right away. I’ll have to follow up tomorrow once I get it powered into the system.
I had little experience with building electronics. I watched a tremendous amount of YouTube videos on soldering and understanding circuits. Some of which was way above my head and still is, and some of which makes a hell of lot more sense now. I certainly could not begin without excellent instructions. And Bottlehead didn’t let me down.
To prep, I practiced soldering by building a guitar pedal on a circuit board. It didn’t really prepare me for the more point to point soldering required in these kits, but it helped me understand the basics of how solder moves when heated, so while quite different, certainly helpful.
I printed and made books out of the instructions. This allowed me to check off everything as I went and take notes when needed.
I asked questions on the forums and got quick and useful responses. Some of my questions were hasty and unnecessary, but the responses were quick and non-judgmental. I really appreciated that. Being new to building electronics like this had me a little amped (pun intended) when it came time to test resistance and voltages and being comfortable asking questions and knowing answers would be forthcoming was useful.
Unfortunately, while building the kit, I scratched some paint off the power transformer of the SEX 4. I’ll have to patch that. But generally, I am pleased with how they look.
I have been using the Moreplay to push the power amp of a NAD C3050 for a little over a week now. Compared to the NAD pre section, there really is just an incredible difference in detail and soundstage. The Moreplay was just pulling out so much more information, but in a pleasing and musical way. It just made the NAD pre amp sound lifeless in comparison.
Having just completed the SEX 4 power amp tonight, I will have to follow up with the differences there. I am driving some ZU DW6 loudspeakers. If the SEX 4 has as large an impact as the Moreplay, I am going to be one happy listener.
Guess the phono stage is next…
Thanks Bottlehead and thanks to Paul for the quick answers to what turned out to be trivial questions. These manuals really made this process straightforward and rewarding.
EDIT: Got to listen to the combo today and it sounds exceptional. The weak point now is the phono stage and I am going to be upgrading that shortly. I cannot be more pleased with the musicality and detail I am hearing compared to the integrated NAD C3050. The volume can get blistering. I did notice the volume pot works much more linearly with the SEX 4 than when bypassing NAD’s pre and going direct into the power amp section of that amp. I liked this because it gave considerably more fine tuning options to the volume. I listened to some rock, some reggae, and some folk music and all sounded spectacular and very alive sounding. Next up on the audition circuit will be a variety of Miles to hear both soft and mellow jazz compositions and some complex and fast paced ones. I expect the system to continue performing equally well with those.
I had little experience with building electronics. I watched a tremendous amount of YouTube videos on soldering and understanding circuits. Some of which was way above my head and still is, and some of which makes a hell of lot more sense now. I certainly could not begin without excellent instructions. And Bottlehead didn’t let me down.
To prep, I practiced soldering by building a guitar pedal on a circuit board. It didn’t really prepare me for the more point to point soldering required in these kits, but it helped me understand the basics of how solder moves when heated, so while quite different, certainly helpful.
I printed and made books out of the instructions. This allowed me to check off everything as I went and take notes when needed.
I asked questions on the forums and got quick and useful responses. Some of my questions were hasty and unnecessary, but the responses were quick and non-judgmental. I really appreciated that. Being new to building electronics like this had me a little amped (pun intended) when it came time to test resistance and voltages and being comfortable asking questions and knowing answers would be forthcoming was useful.
Unfortunately, while building the kit, I scratched some paint off the power transformer of the SEX 4. I’ll have to patch that. But generally, I am pleased with how they look.
I have been using the Moreplay to push the power amp of a NAD C3050 for a little over a week now. Compared to the NAD pre section, there really is just an incredible difference in detail and soundstage. The Moreplay was just pulling out so much more information, but in a pleasing and musical way. It just made the NAD pre amp sound lifeless in comparison.
Having just completed the SEX 4 power amp tonight, I will have to follow up with the differences there. I am driving some ZU DW6 loudspeakers. If the SEX 4 has as large an impact as the Moreplay, I am going to be one happy listener.
Guess the phono stage is next…
Thanks Bottlehead and thanks to Paul for the quick answers to what turned out to be trivial questions. These manuals really made this process straightforward and rewarding.
EDIT: Got to listen to the combo today and it sounds exceptional. The weak point now is the phono stage and I am going to be upgrading that shortly. I cannot be more pleased with the musicality and detail I am hearing compared to the integrated NAD C3050. The volume can get blistering. I did notice the volume pot works much more linearly with the SEX 4 than when bypassing NAD’s pre and going direct into the power amp section of that amp. I liked this because it gave considerably more fine tuning options to the volume. I listened to some rock, some reggae, and some folk music and all sounded spectacular and very alive sounding. Next up on the audition circuit will be a variety of Miles to hear both soft and mellow jazz compositions and some complex and fast paced ones. I expect the system to continue performing equally well with those.
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